The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)

Just perfect...

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Low-budget sci-fi/horror The Hideous Sun Demon stars Robert Clarke as atomic scientist Dr. Gilbert McKenna, who is accidentally exposed to radiation from a new isotope, the result being devolution to a reptilian state whenever he is in direct sunlight.Boy, this is one hell of a cheap B-movie. 'How cheap?' I hear you ask. Well, in one scene, a little girl asks her mother if she can pour a glass of milk, and proceeds to spill it all over the floor (nothing to do with the plot… she's just crap at pouring milk). The film is so cheap that they didn't bother with a second take.It's so cheap that they can't even afford that 'dissolve transformation' effect seen in so many other low-budget monster movies: one second McKenna is a man, the next he has slipped on his badly made rubber mask and scaly gloves to become the Hideous Sun Demon. Raarrrggh!It's so cheap that its star Robert Clarke pulls double duty as co-director, even though he's clearly not qualified to do so (barring a spoof of this film in 1983, this would be his only directorial effort).Of course, cheap often means cheerful, but that's not really the case here, much of the film proving tedious in the extreme (the monster only appears in a couple of scenes). Oh well, at least we're introduced to the charms of Nan Peterson, who plays bar-room singer Trudy, owner of a most impressive set of curves. Her presence makes things a little easier to endure.3.5 out of 10, rounded up to 4 for the squashed rat and the throttled dog.

This is one of the funniest Rifftrax movies I've seen, but the movie itself is somewhat bizarre (though I suppose that this is to be expected). A scientist named Dr. Gilbert McKenna (Robert Clarke) is exposed to nuclear radiation at his laboratory. For undisclosed reasons this turns him into a monster when he is left out in the sun too long. Interestingly this only affects half his body as he also runs around in totally soaked khaki pants. And no, it's never explained why his pants are soaked either. McKenna spends most of the movie alone in his secluded house on the California coast, driving to bars, and rampaging. It's your typical poorly made, low budget, campy horror film from the 50's. Other interesting things about the film include the music which also appears in Night of the Living Dead. Since that film was made 9 years later I'm going to guess that it's probably stock. Other than that there's not much else to write. Except, of course, that the Rifftrax is hilarious.

Besides a shoe string budget, there are the terrific performances of amateurs, the blending of studio stock music, the numerous setups and excellent use of close ups and dolly shots--this is a morality play of what can happen when you do dangerous work crippled by a hangover--and we see the doc doesn't mind a drink now and then. The reptilian brain connection is not worked into the exposition effectively enough, you get the impression that the characters are more worried about appearance, and viewers don't get it that the reptilian brain is survival oriented, in a maniacal way.Also the man into lizard issue was neatly grafted into folklore by the Alligator people, a 1959 follow up to this movie, which was originally made in 1958, and MARVEL's own universe Dr. Kurt Conners, aka the LIZARD. Clarke shoulda sued, but he was too nice a guy even to mention it.Great grade Z flick, worthy of a re-look, especially the remastered version on youtube.

Who wouldn't want to see a movie called, "The Hideous Sun Demon"? What a great title for a fifties "B" sci-fi thriller! The pan at the beginning from the ambulance to the sun (the catalyst for what turns our subject into the hideous monster) works well.Radiation is such a great vehicle for "plausibility" in changing otherwise normal human beings and animals into "hideous" monsters! This movie is no exception. Released in 1959, this movie would have been riding on the nuclear concerns of that era.The explanation as to how a man could wind up turning into a reptile-like creature is less than plausible, but heck... who cares? The fun of the movie is watching the life of the tortured genius and how he deals with the effects the nuclear accident.The scenes of our hero standing on the cliff, contemplating ending it all show the depth of his despair, however, it is never explained why this character is so brooding. We can understand the impact of having to reorder his life in order to keep from becoming his lizard-like other self, however, we are never informed as to why he has become so recklessly dependent on the bottle. This would have helped deepen the character.The song the blonde Marilyn Monroe wannabe (Trudy) sings to him is, well, "Torchy." "Strange Desire." It says it all, eh?Speaking of songs, I actually enjoyed the happy little rock and roll tune that's played while he's having the tar beaten out of him by "Mugsy" and friends.One mystery I'll never be able to solve... how'd he get his coat back from blondie (Trudy)?We see the tender side of this man when he is being aided by the child in the pump house at the oil fields. This helps us to see more dimension in the man and how his alter-ego, the scaly monster is not really who he is.The interaction between the busty blonde babe and himself are a bit puzzling. Why does he come on so strong when they are at the beach and why does she cozy up to him after backing away so strongly? Probably just awkwardness in the script writing.The scenes of the monster running about are good. Clarke handles the physical aspect of being a superhuman monster well.With regard to the police shooting scene on the top of the structure the monster is being chased on, was this officer Barney Fife with only one bullet? He shoots the monster, then when the monster rushes him (the policeman), he throws his gun at him. What the heck?This movie is a classic tragedy in so many ways. The monster side of Clarke, although changed psychologically, is never looking for trouble. He just wants to get out of the sun so he can return to his human self. However, the complications of his own bad choices put him in touch with the wrong element and he retaliates when he is being harmed physically.This sets him up to be hunted by "those who don't understand," thus ending his pathetic existence.This movie actually ascends it's "B" rating in many ways. It is a must-see for those who enjoy the black and white fifties sci-fi.