General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

The Incredible Melting Man

The Incredible Melting Man is a 1977 American science-fiction horror film written and directed by William Sachs, in which an astronaut exposed to radiation while viewing the Sun through the rings of Saturn returns to Earth and begins to melt, killing people to consume their flesh.¹^•² It stars Alex Rebar as Steve West, with Burr DeBenning, Myron Healey, Michael Alldredge, and Ann Sweeny, and is remembered chiefly for the makeup effects of Rick Baker.¹^•³

Key fact	Detail
Release	23 December 1977, United States; R rating; 86 minutes¹
Writer-director	William Sachs; additional dialogue by Rebecca Ross¹
Lead cast	Alex Rebar (Steve West), Burr DeBenning (Dr. Ted Nelson), Myron Healey (Gen. Michael Perry)¹
Makeup effects	Rick Baker, special makeup effects; Rob Bottin and Greg Cannom as uncredited assistants³
Distribution	American International Pictures acquired domestic rights in August 1977¹
Critical reception	7% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 14 reviews; 24% on the Popcornmeter²
Later life	Featured in the 24 February 1996 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000¹

Spoilers

Plot

A space mission to Saturn ends in disaster when the three astronauts aboard the Scorpio V capsule view the Sun through the planet's rings and a blast of radiation kills two of them.¹^•⁴ The lone survivor, Steve West, wakes in a hospital bed at a remote military research facility, enraged by the gelatinous condition of his skin; he breaks free of his restraints, kills a nurse, and escapes.¹

The facility's civilian supervisor, Dr. Ted Nelson, a friend of Steve's, is called in and alerts United States Air Force General Michael Perry, who instructs Nelson to capture him.¹ Nelson explains that Steve's mind has decomposed beyond rational thought and that he needs human cells to live, which forces him to kill.¹ Because Steve is radioactive, Nelson tracks him with a Geiger counter as he wanders the countryside killing a fisherman, a photographer's model, and others.¹^•⁴ In the film's best-known scene, the fisherman's decapitated head floats downstream and falls over a waterfall.¹^•⁵ The ending is deliberately low-key: a janitor mops up the melting man's remains while a radio voice-over announces another manned mission to Saturn.⁵^•⁶

Production

Sachs wrote and directed the film for Quartet Productions, with Samuel W. Gelfman producing and Max J. Rosenberg as president of the production company; Willy Curtis (the screen name of cinematographer Willy Kurant) shot it, and James Beshears edited.¹^•³ Rick Baker, then early in his career, created the special makeup effects, using barrels of dripping ooze to make the melting man look right on camera.³^•⁷ According to Baker's own account, he did not care for the script and quoted the producers an outrageous price hoping to be turned down; they accepted, so he took the job.⁷^•⁸ Rob Bottin worked as his uncredited assistant, and Greg Cannom and Craig Reardon also assisted; Cannom later handled the reshoots.³^•⁷

Intended as a parody. Sachs conceived the film as a cheerful parody of cheesy 1950s exploitation horrors, in the tradition of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), but the producers wanted a straight horror film and he was forced to remove the parody elements.⁴^•⁵ Reviewers have noted that the surviving comedic moments, such as an elderly couple stealing lemons, sit awkwardly against the horror.⁹^•⁵

Release and reception

On 19 August 1977 producer Gelfman sought a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, but the appeal was rejected and the film was released with its original R rating.¹ American International Pictures acquired domestic distribution rights in August 1977 with a release scheduled for early 1978; the film opened on 23 December 1977, and a Variety report noted a debut gross of $38,000 at the Roosevelt Theater in Chicago.¹ It opened in Los Angeles on 1 February 1978 and in New York on 3 May 1978.¹

Critical reception was poor. The Hollywood Reporter review of 10 January 1978 found the film "most interesting as an excursion into bizarre make-up."¹ On Rotten Tomatoes it holds 7% on the Tomatometer from 14 reviews and 24% on the Popcornmeter.² Reviewers have consistently singled out Baker's effects as the film's strongest asset while criticizing the story, acting, and the unresolved tone.²^•⁸ The Science Fiction Encyclopedia judges some sequences rather good but the special effects laughable.⁴ Despite the reception, the film has gained a cult following, in part through its 1996 Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode.⁶^•¹⁰ A novelization by Phil Smith was published in 1978.⁴

Legacy

The film's afterlife rests on its effects and its reputation as a famously bad movie.¹⁰ According to Cinefex (November 1987), Robocop (1987) contains a special makeup effect by Rob Bottin nicknamed the "Melting Man" as an homage to Bottin's earlier work with Rick Baker on the film.¹ Reviewers have also linked it to later meltdown films such as Street Trash and Chuck Russell's The Blob remake.¹¹ A poster for the film appears on Buzz's door in Home Alone.⁶ Notable cameos included filmmaker Jonathan Demme as "Matt" and professional baseball player Mickey Lolich as the first security guard; producer Gelfman himself appears as the fisherman.¹

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026