The Neanderthal Man

A saber-toothed tiger takes a California town by surprise—but that’s nothing compared to what comes next in “The Neanderthal Man” (1953). With deaths on the rise, the quest for answers leads a scientist’s daughter right back home to her father’s laboratory.

Likened by some viewers to “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” the film’s shoddy mask for the stunt man playing the title character just might be the star of the show. While midcentury critics were underwhelmed by the costume’s defects, fans of schlock sci-fi can rejoice at the hilarious results.