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.
Review of The Hideous Sun Demon
