The Hideous Sun Demon
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Movie Reviews of The Hideous Sun Demon
Movie Review: hideous sun demon
Summary: 4 Stars
i remember this movie as a kid on creature features and found it a nightmare.i am interested in buying it now but at 17.99 i feel it is way over priced.come down to half the price and i would buy it today.Movie Review: Fine Effort
Summary: 4 Stars
Should have had Streisand in it.Movie Review: Don't forget the sunblock!
Summary: 4 Stars
THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON is a few steps above most drive-in horror features of its genre. Well, maybe just one step. Shot on a minimal budget, director and star Robert Clarke creates some brilliantly directed moments. There is also a pleasing eerie atmospehre, even though its quite obvious many of the nighttime sequences were shot during the day! The actual Sun Demon's raison d'etre is rather clumsily explained (the actors "tell" the story of how Clarke became the sun demon than actually showing it, another budget constraint). Many of the cheap elements of bad movies are here: cheap costumes, particularly bad actresses that look like big names (check out the Marilyn Monroe lounge singer and the Vivien Leigh look alike girlfriend!), minimal sets and local actors. There is a lot to recommend about this movie and it won't disappoint most B-movie fans. As for the actual DVD itself...The film print source at times suffers from somre wear and tear. In some areas, the picture is pelted with scratched both vertical and horizontal. Other than that, the movie has some nice contrasts and the soundtrack is particularly impressive. It has a wonderfully designed menu and a scratchy preview. All in all, worth every penny!Movie Review: Good Guy in Bad Monster Suit
Summary: 3 Stars
Actually, this isn't a bad movie. I know that's not what some people want to hear; that is, that it's an old camp drive-in laugher like Robot Monster or Plan 9 From Outer Space. But it's not like that. It has some genuine pathos in it (like when his girlfriend finds him hiding in the cellar), and likewise some ridiculous grue (like when he squeezes the rat to death), but all in all it's not bad. And yes, the budget probably was shoe string, and the acting and special effects leave something to be desired, but it was made in the 50s, and that's what it is: a 50s style horror thriller. If you liked The Monster That Challenged The World, you'll like this movie too.Movie Review: Half film noir, half "b-movie" monster, a real winner!
Summary: 4 Stars
Well, now, from the cover of this one, you'd think that this was lower down on the evolutionary scale than plankton. Actually, it falls somewhere between the whole-heartedly "serious" sci-fi flicks of the 50s (like "Them!" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still") and the **real** bottom-of-the-barrel stuff like "The Amazing Colossal Man" and "Beast From the Haunted Cave". True, true, you do have to have a taste for cheese to really enjoy these things, and this one doesn't disappoint. Our hero is quite the booze-hound, but that didn't keep his friend from recommending him for his current job (somewhat unclear - apparently it involves unloading isotope bars off of a toy railroad...! ) One day, he shows up to work with a hangover (his loyal assistant insists it was "just a headache"!), and the next thing he knows - he's been exposed to "5 or 6 minutes" of radiation. That's enough - remember, this was made back in the days when anyone capable of using the words "isotope" and "radiation" in the same sentence was definitely some kind of Poindexter.The interesting thing about this film (besides the rubber-suited lizard man) is that it doesn't seem to matter to anyone that, hey!, we have this guy who turns into a Hideous Sun Demon, and they don't keep him around for observation. "Just stay out of the sun." Okie-dokie! Good news is that he's still very much the booze-hound, and therefore we get to spend time following him around, looking for bars at night - looks downright noirish for a while, and by all means stick around for the stacked blonde singing the "Love Song From Hideous Sun Demon", aka "Strange Pursuit" (what a title! What a song! What kind of piano is that woman playing, anyway? )
Still, our director and star did his best with this one - some of the scenes are really well composed (there's one scene near the beginning that looks as though Ansel Adams could have shot it) and it has a far more polished feel to it than SO many of these movies. (Ugh - if you haven't sat through a Francis Coleman movie, you have no right to pass judgement on THIS one!) The DVD transfer is completely acceptable (what, you're waiting for the widescreen edition? I don't think so....) even if it doesn't really have any extras (other than the liner notes, which put the whole thing into perspective). There's some film scratchiness but mostly it's pretty decent B&W - not too washed out, not too contrasty. It even has the usually-deleted "rat scene" (you'll know what I'm referring to as soon as you see it).
All in all - I recommend it to ANY fans of the genre. Not as well known as a lot of the familiar turkeys, better than most of them if not overly-ambitious or special in any way. A prime slice of the genre, best enjoyed with a rainy Saturday afternoon or a couple of friends for riffing purposes. Have fun!