The Incredible Melting Man
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| The Incredible Melting Man | |
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 French film poster for The Incredible Melting Man |
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| Directed by | William Sachs |
| Produced by | Samuel W. Gelfman |
| Written by | William Sachs |
| Starring | Alex Rebar Burr DeBenning Myron Healey |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 1977 (USA) |
| Running time | 84 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Incredible Melting Man is a 1977 science fiction horror film written and directed by William Sachs.
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[edit] Plot summary
Astronaut Steve West is the only survivor of a mission to Saturn, returning to Earth after being exposed to an unknown form of cosmic radiation near Saturn's rings. While being kept under observation in a hospital, his health rapidly degenerates, and his flesh begins to literally melt off of his body. Growing increasingly insane, he escapes the hospital and discovers that the only way to slow the progress of his condition is to consume the flesh of other human beings which oddly increases his strength as well. This puts him at odds with local authorities, some of whom (including his friend, Dr. Ted Nelson) want to bring him back with the understanding that they will try to cure him, and others who simply want him dead before he can take any more innocent lives.
The film features an especially downbeat coda, in which the Melting Man melts away to little more than a pile of red mush, and is casually mopped into a garbage can by a janitor on the morning following the film's climactic night-time faceoff at a power plant.
[edit] Cast
Alex Rebar ... Steve West
Burr DeBenning ... Dr. Ted Nelson
Myron Healey ... General Perry
Michael Alldredge ... Sheriff Blake
Ann Sweeny ... Judy Nelson
Lisle Wilson ... Dr. Loring
[edit] Miscellanea
- The Incredible Melting Man is notable for its graphic depictions of bloody gore, courtesy of special makeup effects legend Rick Baker, as well as for a small cameo part (the character of "Matt") played by Academy Award winning The Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme.
- It has been lampooned on the popular television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
