Steineded How sad is this?

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

poe-48833 Like many of the Low Budget Poverty Row productions of its Era, THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON makes extensive use of the "canned music" that became most memorable as the theme(s) from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. That's definitely a PLUS: that music alone adds a great deal to the overall feel of the movie(s). NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD also uses some of the same lighting schemes seen in THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON. Nor was the makeup bad: I'd seen photos of THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON for decades in magazines like FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, but this was the first time I'd ever actually had a chance to see the MOVIE. It WASN'T disappointing. (On a personal note: I fell asleep on a beach once and ended up with some serious burns; it took ten to fifteen minutes to burn- and I was asleep for three hours...)

thejcowboy22 Our movie starts with an radiation accident in a laboratory. A body is taken into an ambulance. This is the tragic story of our over exposed Scientist Dr. Gilbert McKenna played by Robert Clarke. I remember the soft spoken actor from his frequent appearances on Dragnet and Adam 12. Robert was also married to one of the King Sisters, Maxine. Known in the 60's for their specials, the King Family alone with the extended bunch, entertained us with holiday songs on ABC. Enough with the TV connections which will show relevance later in the review. Dr. McKenna was exposed to radiation but initially is recovering at an Los Angeles hospital in a wheelchair getting some sun in a solarium. The woman next to him sees the transformation and screams but the scaly rep tiled man runs off. Thank goodness, I wasn't ready for a bloody slashing sequence so early in the movie. McKenna changes back to his normal self as Doctors scratch their heads and are stumped and amazed with this deadly exposure. McKenna young and viral wants to get out of his cramped surroundings to feel somewhat normal despite his problem with the sun light. Runs into town evening hours of course and gets involved with a wild woman. This movie reminds me of the cartoon the Hulk as our good nature Gilbert McKenna puts himself in compromising positions as the Sun begins to rise. Mckenna decided that his situation is rendered hopeless and takes to the nightlife and drinking. Jealous boyfriends beware of the daylight hours as their no match for our Demon. During this entire movie Clarke dilemma makes you empathize with his misfortune. One touching moment in the picture stands out as our sad scientist who is in hiding in backyard shed meets a little girl Suzy played by Alexandra Conkling who in reality Robert Clark's niece. Suzy offers our on the lamb Scientist some cookies to eat. Suzy tries to sneak out some snacks but is caught by her Mom played by Donna Conkling, Clarke's sister-in-Law another King family member. Can Alvino Rey be far behind? I just couldn't help feeling the pain and anguish suffered by our leading man or reptile. Clarke wrote, directed and produced this movie. Tragically it didn't cut it at the box office either. Maybe if the Demon sang a few King family numbers it could gain some more interest. Happy Holidays!!

mardermj Besides a shoe string budget, there are the terrific performances of amateurs, the blending of studio stock music, the numerous setups and excellent use of close ups and dolly shots--this is a morality play of what can happen when you do dangerous work crippled by a hangover--and we see the doc doesn't mind a drink now and then. The reptilian brain connection is not worked into the exposition effectively enough, you get the impression that the characters are more worried about appearance, and viewers don't get it that the reptilian brain is survival oriented, in a maniacal way.Also the man into lizard issue was neatly grafted into folklore by the Alligator people, a 1959 follow up to this movie, which was originally made in 1958, and MARVEL's own universe Dr. Kurt Conners, aka the LIZARD. Clarke shoulda sued, but he was too nice a guy even to mention it.Great grade Z flick, worthy of a re-look, especially the remastered version on youtube.

MartinHafer My score of 3 doesn't really mean that I hated this film. In fact, I enjoy watching cheesy 1950s and 60s horror films. However, no matter how much I enjoy them, I have to be realistic and admit that their technical merits are usually horrendous. With THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON (a rather inappropriate title, by the way), the budget was next to nothing and it really shows. The script also is not particularly inspired or original, though the film is watchable.Actor Robert Clarke stars in this film he also wrote and co-directed. While his name is probably not one you've heard of before, he did a ton of TV appearances over the years--particularly in the 1960s in such shows as "Dragnet". He's a competent actor though given the budget, you really can't blame him for coming up with a silly film.This is another nuclear radiation film where a scientist is exposed to the stuff. But, instead of turning really big (THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN) or tiny (THE AMAZING SHRINKING MAN), here the guy cannot go into sunlight or he becomes a hideous looking monster--at least until he's left the sunlight and allows himself to become normal once again. To me I kept wondering why Clarke's character was so stupid that he'd "forget" and suddenly realize it's becoming daytime throughout the film. People with Porphyria learn to avoid sunlight, yet this dummy keeps making the mistake of being out too long. Unfortunately, when he is out in the sun, he seems to become a bit emotionally unstable, though he's nothing like a "sun demon". He's more like a guy who's a bit cranky and stupid, that's all! Overall, very watchable for fans of the genre but don't expect it to be among the best. Just a typical film you'd find on a typical exceptionally tiny budget.By the way, look at the box art that is shown on IMDb. I think the yellow artwork might just rank as the ugliest in film history.