this must surely be one of the most neglected fantasy film of all time . by all account a flop at the time of it release and it have become the hard to see of all william castle movie . it also in colour and which be another rarity from this director . french mime or actor marcel marceau play the title role of malcolm shank and a deaf mute puppeteer who scratch out a living put on show for child and while bear the brunt of a miserable home life with his money grab brother and sister in law and who take all the money he earn for themselves . one day and an elderly professor ( also play by marceau in a dual role ) see his puppet show and offer shank a job to come to his home to assist him be some experiment involve the artificial stimulation of dead animal via electricity and or something . why or how it actually work be not expand on and but it involve small implant be attach to the muscle and these be then activate by mean of a small control box . due to his background with puppet and shank prof to be very adept at control the movement of his first animal ( a dead frog and and later a rooster ) . however thing take an unexpected turn when he turn up for work one day only to find the professor dead in his armchair and seemingly from natural cause . shank have all but be hound out of his own home by his cruel relative and and he realise that desperate measure be need to avoid go back there . and so the professor become the first human subject for re animation . what follow be the beginning of a macabre and dreamlike fantasy . the awakening of the dead professor be one of the most ghoulish thing i have ever see . marceau be famous a a physical performer and and his depiction of a dead body be artificially rouse into movement be very skillful . with a shock of white hair and sunken face and glazed white eyeball and the professor body jerk up off the ground and begin to wobble around the laboratory and a shank perfect his manipulation of the control box . it isn not long before he feel confident enough to take his new puppet on a stroll into the street outside and and this be the start of an escalation of event that you really need to watch to get the full enjoyment out of . this be almost a silent movie for much of it run time and with long scene involve no dialogue whatsoever and but the film be so effective in hold your attention that you will barely even notice the fact that nobody be talk . shank himself never speak at all and but the support character all talk naturally when require except for when they be dead of course . and some rather charming silent movie style subtitle board on the screen fill in any required exposition . the acting in this film be amazing and i suspect that marceau be not the only performer to have a background in mime or theatre and a when he have to animate other dead character and the movement be always effectively creepy . if i have any criticism and it would be that castle a he have often do before stay shy of make the film a truly horrific a it could have be . he never exploit the yuk factor of the dead body and and there be no allusion to bloodshed or decomposition at any time . william castle be an oddity among horror director in that he always put on the brake before his subject matter go to deep into unpleasant territory and whereas others would gleefully revel in the more gruesome aspect of a story like this and castle seem to prefer to keep thing suitable for family viewing . plus and the movie even end with a tack on it only make believe epilogue that completely squash the very dark end of the real story . it something he have do before and and it seem a shame that the film of william castle be often sabotage from be truly horror by the director very own sensibility . that notwithstanding and i would call shank a success and a it hold your attention constantly throughout . if any one think marcel marceau talent end with a white make up face and leotard and they should see him in this . he be perfect for the part and effective in bring his whole character to life without speak a single word . the film be a true oddity and but almost impossible to classify . ultimately and it just a unique and bewildering experience and and i think everyone should see it .