Customer Reviews

The Man with X-Ray Eyes

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Roger Corman's "X" The Man With The X-Ray Eyes is a great sci-fi horror film made for only $300,000. The title might have you think it's an over the top B movie but the material is taken very seriously with a lot of help from Oscar winner Ray Milland as Dr. Xavier.
Dr. Xavier is a surgeon and scientist who is being funded to improve eyesight and creates a type of serum that enables X ray vision. With pressure to stop funding his experiments Dr. Xavier decides to use the eye drops on himself. This is the interesting Sci-fi angle that turns into somewhat of an adventure when Xavier accidentally kills a colleague and ends up on the run.
Becoming obsessed to see more and more Xavier continues to use the drops and uses dark glasses to cover his eyes. He makes money working at a carnival. At first the concept has it's perks, seeing through clothes and that sort of thing but soon Xavier can see through the skin, organs, and can see walking skeletons. He can see the beginnings of cites. This is where the horror concept comes in the film. It's brilliant because it knows what you can't see, the unknown is usually the most frightening to us. We do get glimpses of what the Dr. sees but at the end and on the run as he stumbles into a church sermon, his eyes completely black he says he sees beyond the blackness to the center of the universe and it isn't pleasant. We the viewers can fill in our own worst imaginable fear of what lurks in the dark or in this case the unknown because the Dr. never sees the dark anymore even when he sleeps he sees through his eyelids. Another very smart aspect is using the eye itself, it's such a sensitive part of our bodies.

Rumor of the original ending: ** SPOILER ALERT **
I read in Stephen King's Stephen King's Danse Macabre that (which may or may not be true) the final dialogue of the film was cut because it was too horrifying. According to the rumor after Milland rips out his eyes at the end he screams: I can still see!
The ending was great but if this is true it makes it greater.

If you already own a copy of the Midnite Movies version that transfer is pristine. I've been very impressed with the Midnite Movies versions and they tend to go out of print easily. I see no need to upgrade.
With the reputation Midnite Movies has I'd still if you can find it go with that. However if it does go out of print this is a must to add to your collection.
Midnite Movie version Spec Features.
Rare Proluge, Audio Commentary with Roger Corman. Original Theatrical Trailer. 1: 85 (no black bars) 16:9 Enhanced widescreen the transfer looks great.
From what I've seen there aren't any new features on the new version. If I find out that there are I will update this review.

Roger Corman gets slammed a lot for his cheesier productions, OK fair enough; but there is still sometimes a kind of engaging quality to some of his work. Man With The X-ray Eyes is one of those films. Despite low-budget production standards and early 60's special effects, this film is kind of spooky. I honestly feel that this is a minor sci-fi gem that no collection should be without. By the way, Ray Milland also made a great little cult film of his own around this time, called: Panic In The Year Zero. In a way, scarier than most monster movies.

I saw this movie for the first time about 5 years ago.....It is a classic !!! It is very unique....Fire up a doobie and enjoy....!!

Ray Milland plays Dr. James Xavier, who's invented some eye drops that give the test subject X-ray vision. Unable to find a test subject, he uses them on himself. And they work. At first he can see through such things as clothes (always fun at a party with beautiful women). As he starts using the eye drops more they become more effective, even too effective.

Directed by Roger Corman, this movie was made around the same time as the Corman/Vincent Price movies, and like those, it's a pretty ambitious project, much superior to Corman's earlier ultra-low budget movies such as "Creature from the Haunted Sea", both when it comes to production values and more importantly to the quality of the script. Ray Milland does a fine job in the lead and Diana Van der Vlis and Don Rickles also deliver good performances in this entertaining movie.

The same director (Roger Corman) that brought you "Attack of the Giant Crab Monsters" (1957) now brings you to new depths of depravity. Employing such veteran actors as Ray Milland "The Thing with Two Heads" (1972) and the latest scientific speculation, he has brought you "X - The Man with the X-Ray Eyes" (1963). The message is so important that it was transferred to DVD.

Moderation in all things. What happens if you get too much of a good thing?

Dr. James Xavier finds out what it is like going beyond underwear. And into the mysteries of life. His creation of drops that let you see on a new plane can be dangerous. The more he drops the more he sees.

The visual effects are worth the movie alone. Just look what happened when he was monkeying around?

Where will this all end?

Top Movie, Great Classic.

They need to make a modern version of this movie.

I bought this movie for my daughter. She shares my love of classic horror movies and she was not disappointed in this one! I had not seen it in a long time and I really enjoyed it. It was clear and even better than when I saw it a long time ago.