The Incredible Melting Man . Weekly Alibi . 06-29-98

The Incredible Melting Man

DIRECTED BY: William Sachs

REVIEWED: 06-29-98

Have I reviewed this already? Jeez, I'm startin' to lose track. Somehow I conned my parents into taking me to see this when it was first released, and boy, they must've been miserable. This throwback to such "classics" as The Hideous Sun Demon and First Man Into Space features Alex Rebar (yes, the Alex Rebar) as astronaut Steven West, who begins to melt after he and his co-space guys visit the rings of Saturn. After leaping from his bed and eating half of his nurse's head, West begins wandering the countryside, pursued by Dr. Ted Nelson and his trusty Geiger counter. West (who hears astronaut sounds in his head) needs "human cells" to stay alive, so he spends most of his time devouring anyone he stumbles across, including a fisherman and two comedy-relief old folks who decide to steal lemons and pay for their crime--in blood! Seventies T&A star Rainbeaux Smith scampers around without a shirt until she backs into a dead guy's hand, which still manages to clutch half-heartedly at her well-turned ankle. In a great example of filmmaking expertise, writer-director William Sachs stages a scene chock full of expository dialogue on a moving platform that makes only slightly less noise than a battalion of chainsaw-wielding loggers in an aluminum outhouse, so we only pick up bits and pieces of stuff about Dr. Nelson's pregnant wife. But none of that matters anyway. This one also features plenty of squishy makeup effects by the legendary Rick Baker and a cameo by director Jonathan Demme (Caged Heat, Silence of the Lambs). Boy, did I get in trouble when I wore my T-shirt sportin' the Melting Man's sloppy mug (courtesy of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine) to school. Crappy, but a favorite. (Orion)

--Scott Phillips

Other Films by William Sachs
Galaxina

Film Vault Suggested Links
The Forbidden Zone
Cube
Star Trek: First Contact

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