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not as good as all the hype

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Dr. Gilbert McKenna (Robert Clarke) is a research scientist who is accidentally exposed to a new type of radiation. At first, he seems to be doing remarkably well. However, once in direct sunlight, Gil's body begins to change. He goes through a devolution process and turns into some sort of out-of-control, lizard-type creature. "Hideous" is the right word to describe Gil's transformation. The special effect suit is about as good as I've seen in a 1950s era sci-fi/horror film. I'd rate it right up there with the suit from Creature from the Black Lagoon. It's really nicely done. The acting is hit or miss. Clarke does a good job playing the tortured victim. I also enjoyed Nan Peterson as Trudy Osborne - not because she's a particularly great actress, but she channel's Marilyn Monroe quit well. Some of the performances, however, are laughable. I'm thinking of the dude who played the gangster - I think it was Peter Similuk. Just awful. The problem with The Hideous Sun Demon and the thing that keeps me from rating it higher is there's really not much plot here. The movie is full of padding. The runtime is only 74 minutes, but I'd bet at least 20 of those minutes felt like filler. For example, I think there are more scenes of people driving around California than there are scenes devoted to the titular Sun Demon.

I have less patience with this one than some or the others of its ilk. The poor guy has gotten himself into a fix. He seems to react badly to sunlight, turning into a scaly mess because he is reversing his evolutionary being. There is some explanation that we all go through these transformations in the womb. The key thing is that we are "like" those things--we aren't them. How many poor souls have experimented with stuff in these B- horror movies and ended up with lives that were unbearable. It's also interesting that they always seem to become so violent. Sometimes it's not their fault, so their anger is directed at someone who done them wrong. Sometimes, however, like Al Hedison in "The Fly," it has to do with not being willing to experiment and do the research. Anyway, there are so many boring scenes and examples of stilted dialogue. The acting is really atrocious, with angst oozing out of Clarke.

The Hideous Sun Demon (1958) ** (out of 4) Dr. Gilbert McKenna (Robert Clarke) is working on an experiment when something goes wrong and he's exposed to radiation. At first it appears that he's going to make it through okay but once he's put into the sunlight he turns into the title creature, a hideously deformed creature (looking like a lizard) and soon she's out on a killing spree.THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON marked the only time character actor Clarke stepped into the director's chair. The film has the reputation of being one of the worst horror movies of the decade but I think those who say that are being way too tough on the film. Just looking at the picture you can tell that they were working on very little money. Yes, the story too isn't all that original or inspiring. There's also some questionable performances scattered throughout the picture. Even with the countless flaws here, I've always found the film at least watchable thanks in large part to the terrific looking monster.I really thought the look of the monster was excellent and this alone kept the film from reaches the levels of the worst of the decade. I guess it's best to say the creature looks like some sort of lizard but I liked the design of the make-up (or mask) and I especially liked the way the mouth was designed. Towards the end of the film the character has its shirt ripped off, which gives us even more views of the work and to me it's quite impressive. Another good thing is the music score and the recycled music that would turn up in other films including the same year's PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE.The film really isn't all that original with the screenplay pretty much being a copy of Universal's THE WOLF MAN with the exception here being it's the sun instead of the moon that turns the lead character. For the most part Clarke remains watchable in the film and his direction isn't too bad either. Of all the supporting players it's probably Nan Peterson that gets the most attention but not for her performance. No, her rack is pretty much on full display throughout the picture so I'm sure teenage boys seeing this at the drive-in back in the day were very happy.

My dad seldom went to bed after 10 p.m., but one night we stayed up late to watch The Hideous Sun Demon: I was what, maybe 12? Dr. McKenna's exposed to radiation (back in the "duck'n cover" days), & sunlight turns him into a raving reptilian savage. Actor, writer, & director Robert Clarke gets lotsa mileage out of quick cuts, extreme closeups, & his in-laws, with three of them making their film debuts. (Clarke was married to one of the singing King Sisters.)Nan Peterson as Trudy is Dr. McKenna's beachfront fling, & when I watch this now on DVD, the kissy scene where her blanket drops to expose her legs must've been highly erotic for a 12-yr-old in the early 60s. Eventually, Dr. McKenna, during his flight from his fate, spends the night at Trudy's apartment, so the censors must've been taking a welcome respite from their moral chores.Sure, the acting is stiff & the premise absurd, but Hideous Sun Demon is a compendium of 1959 Los Angeles in a way that no public TV documentary could ever be.