The Hideous Sun Demon!

I've been wanting to see this movie pretty much my whole life. I can't remember exactly how old I was when I saw a still of the Sun Demon in a vintage issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland but I was a mere boy. At that time, there were literally hundreds of movies that I despaired ever getting a chance to see, isolated as I was in the hills of Kentucky. But the miracle of VHS hit when I was a young man and I've been collecting and watching these old monster flicks ever since. Now it's DVD but the search is the same. As more and more of these quaint old things become available it's fun to finally get around to seeing them.

Well in this instance it was a distinct disappointment. The movie is a spare offering with Robert Clarke in the lead. Clarke is a sure sign of an impoverished movie, and one that relies on talk instead of show. That's a given, but this story seems fragmented from the get-go. The accident that starts all the trouble is one we never see, nor really do we see the atomic lab where it happened. All we know is that our "hero" was exposed and now is sensitive to sunlight. We get this information in huge doses of really dull exposition from doctors, friend, and such of the hero. In the first few minutes of the movie the "hero" seems almost a bit character in the movie and I suspected that maybe the exposition bits were done after the original show. I'm still convinced that Clarke and his leading lady were only in one or two scenes together really in the whole thing.

The only thing that sets this mopey thing apart is the distinct unlikeability of the "hero". He's a drunk, and it's suggested this might have caused the accident. Well anyway this barfly is now sensitive to sunlight, so much so that it triggers a change in his DNA and he reverts to a lizard form. He runs around growling like the wolfman, then recovers after finding shade. Each time he changes it gets quicker and easier to do. Nonetheless despite the obvious need to stay inside and avoid the sunlight, he of course keeps heading out to the nearest bar and getting a drink and as we find lots of trouble. Trouble that keeps getting him stuck in the daylight.

All this guy has to do is stay inside the house and he's safe. Sheesh. There are pretty girls in this one, and a really fast car. But mostly there's talk, talk, talk. The movie alas is really rather dull. Even the action sequences are edited in such a way as to draw out the time and so undercut the sense of tension. Rarely does the movie really get compelling. The finale is okay, but it took a long time to get there.

The make-up on the creature ain't bad for a movie of this vintage and budget, and it's the only thing that recommends this movie even a little. I like monster movies, and I'm willing to listen to lots of exposition, but I need more than this offers to really enjoy the show. I've waited a long time to see it, and I'm really sorry it wasn't better. It's still got a great title though.

Rip Off