The Hideous Sun Demon (Rifftrax)

Film Year:  1958
Genre:  Horror, Science Fiction
Director:  Robert Clarke
Starring:  Robert Clarke, Patricia Manning, Nan Peterson
Rifftrax Year:  2015
Riffers:  Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett

The Movie

Scientist Gilbert McKeena is blasted with radiation during an experiment.  Taken to a hospital it is discovered that he de-evolves into a violent reptile man whenever his skin absorbs sunlight.  Forced to live his life at night, he begins an affair with a lounge singer, but it's only a matter of time before Gil's secret gets out and he is hunted by the police.

The Hideous Sun Demon is Z-grade trash, though there's something about it that I find charming.  There's some heart in the production, as there's a genuine attempt to tell a story about a tortured soul trying to not turn into a monster.  It's just told without a budget and a bunch of actors who are prepared to go from zero to sixty in their underacting to overacting speedometer to tell this story.  This is the type of interesting disaster that I like seeing in these riffing projects.

The film was written, produced, directed, and starring Robert Clarke, who seems to be an actor who liked to showcase himself by making movies to put himself in.  I have no clue if any of them helped sell his career, though he's not great here.  His character is a very hormonal and a bit dim, with his libido putting him in situations that just set up the sun demon.  Other actors don't come off much better, though Nan Peterson leaves the biggest impression because of her low cut wardrobe.  She was clearly hired because of her bosoms and dammit she's damn good at having bosoms!

This is all without taking the actual Sun Demon into account, who is hilarious.  He has a stiff, inexpressive rubber mask and a wrinkly torso shirt that's supposed to emulate skin.  The design itself isn't too bad, but the execution lacks.  But that's just a common problem with the film itself, the execution lacks.  But there are moments of style in the film, like the odd camera angle or interesting shot that gives a glimpse of the film trying to be something a little special.  It doesn't break free of it's confines, but it's fascinating to see it try.

The Trax

With this movie there is a lot to comment on, and the boys at Rifftrax are very keen to play with this crazy movie.  The experience of this riff might play up to whether or not you find Hideous Sun Demon a painfully amateurish movie to watch, but for me that makes it even better.  This Rifftrax was just lovely, and may even be one of my favorites.

Laughs hit me early on as the riffers zero in on Gil's elderly hospital neighbor who they portray as reading a Playgirl magazine.  "Lose the speedo, mister.  I don't buy this magazine to see you with clothes!"  They follow it up with some goofs on 50's sexism ("But there's a woman here for such tasks!"), which just slayed me.  The riffs never reached that high in the aftermath, but I found myself laughing quite often during this story, targeting the goofy monster scenes, hammy acting, 50's sexuality, and an odd scene involving a little girl trying to get our monster some cookies.  They also note a beautiful piece of irony that made me howl, where if our main character has a condition where the sun turns him into a monster he shouldn't be driving around in a convertible!

The movie and the riffing together really reminded me of the good ol' days when Mike, Kevin, and Bill riffed some cheesy black and white cheapies in early season eight of Mystery Science Theater.  None of them were quite the doozy this movie is, but the overall experience is just a pure trip for me.  I loved this riff from beginning to end, and I think it stacks up to some of the best.

Classic

Life in the Suburbs (Rifftrax Shorts)

Rifftrax Year:  2015
Riffers:  Bridget Nelson, Mary Jo Pehl

Bridget and Mary Jo check out suburban life as this short takes us on joyous family life, fun outside activities, and even the tough working class nonsense blue collars have to deal with.  This short is mostly silent imagery presented by a narrator who explains daily goings on.  I'm not entirely sure who he's explaining it to, maybe the rich assholes who keep them down but are curious to see how they tick.  But I'm sure most of us are very familiar with quite a few of these routines.

These women are their usual giggly selves, and while this short isn't a home run I found it fairly delightful.  They have some colorful commentary on various images, a lot of which are just zesty enough to make the viewer smile ("Take THAT, itchy butt!").  The main issue I have mostly lies with the short itself, which is like watching someone's home movies.  But at least Bridget and Mary Jo can make it fun!

If one wants an impression of "The goingest part of the nation on wheels!" then you'll want to take a look at Life in the Suburbs.  It's not the strongest short selection, but there is enough here to make you laugh.

Thumbs Up

👍

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Lost and Found Collection DVD Retrospective

Release Date:  September 25, 2018

Buy it here!

Features the following episodes:
The Crawling Eye
The Mad Monster
Manhunt in Space
The Beatniks
Blood Waters of Dr. Z
Final Justice

The rights-holders to The Final Sacrifice and Soultaker decided to take their movies and leave, leaving far more easily licensed episodes without a home.  If you didn't pay for the Volume XIV and XVII when they were first out, then Shout Factory has a deal for you!  Get these six homeless episodes in a single package!

The big issue though is that Final Sacrifice and Soultaker were probably the main attractions to their respective sets.  What do the rest of these episodes have to offer?  Two episodes from season one, two from season four, and two from season ten, and they're all pretty good.  I myself tend to think the season four episodes are the best of the set, with Beatniks being my personal choice for the big winner.  Dr. Z and Final Justice trail just a bit behind them.  The first season episodes are an acquired taste, though I myself enjoy Crawling Eye and Mad Monster quite a bit.

Average Rating (scale of 1 to 4):  3

Now I feel like I should point out that I do not own this set, so a lot of this is based on assumptions on my part.  I think they're safe assumptions, but if I'm incorrect about any of this info I'd greatly appreciate being corrected.  If I were to own this set at all it would be for the box art, which I think is fantastic.  It features Crow and Tom Servo disassembled in little lost and found boxes while Gypsy searches for all the pieces.

The big assumption I'm going to make about this set is that these discs are the exact same as the ones in their previous sets, only without the poster art.  It's in a slim case that holds six discs, similar to The Singles Collection instead.  Inside you'll likely find the same discs from the previous sets, featuring disc art of the logos against a starry backdrop.

Since I assume these are the same discs we've already seen I'm going to add my thoughts on images from the other sets right here, which notes on Final Sacrifice and Soultaker edited out:

Audio and video are mostly good, though I've noted a few transfer flaws with Blood Waters of Dr. Z, the video itself is mostly fine.  Probably the highlight of extras on the set is The Main Event:  Crow vs. Crow, which features Trace and Bill discussing the character at a con.  Other MST related extras include Joel offering an intro to The Crawling Eye and MST Hour wraps for The Beatniks.  Movie related extras offer up an interview with Final Justice director Greydon Clark and trailers for The Crawling Eye, Mad Monster, The Beatniks, and Blood Waters of Dr. Z.  Blood Waters of Dr. Z also features a healthy batch of bonus promo material.  We also get clips from Mike, Kevin, and Bill’s small MST cameo on the television show Cheap Seats, though we’re not given the full episode.  Having seen the full episode, it wasn’t a huge loss.  Cheap Seats was fine, but it wasn’t anything special.

The disc menus still amuse, featuring 3D animations of Servo and Crow wandering around various movie scenes and/or the Satellite of Love bridge.  The Crawling Eye features the giant Eye creature behind the theater doors and grabbing Gypsy and Tom Servo as they walk by, while Crow is reading a newspaper at the bridge.  The Eye tries to take Crow too but Crow throws lemonade in its eye and it backs off.  Mad Monster finds them locked up in the mad scientist’s basement with a wolf in a cage, meanwhile the title beast scurries around in shadow and howls occasionally.  Manhunt in Space offers them gazing out a string held spaceship window.  The Beatniks features Crow chasing a panicked Gypsy with a knife, threatening to "MOON" her.  Blood Waters of Dr. Z features a flooded Satellite of Love bridge and Crow and Servo fishing in a boat, eventually catching the fish man.  Final Justice has them hanging around an alleyway in Malta watching a squealing car drive by and occasionally ducking when shots are fired.

For those who never collected Volumes XIV and XVII, you have my sympathies.  Chances are that Final Sacrifice and Soultaker were the episodes you were most interested in on those sets.  But if you didn't collect them then you might want to give The Lost and Found Collection a shot just to get your collection as full as possible, otherwise you'll be paying a lot for out of print sets.  The remaining episodes are actually really good, and even if you don't like first season episodes there are still four others here at the price of a normal set to justify the cost.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVII DVD Retrospective

Release Date:  March 16, 2010

Buy it here!

Features the following episodes:
The Crawling Eye
The Beatniks
The Final Sacrifice
Blood Waters of Dr. Z

Mystery Science Theater 3000's first nationally televised episode finally hits DVD.  It took them long enough.  Because of this, Volume XVII is a historically important set to have on your shelf.  But those who get the set may be pleased to see that the episode collection is pretty good, though not great.  Crawling Eye and Blood Waters of Dr. Z can get a little dreary thanks to the movies, though I enjoy both.  The other two movies are goofy fun though.

The fan favorite episode The Final Sacrifice was a part of this set, which for many will be the sole reason to own it.  I don't think Final Sacrifice is one of the best episodes of the series personally.  Hell, I don't even think it's the best episode on the set.  I'm more of a Beatniks guy myself.  And I think I may even prefer Blood Waters of Dr. Z.  That's not to say that the episode isn't important to many, so if you love it then you'll definitely want this set.

Average Rating (scale of 1 to 4):  3

Audio and video are mostly good, though I've noted a few transfer flaws with Blood Waters of Dr. Z, the video itself is mostly fine.  Probably the highlight of extras on the set is The Main Event:  Crow vs. Crow, which features Trace and Bill discussing the character at a con.  Other MST related extras include Joel offering an intro to The Crawling Eye and MST Hour wraps for The Beatniks.  Movie related extras offer up an interview with the late Bruce J. "Rowsdower" Mitchell on The Final Sacrifice and trailers for The Crawling Eye, The Beatniks, and Blood Waters of Dr. Z.  Blood Waters of Dr. Z also features a healthy batch of bonus promo material.

Shout Factory's stock box art is in full swing.  Volume XVII is no different, featuring the logo in the upper left hand corner and the giant roman numeral "XVII" in the center painted orange, while the theater seats sit in the bottom.  As usual the awesome art is on the slim cases inside, as each episode gets their own artwork (as well as mini-poster).  The Crawling Eye features a giant green eyeball grabbing Crow and Tom Servo with its tentacles.  The Beatniks features Servo all gussied up as male lead Eddy, holding a microphone, while Crow is behind him dressed up as Moon, about to "MOON" him with his pocket knife.  The Final Sacrifice features Servo and Crow tied to a stake about to be sacrificed by cultists.  Blood Waters of Dr. Z features the two bots in water being attacked by the movie's fish monster.  Disc art is Shout's standard episode logo against a starry backdrop.

Moving on to the menus, I believe Volume XVII is the first set to loop dialogue from the episodes to create menu "host segments" in a way.  It's a very experimental batch of menus, and they were really cool at the time.  The Crawling Eye features the giant Eye creature behind the theater doors and grabbing Gypsy and Tom Servo as they walk by, while Crow is reading a newspaper at the bridge.  The Eye tries to take Crow too but Crow throws lemonade in its eye and it backs off.  The Beatniks features Crow chasing a panicked Gypsy with a knife, threatening to "MOON" her.  The Final Sacrifice features Servo as a cultist chasing Crow.  Blood Waters of Dr. Z features a flooded Satellite of Love bridge and Crow and Servo fishing in a boat, eventually catching the fish man.

If you're buying this set for The Final Sacrifice, I hope you already own it because that episode's rights have lapsed and the set went out of print.  Otherwise the rest of the episodes are available in The Lost and Found Collection.  Those die-hard Final Sacrifice fans and episode completists will otherwise have to pay through the nose to get this one.  It's too bad, because it's a solid set.

415-The Beatniks

Film Year:  1960
Genre:  Drama
Director:  Paul Frees
Starring:  Not actual beatniks, that's for damn sure
MST Season:  4
Featured Short:  "General Hospital" (Part 2)

The Short

Continuing on from where the last General Hospital segment left off, the party is held complete with a lot of awkward tension between characters who want to bang each other.  The audience is just screaming "Start the orgy and be done with it!"

And there is cake.  Very slow cake cutting.  Very slow cake eating.

I want cake.

This segment is probably the least memorable of the General Hospital shorts on the show, because less happens than usual (and almost nothing happens at all in the entirety of the story presented in the three segments overall).  People glare at each other and just look pissy.  That's pretty much the entire thing.  And yet, there is one more of these things to deal with.  Ugh.

The Movie

A movie about beatniks made by people who don't know what beatniks are.  This movie has a group of juvenile delinquents who like going around and loitering.  One day one of them gets a record deal and becomes a famous singer overnight.  But his thug friends begin getting into violent trouble, dragging his eventual success down the toilet.

The Beatniks is a fairly poor in many regards, with bad acting and somewhat poor plotting.  Though the story is light it has a somewhat interesting idea at its core.  I kinda dig this story about a guy who is given the opportunity to drag himself out of the gutter only to be pulled back in by his company.  The big elephant in the room is the title though, because this guy isn't a beatnik, nor are his friends.

The movie can also be hilariously dated as well.  While I'm willing to let a lot of stuff slide for being one with the times in which it was made, the glaring thing about the episode is the character who has the nickname of "Moon."  When he threatens someone he pulls a knife and says his famous catchphrase "I'm gonna MOON ya'!"  Boy that means something way different today than what I think he wants it to mean.  Since he's our primary antagonist of the film he comes off as a bit of a joke because of this, though his loose cannon characterization is noted.

The Beatniks isn't hard to watch, though it feels like it was put in the wrong hands.  There was probably an interesting movie here, one that didn't need to be latched onto a phony title to sell it.  I wish the film were better because it clearly wants to be.

The Episode

"I'm gonna moon ya', man!  I'm gonna moon ya'!"

Joel and the Bots embrace this silly and dated movie and take it for everything it's worth.  Their parody of the rise and fall of our character's short lived musical career is fairly fun, and they get into it's 50's-going-on-60's vibe and start grooving with it.  They seem to enjoy the music from the simple but charming songs all the way down to the score, which Tom Servo begins to not a familiar beat to as he sings "Meet George Jetson!  Jane, his skirt!"  The Beatniks is lightweight Mystery Science Theater fare.  It's not horrible, but it's easy to make fun of, and it's a blast being there.

The riffing on the General Hospital short doesn't quite take off the way the other segments of General Hospital do.  It has a few chuckles, though the dry uneventful story weighs the riffing down.  There's a genuine effort to keep things lively, as they note the somber mood since the first moment.  Despite not being a laugh riot, they liven up this lifeless party.

Outside of the theater we find some decent if unmemorable host segments.  My favorite is probably the parody of the rise and fall from fame plotline staring Tom Servo and featuring Joel with some nifty spinning newspaper props.  Also we see the Bots fauning over our film's protagonist and Joel challenging (and winning against) the Bots at Rock, Paper, Scissors.  The Invention Exchange has the Mads dressing up as Troll dolls (which is more or less an excuse for Frank to wear a plastic butt) and a clever play on the term "Pocket Pool."

The Beatniks probably isn't hilarious and its General Hospital short anchors it down a tad, but it's wonderfully entertaining in its best moments.  This is an episode worth putting in your collection, and one that's always worth a spin in the DVD player.  Watch it now, or I'll MOON ya'!

Good

The DVD

The Beatniks graced our DVD shelves as a part of Shout Factory's Volume XVII set.  Audio and video were exceptional, while the special features kicked off with a neat con appearance by Trace and Bill (and Frank is there in the audience too).  This panel is called The Main Event:  Crow vs. Crow and the duo talk about handling the puppet and Crow's characterization.  Trace mostly dominates the discussion, though Bill offers a few tidbits.  Also featured are MST Hour wraps and a trailer for the film.

After this set went out of print due to lapsing rights to The Final Sacrifice, The Beatniks was re-released in a new set called The Lost & Found Collection, which gathered six episodes that were left homeless from out of print MST collections.  The disc featured is the exact same disc as the Volume XVII set.

General Hospital was featured as an exclusive disc called the Serial Variety Pack released with Volume XXVII.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 9 DVD Retrospective

Release Date:  May 16, 2006
Re-Release Date:  January 15, 2019

Buy Rhino set here!
Buy Shout Factory set here!

Features the following episodes:
Women of the Prehistoric Planet
Wild Rebels
The Sinister Urge
The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies

Volume 9 is a favorite volume of mine.  Not because I think the episodes featured are incredible (though there are some goodies) but rather it's an example of the type of set I'd like the see of the show, which dips it's toes into all four riffing combos featured in the original series.  We have a Joel/Trace/Josh episode, a Joel/Trace/Kevin episode, a Mike/Trace/Kevin episode, and a Mike/Bill/Kevin episode.  Despite how many volumes of the show there have been there have only been two more volumes like this, Volumes XXV and XXVII.  There could have been ten more, seeing there were ten more Josh episodes, but alas.

Of course my joy in this is effectively ruined now that we have the Jonah/Hampton/Baron riffing combo that's not represented here, but they weren't around at the time so I'll live with it.

As for the episode quality, The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies is a personal favorite of mine and I know it's a bit of a beloved episode with certain fans as well.  Unfortunately those who don't respond to it can be extremely negative about it.  I think all fans should give it a shot just to see if you laugh as hard as I do, though proceed with caution.  Runner-up episode for me is Wild Rebels, which is just fun.  The Sinister Urge is a pretty solid episode as well.  The sole first season episode is Women of the Prehistoric Planet, making it the first episode of that era to be released in a volume (The Crawling Hand was previously a single disc).  It's not a prime example of the season in my opinion, but it's pleasant enough.

Average Rating (scale of 1 to 4):  3

Audio and video for all episodes were pretty solid.  Bonus features were regulated to introductions to Women of the Prehistoric Planet and The Sinister Urge by actress Irene Tsu and actor Conrad Brooks, respectively.

The cover art tries to emulate a parking lot.  We have an interior view from a car with a little Tom Servo and a chili dog on the dash and a pink MST logo hanging from the rear-view mirror, while the radio is cranked to "Vol. 9."  Another neat detail is that the car in front features the license plate "DEEP 13."  At first I thought the theme was a drive-in theater, like Volume 6, but we open the set up to find that the cars are actually parked outside a carnival, making the set a spiritual tie-in to Incredibly Strange Creatures.  Disc art is pure Rhino in spades.  Women of the Prehistoric Planet is an ash tray.  Wild Rebels is a speedometer.  The Sinister Urge is a birth control pill case.  Incredibly Strange Creatures features a hypno-swirl.

The Women of the Prehistoric Planet menu features images of the film being emitted from a planet floating through space.  Wild Rebels has a sputtering motorcycle and mug shots of film characters.  The Sinister Urge features a strip of film also with floating photos of characters, as well as Crow and Servo thrown into the mix.  Incredibly Strange Creatures is trippy as fuck, with a close-up of the opening decomposing face on the right side of the screen and clips of the episode, including a zooming shot of Ray Dennis Steckler, on the left.  Like most Rhino disc, each menu features the theater silhouettes on the bottom, always with Joel no matter the episode.  The doorway sequence that opens the menu however alternates based on the host.

Shout's re-release of the set has been announced for January, so I do not have it in my possession at the moment.  It's probably safe to assume that it has the same stock cover for the re-releases and the same stock menus.  The introductions have probably been retained, though it's unknown if any additional bonus content will be included.

Volume 9 initially went out of print due to Rhino licensing Women of the Prehistoric Planet from the wrong party, the culprits being Krypton International, who also claimed to have owned Godzilla vs. Megalon causing a stir in the following set.  For a while the set was out of print and only available for astronomical prices.  I recommend picking up the reissue when it gets released for those who don't already have it.  The episodes are really fun and they could potentially be favorites for some, though bonuses are light.

207-Wild Rebels

Film Year:  1967
Genre:  Drama, Crime
Director:  William Grefe
Starring:  Steve Alaimo, Bobbie Byers, John Vella, Willie Pastrano, Jeff Gillen
MST Season:  2

The Movie

A stock car driver is propositioned by a gang of motorcycle thugs to be a getaway driver in their crime sprees.  Initially he refuses, though the police convince him to take the job and be their inside man.

Like Side Hackers before it, I didn't find Wild Rebels entirely unwatchable.  It's a fairly breezy if anti-special inside man crime caper.  It's a little dim, but in all honesty it's more recent counterparts, such as Point Break and The Fast and the Furious, are just as stupid if not stupider.  Wild Rebels is just cheaper and less glossy.  The action isn't quite thrilling, and there really aren't any characters to get behind, but there are some pretty groovy 60's women in some fairly sexy (though sometimes absurd) wardrobe, so the movie has a base sex appeal.  Unfortunately there's not much here for the ladies, as just about every man is greasy and dumpy.

Is that really all it has going for it?  Maybe.  There's not a lot to really say about this movie that feels like it was hammered out really fast.  To be frank it's not compelling because there doesn't feel like it was done with heart but rather "for kicks, man!"  It's a movie made with a simple plot to cash in on the biker fad, so what real criticism can I make?  If that's why it was made then it served its purpose.

The Episode

"I'm in it for the kicks!"  This is the quote that describes the episode from top to bottom, because this episode is just an exorcise in fun.  There's even a late host segment in which Joel explains to the Bots the proper way of enjoying a bad movie and the secrets to having fun with it.  That just fuels the bad movie celebration tone of the show and makes the episode a prime example.  The riffing maintains a playful nature, as our riffers try to follow the film best they can but get a laugh out of it's simplistic stupidity.  The movie's full blown groovy 60's and if you're into that you'll dig the tone the film gives off quite well.

The highlight of the host segments is a "commercial" for Wild Rebels cereal, as Joel and the Bots sing a little jingle.  This segment is easily the most fun of the episode, but the others give an effort.  Joel and Gypsy attempt to recreate a love scene from the movie while Servo and Crow gang up on Joel, and there is also a history of intellectual biker gangs.  Gypsy shuts down important operations on the ship so she can stay coherent enough to get some things off of her chest in a fun opener too.  The Invention Exchange features the Mads' glorious Hobby Hogs while Joel demonstrates 3D pizza.

Oh, and Tom Servo's "hair" has finally grown out too!

Wild Rebels continues season two's mini-biker-thon with a lot of gusto, with a silly movie and a playful riff tone making the episode just a blast.  There's not too much about the episode to separate it from the pack of other solid episode, the kicks are had and that's more than enough.

The DVD

Rhino released Wild Rebels as a part of their Volume 9 collection, with swell video and audio.  There were no bonus features.

Shout Factory is set to re-release this set on January 15th, 2019.