Hideous Sun Demon, The

2020. THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON (1959-usa). With Robert Clarke. Back in the 1950s, many a science fiction film depicted the aftereffects on humans who were exposed to atomic radiation. This compelling chiller offers a novel twist on that theme as it tells of “a new radiation hazard from the sun.” It is the story of a researcher, Dr. Gilbert McKenna (played by Robert Clarke, who also produced and directed the film and co-authored the idea upon which it is based). McKenna has been experimenting with radioactive isotopes. A laboratory accident results in his being soaked with radiation seems to have left McKenna unchanged. What his doctors and colleagues do not know is that he really is no longer a mere mortal. The evolutionary process has reversed within him. When exposed to the sun for just a short period of time, McKenna’s body reacts in a most disturbing manner “devolves,” with the doctor being transformed into a grotesque lizard-like creature. What will be his plight? What will be his fate? How will his condition hamper his relations with two very different women? One is a co-worker who deeply cares for him. The other is a lounge singer and Marilyn Monroe lookalike whom he picks up in a bar. The film is not without its humorously cornball moments. Note the reaction of the elderly hospital patient who is the first to see McKenna in his lizard-like state. However, it more often than not is genuinely terrifying. 75 minutes. Horror