The Hideous Sun Demon

My score of 3 doesn't really mean that I hated this film. In fact, I enjoy watching cheesy 1950s and 60s horror films. However, no matter how much I enjoy them, I have to be realistic and admit that their technical merits are usually horrendous. With THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON (a rather inappropriate title, by the way), the budget was next to nothing and it really shows. The script also is not particularly inspired or original, though the film is watchable.

Actor Robert Clarke stars in this film he also wrote and co-directed. While his name is probably not one you've heard of before, he did a ton of TV appearances over the years--particularly in the 1960s in such shows as "Dragnet". He's a competent actor though given the budget, you really can't blame him for coming up with a silly film.

This is another nuclear radiation film where a scientist is exposed to the stuff. But, instead of turning really big (THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN) or tiny (THE AMAZING SHRINKING MAN), here the guy cannot go into sunlight or he becomes a hideous looking monster--at least until he's left the sunlight and allows himself to become normal once again. To me I kept wondering why Clarke's character was so stupid that he'd "forget" and suddenly realize it's becoming daytime throughout the film. People with Porphyria learn to avoid sunlight, yet this dummy keeps making the mistake of being out too long. Unfortunately, when he is out in the sun, he seems to become a bit emotionally unstable, though he's nothing like a "sun demon". He's more like a guy who's a bit cranky and stupid, that's all! Overall, very watchable for fans of the genre but don't expect it to be among the best. Just a typical film you'd find on a typical exceptionally tiny budget.

By the way, look at the box art that is shown on IMDb. I think the yellow artwork might just rank as the ugliest in film history.

Plan 9 from Outer Space. Howard the Duck. Return of the Kung Fu Dragon. There, three films that are much worse than this one and yet they all have higher scores. Granted I am not saying Sun Demon is some hidden masterpiece but it does have some merits. So the story goes that a scientist is exposed to a new radioactive isotope never encountered before. They find out that the scientist-who is named Gil-now has to live with the terrible side effect of transforming into a lizard creature in the sunlight. Kind of a random really but I have seen radiation do stranger things. Plus the explanation behind it is kind of clever. Kind of. So Gil has to stay inside all the time and also starts up a romance with a nightclub singer who has some mafia ties. Things quickly go downhill from there. Sun Demon was written and directed by Clarke and for being his first time in both departments, he does a pretty decent job. The story is pretty well structured and he knows how to frame a good shot. The monster costume-while not great-certainly isn't bad and I actually give it props for being unique. Clarke-who also plays Gil- brings a real conviction to the character and I can actually buy that this guy is going through some real turmoil. You get a sense of helplessness from Gil and I really sympathized with him. Someone said that Sun Demon was like a "reverse Wolf-Man" which perfectly summarizes the situation. However, that is where my praises end as the other stuff is pretty standard. It deals with elements of nuclear radiation and tampering with the universe, typical 50's sci-fi stuff. It's nothing really new or groundbreaking. Which I think stops it from being more than just typical convention. The other problem is that the dialogue and acting can be awkward and clunky in spots. At one point, Gil starts fighting with this mob guy and it looked so fake that it made me laugh. Not to mention one scene where the singer is supposed to scream in horror at something off screen, but it comes off as so forced. Little moments like that are sprinkled throughout and add up pretty quickly. Still, I think there are some pretty decent parts to this film that are at least worth a pat on the back. If you want a laugh out load bad movie, just go watch Plan 9. Sun Demon is more like a mixed bag that I would only suggest watching if you love classic sci-fi or really enjoy werewolf or werewolf like movies.

This semi-professional low-budget horror film is worth seeing for two reasons: The tormented performance of Robert Clarke in the title role, and the terrific creature makeup. The film does have its weaknesses; the low budget shows, and we see (or, rather, we hear) several good examples of why a film's dialog track is rarely recorded on location but usually dubbed in later in a studio: Several of this film's locations were acoustically unsuitable, as the soundtrack clearly reveals. Nevertheless, I still insist that this film, with a title creature that's certainly original, offers rewards for patient viewers.

Memorable independently produced 50s monster fare has Clarke (who sci-fi fans will remember from the equally memorable "The Man From Planet X") as a scientist whose exposure to radioactive isotopes causes him to become a monster whenever exposed to the sun. The film is extraordinary in that its focus is on the effect the transformation has on Clarke's character, emotionally and morally; his excessive drinking and his search for nightlife exemplify this. Having been forced by his vampire-like condition to avoid the sun and the "good girl" he knows in town, he has no option but to live the other way. By taking a floozy out for a moonlit walk (she seems really surprised when he says he actually wants to take a walk, perhaps expecting a mere pickup) he shows how he wants to make his night world into a respectable one, but can't (the sun again turns him into the demon).

Good makeup, nice performances in the B-mode all around. If you're a fan of these kind of movies, this is the movie you're looking for -- one of the best of its kind.

After being exposed to radiation, a scientist (Dr. Gilbert McKenna; Robert Clarke)) develops a peculiar form of sun-sensitivity: daylight devolves him into some kind of lizard-man. The provenance of this film is interesting: star/director Clarke made more money than he expected as the star of the abysmal 'Astounding She-Monster' (1957) and decided to produce his own low-budget sci-fi/horror film (ironically, he lost most of the immediate profits when company distributing the film folded). Considering that 'The Hideous Sun Demon' was a bargain-basement, near-amateur production, shot on weekends by film students, helmed by a first-time director, and featuring a cast made up mostly of friends and family, it's surprisingly entertaining (and far better than the film that inspired it). The simple monster-on-the-loose plot flips the usual 'hunts by night' trope for a threat that only appears in the sunlight (requiring a somewhat better creature costume than do nocturnal nemeses). The pseudo-science buttressing the plot is nonsensical (the combination radiation and sunlight causes Gil to revert to an earlier form of life, a premise supported by the now rejected 'ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny' theories of the 19th century) and no explanation is ever offered as to why the change is reversible. Most of the characters exist simply to hang the plot on but Clarke does a better than genre-average job in humanising Gil, who early on is shown with a drinking problem and, as the film progresses becomes frightened and upset (somewhat hammily) by his actions when in lizard-man mode. The score is pretty good for the sci-fi/noir look of the film and the final scenes on the immense gas tank are very well done, with lots of interesting camera angles and cuts back and forth between the events at the top and the view from the ground (the scene in which the policeman's hat is knocked off when tussling with the creature, then seen falling from the top of the towering tank is much better that would be expected in this level of production). The monster outfit is OK for the budget and Clarke, who did his own stunts, puts a lot of energy into running around in the supposedly very hot costume. The film was generally panned upon release but seems to have found a minor cult following. Not being over-the-top loopy like 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' (1959) or 'Robot Monster' (1953), it hasn't become a classic 'bad movie' but it is watchable by fans of the genre and Clarke deserves some small acclaim for his frugal effort.