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Whoa. Would you lookie there? Why, I just reviewed The Hideous Sun Demon just a few months back; and here it is already celebrating its 64th birthday! (Not my review, but the film, silly.) If I remember this correctly, it was part of a Triple Feature collection; and I'd agreed to pen a review in exchange for a complimentary DVD. Yes, yes. Excellent, indeed.
In fairness, I didn't think all that much of Demon. It was essentially what I'd catalogue as a 'nice' picture, nothing really standing out all that memorable in the performances or the practical effects (which were few and far between). Robert Clarke jumped at the chance to dabble once more in Science Fiction and Fantasy as one of his recent outings had actually done quite well at the box office. As you can see by the poster above, he not only starred in this but also produced and directed. I believe I'd also read he didn't exactly contribute to the script so much as he came up with the core idea and then let the screenwriters have at it. So, yes, I think this one also qualifies as a 'vanity project,' though some might disagree.
Furthermore, I distinctly recall the flick being reasonably light on time spent with the creature itself. In any Jekyll & Hyde story (of which this qualifies), I'd argue that the split should be, at least, 60/40. Naturally, the sane half of the split personality would be provided more screen time -- the story needs the set-up, and the inter-relationships between all of the players would also require some exploration -- but I think this one had very, very little time actually in costume. In fact, I'm pretty sure the bulk of it was in the finale; and -- at that point -- monsters usually are showing up to deliver a swan song, aren't they? Sigh. It ain't easy being green.
Like many who write and think about film, I have the compunction to care more about the creature than I do the -- ahem -- mere mortals. It's the monster that I typically experience more empathy for: he didn't ask to be created, nor did he ask for whatever hungers drive him to commit such nefarious and sometimes bloody deeds. While Clarke's picture had its heart in the right place, what was truly needed was a thicker wallet.
In fairness, I didn't think all that much of Demon. It was essentially what I'd catalogue as a 'nice' picture, nothing really standing out all that memorable in the performances or the practical effects (which were few and far between). Robert Clarke jumped at the chance to dabble once more in Science Fiction and Fantasy as one of his recent outings had actually done quite well at the box office. As you can see by the poster above, he not only starred in this but also produced and directed. I believe I'd also read he didn't exactly contribute to the script so much as he came up with the core idea and then let the screenwriters have at it. So, yes, I think this one also qualifies as a 'vanity project,' though some might disagree.
Furthermore, I distinctly recall the flick being reasonably light on time spent with the creature itself. In any Jekyll & Hyde story (of which this qualifies), I'd argue that the split should be, at least, 60/40. Naturally, the sane half of the split personality would be provided more screen time -- the story needs the set-up, and the inter-relationships between all of the players would also require some exploration -- but I think this one had very, very little time actually in costume. In fact, I'm pretty sure the bulk of it was in the finale; and -- at that point -- monsters usually are showing up to deliver a swan song, aren't they? Sigh. It ain't easy being green.
Like many who write and think about film, I have the compunction to care more about the creature than I do the -- ahem -- mere mortals. It's the monster that I typically experience more empathy for: he didn't ask to be created, nor did he ask for whatever hungers drive him to commit such nefarious and sometimes bloody deeds. While Clarke's picture had its heart in the right place, what was truly needed was a thicker wallet.
If IMDB.com's facts are to be believed, Demon's trivia section lists that the rubberized lizard suit cost him (as producer) a cool $500 in 1958 dollars. That may sound like a lot of scratch, but here's a point of comparison: the Creature From The Black Lagoon's gillman suit cost around $15,000 from estimates I've heard. What does $15,000 get you? Well, it definitely gets you remembered, especially in Hollywood. I guess that's why Clarke's Demon is seen wearing slacks in the final reel's rollicking showdown: he couldn't afford anything else!
-- EZ
-- EZ
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