Product Details

• Actors: Alex Rebar, Burr DeBenning, Myron Healey, Michael Alldredge, Ann Sweeny
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: September 5, 2000
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792846702
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,882 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Writer-director William Sachs, the genius who brought the world Galaxina, reveals another side of his vision with The Incredible Melting Man, one of the most disgusting stories ever brought to the screen. Like all the great universal myths that touch our hearts, the story itself is a simple one: astronaut Steve is exploring Saturn's rings when he gets a fatal dose of radiation. He promptly starts melting and must eat human flesh to survive. Never you mind why, he just does. It's up to Dr. Ted Nelson to track Steve down, which he must do single-handedly because it's a Government Secret. Ted does a little bit of searching and a whole lot of eating and talking, and all the while Steve gets madder and messier. There is much to recommend The Incredible Melting Man, not the least being a range and caliber of acting normally only found in the porn industry. You can also enjoy an enormous 1970s wall hanging and plenty o' fuzz-tone guitar in the soundtrack. Sharp-eyed fans of women-in-prison movies will be pleased to see an appearance by Caged Heat star Rainbeaux Smith in a disturbing reminder of just how far gender relations had yet to go in the early '70s, and director Jonathan Demme also makes an all-too-brief appearance as Matt. It's a pity he doesn't stick around a few minutes to lend a restraining hand when, in the film's most terrifying sequence, Matt's girlfriend Nell stops to take an Acting Moment. The film's real star, of course, is the makeup, by Oscar-winner Rick Baker. Baker created four different phases of melting and other assorted oozing and sloughing effects--a true triumph of vileness. With its howlingly bad ad-libbing, astonishing '70s décor, and unusually mushy body parts, The Incredible Melting Man is guaranteed to liven up any fondue party. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My God!!! It's An EAR !!!!!, January 15, 2004

By 

J. Reynolds (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Incredible Melting Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The ending scene in this superlative film set an unusually high standard for special effects in cinema. We see the poor man sitting there, the live actor, skin all runny and saggy -- then, seamlessly, he dissolves right before our eyes. I have lain awake nights contemplating how they achieved that effect, for there was no cutaway, no editing, no shift of view: The man simply melted. One explanation is that the real actor truly did melt because we certainly never saw him again after this flick.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bloody Good movie and transfer Kudos to MGM, September 2, 2011

By 

D. Steigman "Movie fan from silents to now" (SF, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Incredible Melting Man (DVD)

One of the bigger low budget horror films in the 1970s has made it to DVD via MGM MOD, while it may not be the pressed disc official release the transfer of this is really outstanding. It looks great in 18 x 9 widescreen with daytime scenes looking overall spectacular as well as the night scenes also being well done.
As for the film itself, for those not familiar with it, it is about a man , Steve (Alex Rebar) who is the survivor of three astronauts who fly to Saturn and get attacked by the planets radioactivity. He wakes up in a hospital bed only to find himself melting into a sticky gooey thing and needs blood to survive. He escapes from the hospital and is pursued by his friend, Dr. Ted Nelson (Burr Debenning) from the remainder of the film. Great special melting gore effects by Rick Baker. This also has B Movie legend Myron Healy as a General and Cheryl Rainbeaux Smith as a model. This has a little nudity and a modest amount of gore but nothing like a Lucio Fulci or Dario Argento gorefest. It has its campy moments, a little tongue in cheek and some lousy acting, but that's what makes these movies fun ! :)
The running time for this is 86 minutes, so as to whether it is 'uncut' or not I would say it could very well be. I have seen the Vipco DVD which was an awful Alpha Video looking transfer and the CMV laservision which was letterboxed and both seemed to be around the same running time.
The DVD also contains a full screen trailer.
I would say any fan of the film should pick this one up because it looks as good as its going to get and it is our long overdue USA release. MOD or not, this movie is a keeper for anyone who loves this genre.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yucky Fun!, May 29, 2001

By 

REDRORY (grand rapids, michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Incredible Melting Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I remember seeing the Incredible Melting Man as a child. It used was a film regularly aired by creature feature.I thought it was the most frightening movie of all time, and the melting man the scariest thing since Danny Glick from Salems Lot. I got the chance to see the Melting Man again a couple of years back courtesy of Blockbuster video, and I was surprised by how creepy I still found the film to be. Okay, so the acting is terrible, the plot rediculous, but the special effects are chillingly real, the music seethes as a sort of rabid sounding Three Dog Night, and hey, it's just plain scary. Fans of the horror genre will love it. I recomend it 100% to anyone looking for a cheap and creepy cinematic thrill. Beware of the woods and waterfalls, as I'm sure you will after you have seen the film. Good nasty fun with a pretty disturbing ending awaits!