The Hideous Sun Demon

While not the great classic, this movie does have a solid place in '50s sci-fi movie. The plot is pretty original, and I can see why a person would be in lot of trouble if he turns into a reptile as soon as he's exposed to sun. I watched this movie on TV when I was a kid and have been looking to find it for some time. Now it's up on Youtube, and I've seen it after over 40 years. What interested be after watching was of course the plot which I didn't understand when I was a kid, and also the gas station scenes. The gas was going for $.27 per gallon, and it was full service back then. Another thing is that people smoked a lot more then than now. It's not bad of a movie for one man to produce, star and direct, and I give Robert Clarke high score for the attempt. For one who didn't live that time or seen this movie back then, this movie probably don't mean much, but watching it now, I see that people really were different back then, and this movie brings back memories of how things were.

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.

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.

The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)

** (out of 4)

Dr. Gilbert McKenna (Robert Clarke) is working on an experiment when something goes wrong and he's exposed to radiation. At first it appears that he's going to make it through okay but once he's put into the sunlight he turns into the title creature, a hideously deformed creature (looking like a lizard) and soon she's out on a killing spree.

THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON marked the only time character actor Clarke stepped into the director's chair. The film has the reputation of being one of the worst horror movies of the decade but I think those who say that are being way too tough on the film. Just looking at the picture you can tell that they were working on very little money. Yes, the story too isn't all that original or inspiring. There's also some questionable performances scattered throughout the picture. Even with the countless flaws here, I've always found the film at least watchable thanks in large part to the terrific looking monster.

I really thought the look of the monster was excellent and this alone kept the film from reaches the levels of the worst of the decade. I guess it's best to say the creature looks like some sort of lizard but I liked the design of the make-up (or mask) and I especially liked the way the mouth was designed. Towards the end of the film the character has its shirt ripped off, which gives us even more views of the work and to me it's quite impressive. Another good thing is the music score and the recycled music that would turn up in other films including the same year's PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE.

The film really isn't all that original with the screenplay pretty much being a copy of Universal's THE WOLF MAN with the exception here being it's the sun instead of the moon that turns the lead character. For the most part Clarke remains watchable in the film and his direction isn't too bad either. Of all the supporting players it's probably Nan Peterson that gets the most attention but not for her performance. No, her rack is pretty much on full display throughout the picture so I'm sure teenage boys seeing this at the drive-in back in the day were very happy.

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.