Movie Review: THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN (1977)

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Ahhhhh yes, THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN. It was one of those films I wanted to watch as a child, but wasn't able to do so during the time of its release. I vaguely remember coverage in FAMOUS MONSTERS at the time, not to mention some old video of Rick Baker showing a child around his workshop in the late 70's, which was very cool, footage which also featured the Melting-Man masks. All-in-all, it left a big impression on a young horror-fan like me, despite being unable to see the film itself. It was also a very formative time for me as well, for good and for ill. My parents got divorced, which was both good and bad. And on the brighter side, STAR WARS came out that same year, SUPERMAN would hit theaters the following year, and being a regular PBS viewer, I would soon discover DOCTOR WHO when one of the local PBS stations started airing the first bundle of Tom Baker serials in 1978. Heady stuff!

It wasn't until I managed to spy a copy of this for rent at a small mom-and-pop video-store circa 1990 that I was finally able to see it. Its definitely some fun, goopy schlock. Many have mentioned that this is basically a throwback 1950's-style sci-fi thriller, dressed-up in 1970's FX clothes and slime, and they are right. In many ways, this film is essentially a remake of the 1959 British flick, FIRST MAN INTO SPACE, although Melting-Man definitely has more pep in its proverbial step than that slowest of slow-burns, and a whole hell of a lot less plot.

Then came MST3K. Then came the riffs. And this film quickly became a steadfast favorite among riffed-films. Watching Burr DeBenning continually say and then repeatedly scream "It's ME, Dr. TED NELSON!" is a cringey hoot, and watching Michael Alldredge's ill-fated Sheriff go up like every backyard firecracker, sparkler, and roman candle combined when he gets tossed into some electrical wires near the film's climax is a guilty pleasure.

This isn't a good film, but its got some great creature FX, some occasional inspired cinematography, and a downbeat and rather ironic ending. Its good fun, whether you watch it with or without the riffs, although it earns my 4th star when watching the MST3K version.

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