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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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5
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5 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Research
scientist Gil McKenna (Robert Clarke) is handling
a new radioactive isotope in the lab when something
goes awry. Accidentally exposed to the isotope's
deadly rays, he's rushed to the hospital with
little chance of survival. The doctors are puzzled
when McKenna fails to exhibit any residual symptoms.
Though he seems healthy it's decided he should
remain in the hospital a few more days for observation.
One afternoon Gil is taken up to the hospital
roof for some sunshine and a breath of fresh air.
Lounging in a patio chair as he reads a newspaper,
he suddenly starts feeling very ill, breaking
into a feverish sweat. An elderly woman, a fellow
patient also enjoying the warm sunshine, looks
over at Gil only to see... a monster! McKenna's
skin has transformed into the scaly hide of a
lizard. Large, sharp fangs protrude from his mouth.
The Hideous Sun Demon is born!
Somehow the radioactive isotope has altered the
cell structure of McKenna's body. If exposed to
sunlight, even for a short period, a reversal
of the evolutionary process occurs, changing him
into a prehistoric lizard man. Getting out of
the sun and remaining indoors reverses the reaction,
returning him to normal. The doctors don't know
if anything can be done to cure him. Gil doesn't
take the diagnosis very well. Depressed over his
strange fate, he leaves the hospital to live in
isolation in a shuttered house. The entreaties
of his co-worker and devoted girlfriend Ann (Patricia
Manning) can't get him out this mental funk. He
starts drinking heavily to drown his sorrows,
making nightly excursions to a local watering
hole. (It's alluded to early in the film that
Gil might've had a drinking problem before
the accident.) Here he meets Trudy (Nan Peterson),
the bar's bodaciously stacked torch singer. She
strikes a chord in him (or at least those double-D
hooters do), allowing him to temporarily forget
his troubles. Naturally it all goes horribly wrong.
A
fun slice of '50s B-movie monstermania, Hideous
Sun Demon is one part The
Wolf Man and one part Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with a jigger of Lost
Weekend tossed in for good measure. (Mix
well in a Perspex beaker; serve hot.) Produced,
directed and co-written by star Robert Clarke,
it's a fast-paced cheapie that's as entertaining
as it is silly. The concept of a monster activated
by the rays of the sun, with our cursed protagonist
perfectly normal during nighttime hours, is a
nice twist on an age-old horror theme. At times
the movie seems more a cautionary tale about the
dangers of alcoholism than a fright flick, as
poor Gil might've gotten a handle on things if
he'd have just stayed out of his cups. Some may
be disappointed that the creature action takes
a back seat to noir-style dramatics, or that the
Sun Demon is more concerned with hiding out until
nightfall than clawing his way through a roster
of victims —
for a monster
movie it has a pretty low body count. But Clarke
(The Man from Planet X,
frequent Dragnet guest roles) does a fine
job both behind and in front of the camera. There
are some nicely helmed shots here considering
the flick's extremely low budget; he's thoroughly
believable as the tormented Gil, particularly
when he finally breaks down in despair. ("Why
me?... Please tell me WHY!!!") Some of
the dialog is pretty ridiculous, taking the off
ramp to Cheeseville full throttle, but the monster
suit isn't half bad given the budget restraints
and era in which the film was made. The movie's
real special effects are the fleshy charms
of Ms. Peterson, who is —
to use a local colloquialism —
built like a brick shithouse. No thespian, she's
nonetheless quite appealing as the bad girl with
a heart of gold.
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The Sun Demon DVD is
another bare-boned entry in Image's Wade Williams
Collection of 1950s atomic age horrors. While
the print used isn't in particularly good shape,
with noticeable damage in numerous spots, the movie
never looked this good on VHS. This probably represents
the best available copy of it in existence. And
let's face it: no company is going to spend money
trying to digitally refurbish a picture like this.
A
trailer for Sun Demon
is included, though it's much darker and ragged-looking
than the movie. The gatefold of the cardboard, "snapper"-style
case features a short excerpt from Clarke's memoirs
(To 'B' Or Not To 'B': A Film Actor's Odyssey,
co-authored by Tom Weaver), providing a glimpse
at the film's genesis and production. An audio commentary
with either Clarke or Weaver —
even better, both —
would've been dandy.
6/18/02 |
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