The Fearmakers (1958)

A Korean war veteran (Dana Andrews) returns home after being tortured and brainwashed as a POW and resumes work at a public relations firm in Washington D.C. He discovers things aren't quite as he left them as he uncovers a hotbed of political manipulation. Directed by Jacques Tourneur (OUT OF THE PAST), this is a typical slice of 1950s red paranoia (aka the commies are coming) masquerading as a crime thriller film and not very subtly either. Tourneur provides a nice noir-ish atmosphere to the proceedings but honestly, the whole thing borders on laughable. As Samuel Fuller proved, it's possible to make a red paranoia film (PICK UP ON SOUTH STREET) that's actually a quality piece of cinema but Tourneur can't do much with the pulp in this instance. With Mel Torme, Dick Foran, Veda Ann Borg, Kelly Thordsen and Marilee Earle.