Extra melty cheese...
Added 3/24/2009
Perhaps the best movie ever made about a melting man: The Incredible Melting Man!
After astronaut Steve views the sun through the rings of saturn, he somehow contracts a vicious flesh melting bacteria. Once back on earth, the melting fiend escapes from the hospital and goes on a flesh eating rampage which fuels his strength and rage. Meanwhile they make all the right moves to stop him. Why send police after him when you can send a doctor? Instead of letting the town know that a murderous, melting man is on the loose, wouldn't it be better to just keep it quiet and send out a two man search party? Needless to say I learned a lot from The Incredible Melting Man, cherished lessons that I will never forget.
There is only one reason to watch this movie, and that would be to see Rick Baker's awesome gore/melting effects. Highlights include the varying melting stages of Steve, a decapitated head floating up the river, and the ultra gooey melting finale. With an extensive filmography and an Academy award for special effects under his belt, it's safe to say Rick Baker is a special effects legend. As for the rest, it's your typical B-movie fare with even more "so bad it's good" hilarity than usual. This was also a MST3K feature.
Highly recommended if you enjoy some good cheesy sci-fi/horror.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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A fun look at someone's slow melting demise.
Added 9/3/2006
Contains some spoilers. The Incredible Melting Man is an older film that offers viewers a look at the struggle of a man sent to outerspace, but returns infected with a strange disease. He melts! You can see the dripping start in the hospital, where he attacks a nurse and saps their lifeforce to keep himself alive. Spoiler: One scene shows someone's head floating down a stream, and is quite a comical moment in the film. Other than that however, the film is slow paced and rather dull, but mostly due to the lack of really knowing what this man is thinking, other than witnessing his occassional rage and ultimate demise.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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GRISLY HORROR FILM WITH SCI-FI ROOTS
Added 3/14/2006
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: *** NOT A FILM SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN ***
The most amazing thing about "The Incredible Melting Man" is the trailer. It plays on a few other genre videos as a preview, and it is a very impressive, though not because of its high-production values. Essentially, a uniformed nurse is screaming as she flees from something which without warning bursts explosively through a glass door in pursuit. After seeing this trailer a few dozen times I gave in and bought the video.
IN A NUTSHELL: RICK BAKER HAS WON 6 OSCARS FOR BEST MAKE-UP
Rick Baker does a decent job with the limited time and money available to create an ozzing, yukky glob-man. Due to a space-borne virus or radiation, [sci-fi connection] a recently returned astronaut, the sole survivor of a doomed expedition to the rings of Saturn, is compelled to eat human cells to relieve the pain. This, along with the extreme disfigurement, that makes him appear like a latex man covered in dripping maple syrup, has driven him into madness.
SIMILAR TO "THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT" BUT MORE EXPLICIT HORROR:
Yes, this is a lot like The Quatermass Xperiment, directed by Val Guest and released in 1955. The earlier British film had more plot, made more sense, and of course was quite chilling. The Incredible Melting Man, on the other hand, has most of the science-fiction and characerizations missing in exchange for a fairly grisly mutant-vampire rampage.
-- PRODUCTION CREW -- [DELIBERATELY LISTED BEFORE ACTORS]
-----*- William Sachs - Director / Screenwriter
-----*- Rick Baker - Makeup / Special Effects / Makeup Special Effects
-- PRINCIPAL ACTORS --
-----*- Alex Rebar - Steve West, The Incredible Melting Man
-----*- Burr de Benning - Dr. Ted Nelson
-----*- Myron Healey - Gen. Perry
-----*- Michael Alldredge - Sheriff Blake
-----*- Ann Sweeney - Judy Nelson
BOTTOM LINE: IF YOU LIKE THIS FILM-THERE ARE MANY OTHER FILMS TO SEE
This is good genre fare, but not to be confused with a good film. In essence, if you like the "Night of the Living Dead" genre, [I don't but my kids do] this film is a must-see. Once again please be advised -- THIS IS NOT A SUITABLE FILM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN!!!!!
SOME RECOMMENDED GENRE FILMS: THE GEORGE ROMERO FILMS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN!!
* The Quatermass Xperiment --- [1955, Val Guest]
* C.H.U.D. --- [1984, Douglas Cheek]
* Night of the Living Dead --- [1968, George Romero]
* Dawn of the Dead --- [1978, George A. Romero ]
* The Day of the Triffids --- [1963, Steve Sekely]
* The Boogens --- [1982, James L. Conway]
4 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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So Bad It Has To Be Seen
Added 2/14/2005
For years I panned this film and warned people away from it, and finally realized that everyone SHOULD see it - to see how bad a film can be. Without darkness, there is no light. Without Pain there is no joy. And without Bad, how can you ever truly appreciate Good?
Suprisingly, this film is like a colage of every good bit ever shown in horror/sci-fi - from 'First Man in Outer Space' to 'Night of the Living Dead', to 'The Devil's Rain'. Rick Baker's makeup effects are awesome, but they are wasted in a film that has no plot, no acting, no coherence, and no point. Case in point: Baker created a very realistic looking decapitated head, which the Title creature tore from some hapless fisherman's shoulders. The film spends a good 10 to 15 minutes following this gory appliance downstream - bumbing into various rocks, trees and other flotsam, until it finally tumbles off a decorative waterfall and bursts open graphically when it hits bottom. In the following scenes various kids and grownups wander past the waterfall, and every scene inspires the thought: "They're gonna find the head and call the police!" thereby bringing some point to the amount of film spent on its journey downstream. Nope. The head is never seen again. Believe me - THIS IS THE WORST FILM EVER MADE - and you HAVE to see it just to say you have seen the worst movie ever made...
Oh, and p.s. - I own it.
5 out of 9 people found this helpful.
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Well...it's original, I'll give you that. But...
Added 1/30/2005
This was definately the funniest MST3K episode I've seen, at least among the Comedy Central seasons. From beginning ("That was one hot burrito!" chirps Tom Servo as astronaut Steve gets fried) to end ("So how many monster movies end with a janitor scooping a monster into a garbage can?" asks Crow), the laughs in the episode don't stop!
Yet I have to admit, this movie was made more professionally than many of the junk films shown on MST3K; in fact, it's a rather entertaining feature, that is if you're into disgusting monster movies with nasty killings (the severed head crashing from the waterfall is a nice touch). Sure, there are a few serious flaws, most especially Burr DeBenning's priceless performance. I say "priceless" because there isn't any non-Ed Wood actor on Earth who can out bad-act him! It's kind of charming the way he treats the whole deadly-serious situation with the same expression as he would have when shopping for groceries! Then again, could you really do a better job than him in the scene carrying a geiger-counter in some California park while screaming your lungs out, "STEVE! IT'S DOCTOR TED NELSON!" I thought so.
Still, the film kind of won me over anyway. It's sort of shocking that a talent like Rick Baker (who just a year prior to this movie made the huge "King Kong" remake) was in this low-class B-movie, but his make-up effects standout, turning what could have otherwise been a silly monster idea into something stunningly horrific. The score is classic 70's cheese (right down to the synthesizers), yet in a memorable way, it's good 70's cheese. And yes, how could I forget the horny grandparents in this movie! To the two actors who give every ounce of energy playing them, my props to you guys. YOU ROCK! You carried the movie on your fragile little shoulders, especially you go-go boots-wearing grandma! (whom Mike refers to as "the Incredible Melting Grandma"!).
Three stras for the actual feature, 10 for the MST3K version.
4 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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Extra melty cheese...
Added 3/24/2009
Perhaps the best movie ever made about a melting man: The Incredible Melting Man!
After astronaut Steve views the sun through the rings of saturn, he somehow contracts a vicious flesh melting bacteria. Once back on earth, the melting fiend escapes from the hospital and goes on a flesh eating rampage which fuels his strength and rage. Meanwhile they make all the right moves to stop him. Why send police after him when you can send a doctor? Instead of letting the town know that a murderous, melting man is on the loose, wouldn't it be better to just keep it quiet and send out a two man search party? Needless to say I learned a lot from The Incredible Melting Man, cherished lessons that I will never forget.
There is only one reason to watch this movie, and that would be to see Rick Baker's awesome gore/melting effects. Highlights include the varying melting stages of Steve, a decapitated head floating up the river, and the ultra gooey melting finale. With an extensive filmography and an Academy award for special effects under his belt, it's safe to say Rick Baker is a special effects legend. As for the rest, it's your typical B-movie fare with even more "so bad it's good" hilarity than usual. This was also a MST3K feature.
Highly recommended if you enjoy some good cheesy sci-fi/horror.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
A fun look at someone's slow melting demise.
Added 9/3/2006
Contains some spoilers. The Incredible Melting Man is an older film that offers viewers a look at the struggle of a man sent to outerspace, but returns infected with a strange disease. He melts! You can see the dripping start in the hospital, where he attacks a nurse and saps their lifeforce to keep himself alive. Spoiler: One scene shows someone's head floating down a stream, and is quite a comical moment in the film. Other than that however, the film is slow paced and rather dull, but mostly due to the lack of really knowing what this man is thinking, other than witnessing his occassional rage and ultimate demise.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
GRISLY HORROR FILM WITH SCI-FI ROOTS
Added 3/14/2006
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: *** NOT A FILM SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN ***
The most amazing thing about "The Incredible Melting Man" is the trailer. It plays on a few other genre videos as a preview, and it is a very impressive, though not because of its high-production values. Essentially, a uniformed nurse is screaming as she flees from something which without warning bursts explosively through a glass door in pursuit. After seeing this trailer a few dozen times I gave in and bought the video.
IN A NUTSHELL: RICK BAKER HAS WON 6 OSCARS FOR BEST MAKE-UP
Rick Baker does a decent job with the limited time and money available to create an ozzing, yukky glob-man. Due to a space-borne virus or radiation, [sci-fi connection] a recently returned astronaut, the sole survivor of a doomed expedition to the rings of Saturn, is compelled to eat human cells to relieve the pain. This, along with the extreme disfigurement, that makes him appear like a latex man covered in dripping maple syrup, has driven him into madness.
SIMILAR TO "THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT" BUT MORE EXPLICIT HORROR:
Yes, this is a lot like The Quatermass Xperiment, directed by Val Guest and released in 1955. The earlier British film had more plot, made more sense, and of course was quite chilling. The Incredible Melting Man, on the other hand, has most of the science-fiction and characerizations missing in exchange for a fairly grisly mutant-vampire rampage.
-- PRODUCTION CREW -- [DELIBERATELY LISTED BEFORE ACTORS]
-----*- William Sachs - Director / Screenwriter
-----*- Rick Baker - Makeup / Special Effects / Makeup Special Effects
-- PRINCIPAL ACTORS --
-----*- Alex Rebar - Steve West, The Incredible Melting Man
-----*- Burr de Benning - Dr. Ted Nelson
-----*- Myron Healey - Gen. Perry
-----*- Michael Alldredge - Sheriff Blake
-----*- Ann Sweeney - Judy Nelson
BOTTOM LINE: IF YOU LIKE THIS FILM-THERE ARE MANY OTHER FILMS TO SEE
This is good genre fare, but not to be confused with a good film. In essence, if you like the "Night of the Living Dead" genre, [I don't but my kids do] this film is a must-see. Once again please be advised -- THIS IS NOT A SUITABLE FILM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN!!!!!
SOME RECOMMENDED GENRE FILMS: THE GEORGE ROMERO FILMS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN!!
* The Quatermass Xperiment --- [1955, Val Guest]
* C.H.U.D. --- [1984, Douglas Cheek]
* Night of the Living Dead --- [1968, George Romero]
* Dawn of the Dead --- [1978, George A. Romero ]
* The Day of the Triffids --- [1963, Steve Sekely]
* The Boogens --- [1982, James L. Conway]
4 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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