What's Up, Hideous Sun Demon (1983)

Too much of everything

Simply A Masterpiece

Great Film overall

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

When I purchased "The Hideous Sun Demon", I added this one to my cart on Amazon, thinking that indeed, it was a sequel. Re-titled "Revenge of the Sun Demon", it surely seemed that way. I was terribly disappointed when I got my copy in the mail, but after watching the first film, decided to check it out to give it a chance. Other than the opening sequence of some unfunny drunken college kids watching TV when the original movie comes on, I found myself thoroughly engaged. 75% of the dubbed dialog here works, with special sound effects and reverse photography thrown in with some newly created black and white footage. One character's neck makes creaking noises every time he turns; Cars move backwards down the Pacific Coast Highway; Clarke identifies the rat he picks up as his pet dog, etc. At one point, the monster is even in drag, and as if to playfully rib the writers of the song "Strange Pursuit", it keeps playing over and over throughout the film, sometimes sounding like the speed has been altered as well. I frankly could have done without the sudden vomiting scene of the monster pushing his hand out of the T.V. and throwing up on the kids like he was a live action version of Peter Griffin from "Family Guy". But the playful way this film is ribbed (created by original star Robert Clarke's own son) is done mostly with sweetness and affection, and certainly makes a great double bill with the original. You'll find yourself laughing even harder if you do, keeping this one for the bottom half of the double feature.

What's Up, Hideous Sun Demon (1983) 1/2 (out of 4) Good Lord, what an incredibly stupid idea this was. In the pre-MST3K days, sometimes older films would be redubbed as "comedies" and that's what this thing in. The cult classic The Hideous Sun Demon was redubbed by several comedians and this is the final project. The dubbing was done to add a bunch of sex jokes and that sort of stuff but this piece of crap isn't nearly as funny as the original film. There's no point in talking about the other film because its just in the background here. The dubbed comedy lines fall flat for the most part. Jay Leno (yep, that Leno) does the main voice but you can tell he was a long way from where he is now. Not even interesting as a curiosity thing.

Jay Leno is absolutely hilarious in this send-up of low-budget monster flicks from the 1950's. Made back in 1989 before Leno took over "The Tonight Show" from Johnny Carson, "What's Up, Hideous Sun Demon" (also known as "Revenge of the Sun Demon") deletes the original dialogue from "The Hideous Sun Demon" and adds voice-overs with funny dialogue.The original movie was written and directed by Robert Clarke, who also gave us the notorious "Astounding She-Monster" (replete with a well-built alien babe in a skin-tight leotard). Appropriately, "What's Up" adds in some funny (and probably inappropriate) scenes with Robert's son Cameron (best known as the voice of Leonardo in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") as his father's scientist character. I can't specifically mention the scenes, but they do involves a quest for condoms and an over-sized sex toy.There's also an inappropriate scene where voice-overs suggest that a 10-year old girl is a pothead with a blue streak a mile wide when she talks to her mom (Mom: Let me smell your breath. Have you been smoking grass again? Little Susie Peckerwood: Oh yeah. I got the munchies like a mo-fo). Barbara Goodson (Rita Repulsa from the many reincarnations of "Power Rangers") covers the original role of Patricia Manning well and Susan Tyrell (Academy Award nominee in "Fat City") is hilarious filling in for Nan Peterson's well-endowed and ditsy nightclub girl. Bernard Behrens covers several male voices. All three get some good line, but, Jay Leno steals the show with material you definitely won't hear on "The Tonight Show." Some of his classic lines: "Maybe it was the lizard sperm. On second thought, I think it was the plutonium." "There was only one word to describe what I needed: Poontang!" The spoof was written and directed by Craig Mitchell, a writer known mostly for the straight-to-video horror flick "Komodo." He enlisted close friends like Googy Gress, Mark Holton, Goodson, Tyrell and Behrens for the film, but apparently caught Leno in between comedy gigs. Maybe Leno needed the money while filling in as guest host for Carson. Maybe he missed some fine print. But, for some reason, Leno was never credited for his narration. You won't find his name anywhere in the credits or on the DVD cover. I'm not sure why. He occupies 75 percent of the movie and carries the whole film. You actually find yourself wanting to fast forward to get to his parts.That aside, IMDb.com knows he's in the movie and that's all you need to know. Get this flick, if only to hear Leno's crazy, hilarious dialogue.I'd have rated this 6-out-of-10, but had to knock off a point for the Susie Peckerwood scenes. They should have been left on the cutting room floor or, at least, rewritten.

My pops took me to this one when it was showing at our local Fine Arts theater (not that it's fine art, but definitely small theater material).The basic idea is a voice over of a B movie with comedic intentions. It's been a long time since I saw it, but I recall a send-up of 50's Sci-Fi which was far more humorous than anything Jay Leno has been involved with since. One particularly inappropriate gag with a spliced-in sex toy stands out as a high point.7 out of 10, and I'd love the chance to see it again.