The Brute Man: Jean Yarbrough

Here's a question for you: why is Jean Yarbrough's The Brute Man entitled The Brute Man? True, there is a brutish man who goes around killing people in it. But I don't think that he was ever referred to as such. No, the tragic monster in The Brute Man is constantly called the Creeper. So why isn't the film titled The Creeper? I can't find any movie from the era that could threaten copyright infringement over the name. So what gives? Well, I probably shouldn't lose too much sleep over it. The Brute Man is a turgid, dreary monster movie about a handsome, athletic young man who is tragically deformed in a chemistry accident. So he disappears and goes on a killing spree. Of course, the Creeper is portrayed as more of a Frankenstein's Monster than a Jack the Ripper; he wants to be accepted and loved but he just can't help but kill people. Unfortunately the film is cliche-ridden and generally unfocused. He falls in love with, surprise surprise, a blind woman. An incompetent police chief and mayor argue over capturing the Creeper. The schoolmate who inadvertently caused the Creeper's accident joins the investigation. And the Creeper? He, uh, creeps. That's about it, really. The Brute Man tries to juggle too much at once and ends up dropping everything all over the floor in a lumpy, unpleasant mess.

5/10