What's Up, Hideous Sun Demon

I grew up in Kansas City and saw this movie at the same theatre as the person who previously commented on the film. It's one of the funniest movies ever, and deserves a higher cult status. I really wish it was available on video because everyone needs to see this movie!

My review was written in September 1989 after a Greenwich Village screening.

This revamped version (with silly voice dubbing) of Robert Clarke's 1959 monster pic packs enough belly laughs to merit midnight bookings, as well as serving to renew interest in the campy original.

Already parodied in the '60s by amateur filmmaker Don Glut, Clarke's "The Hideous Sun Demon" was redubbed in a "Special Edition" prepared between 1983 and 1986 but never released. This 1989 second re-do is in the vein of Woody Allen's famous dub job "What's Up, Tiger Lily?".

In his film, Clarke toplines as a research scientist exposed to radioactive isotopes that cause him to regress into a humanoid reptilian monster when exposed to direct sunlight. Melodramatic plot has him falling in love with statuesque torch singer Nan Peterson, but ultimately destroyed in a cheapie climax reminiscent of Raoul Walsh's classic "White Heat" set atop a vast gasoline storage tower.

Satirist Craig Mitchell makes fun of the cornball story and shoestring-budget footage, emphasizing lots of stiff reaction shots (original was lensed during 12 weekends on a budget undr4 $50,000). New dialog brings out front the sexually risque material of the original (Peterson is an impressive '50s bombshell) while hilariously adding drug references. One side-splitting sequence takes innocent footage of a cute little girl and her mom, turning it into a hip, Cheech & Chong-style drugged-out rap routine.

Jay Leon (uncredited) is hilarious dubbing Clarke's role and providing off-the-wall narration, while Susan Tyrrell is a perfect choice for re-doing Peterson'' role and her "Strange Pursuit" ballad number. Several new b&w insert shots matched to the original are funny, but a color prolog of college kids (including Googy Gress and Mark Holton) watching Clarke's film on the late show is a pointless framing device.

Fans are advised to also check out the original (also distributed by Wade Williams) which feature excellent exterior photography (including work by Vilis Lapienieks) and actually is funnier in its integral nightclub scenes (where Peterson's fake keyboard moves are a hoot) than the new version.

Just a quick note to say this is horribly underrated on the IMDb User Ratings. I'm sorry, but not only is this funnier than Kung Pow, it's funnier than What's Up Tiger Lily. There, I said it and I'm glad.

I collect comedy dub jobs and so far this is my all time favorite. The writing is outstanding, the voices nicely match the characters, and the dubbing is tight. So many of these dub jobs go horribly wrong in a muck of sloppy dubbing and a numbing stream of toilet/sex/fart/gay 'jokes... lather rinse repeat. See 'Night of the Day of the Dawn of the...', or "Don't Ask Don't Tell" for examples of the genre gone wrong. This one shows how it should be done. (I will say that Oscar Meyer joke is a real groaner, but that's the only one.) Yeah, there's loads of sex jokes but guess what; they're actually *funny*, what with being built around actual good jokes. As opposed to the "any dirty remark is funny" school of comedy dubbing.

I just love this one, I wish there were more like it.

My pops took me to this one when it was showing at our local Fine Arts theater (not that it's fine art, but definitely small theater material).

The basic idea is a voice over of a B movie with comedic intentions. It's been a long time since I saw it, but I recall a send-up of 50's Sci-Fi which was far more humorous than anything Jay Leno has been involved with since. One particularly inappropriate gag with a spliced-in sex toy stands out as a high point.

7 out of 10, and I'd love the chance to see it again.

When tracing down this movie it may have various dates and titles.

Revenge of the Sun Demon (1993) - the one I watched What's Up, Hideous Sun Demon - various dates as (1989)

Portia: The quality of mercy is not strain' d, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

The Merchant of Venice Act 4, scene 1, 180-187

For a connoisseur of such films as Lily la tigresse (1966) you may be a tad disappointed as in this movie they had to add scenes and run the film backward to get the effect, they needed to match the dialog.

The basic story is of a suntan lotion that went awry. The film is chock full of cheap secondary sexual innuendos.

There are a few positives to note: Jay Leno is the voice of Ishmael Pivnik the Sun Demon.

Googy Gress a versatile actor plays Chet.

See him again in Enquête en tête (1988) with Cyndi Lauper.