Oh yeah! we had a lot of fun with both book and film on Vault mark 1. I think we'd given up on spoiler alerts by then so, you know, look away now!
Phil Smith - The Incredible Melting Man (Nel, 1978)
Blurb:
Three astronauts had returned safely from the Mars landing. Two were dead and Steve West was on the run.
On the run from the quarantine hospital which had been treating him ... from the authorities who had to conceal his escape at all costs ... from his friend Ted Nelson ... and from the dreadful organism which had taken possession of his flesh, turning him into a fiendish nightmare but leaving his mind intact to cringe from the murderous horror he had become. "What unearthly offspring would grow from the jelly that was once his friend?" I've not seen the film, but if this endearing novelisation is anything like faithful then it's an outrageous rip off of
The First Man In Space via
Quatermass. Steve West, the "jelly" in question, brutally destroys a nurse and flees the hospital so that he can turn to sludge in peace. Since his exposure to whatever radiation it was that has poisoned his cells, he's developed a taste for human flesh and blood (unfortunate for him but very rewarding for us) and roams the woods killing people and leaving pools of mucous everywhere.
Naturally, General Parry over at Houston doesn't want a word of this to come out as "Nothing must interfere with the next phase of the programme", so Dr. Nelson is ordered to find his friend and return him to the Hospital without anybody finding out that the psycho-killer is not only a blob of slime but ...
their astronaut.
This probably isn't half the novel something like
Snowman is but so far I'm enjoying it more. Work that one out.
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intruder 2kAh, one I've read! Here's the review I wrote:
Movie tie-ins tend to be mixed in terms of quality: some are cheap knock-offs, rushed off the shelf and boringly retelling the plot with no flavour; others can be surprising, throwing new spins on the story and increasing the atmosphere tenfold (I’m thinking The Terminator by Shaun Hutson). Phil Smith’s effort, based on the screenplay of the infamous gore film, is a largely derivative effort, scoring highly in some areas and proving completely forgettable in others. Smith utilises more of a science fictional approach than a horror one, and in dealing with the technicalities of the space flight and alien virus, his writing is clear and interesting and never monotonous.
However, the emotional level of this book is zero. The characters are cardboard cut-outs, either waiting to be eaten or just going through the motions. Nelson’s wife literally disappears halfway through the story without reference and others come and go without interest. Even the larger supports who die violently are uninteresting, their deaths meaningless. Smith’s world(s) are fine but the people in them are false. The ironic exception is the lead, Steve, eaten by a virus from Mars, whose internal reflections provide more of a character to him than the dialogue of the speaking characters does to them.
The horror is repetitive, with the deaths regular and non-atmospheric, but the gore flows freely and there are plenty of nasty moments for grue-fans to savour. My favourite moments are in the spaceship on Mars, where the crew are attacked by the sentient slime; truly eerie in places and quite chilling. Otherwise this seems to be a run-of-the-mill thriller.
Rating: 3/5
And here's a pic of the film tie-in cover (I think I prefer it to yours, Dem :^P):
And, for the sake of completeness, here's a review of the film as well. What the hell!
**WARNING: MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD!**
THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN (1977)
"The first new horror creature!"
An interesting, updated gory combination of the Quatermass adventures from Hammer, with a lower budget and much less plot. The main reason this film exists is to showcase Rick Baker's awesome makeup effects which more than make up for the minimal dialogue and the pathetic attempts at pathos. The film is cheaply and poorly made with actors whom you've never heard of, and will never hear of again. While all acting is of sufficient standard for a film of this type, the only person that sounds out from the rest is Doctor Nelson, who is a believable man juggling his marriage and his best friend's destruction. He's not a good performer but he's memorable in his wool hat and parka.
However the plot and acting aren't really anything to judge this film by, instead you have the Incredible Melting Man himself, a character that is frankly hilarious. Hearing "space noises" in his head as he wanders the countryside, this guy just comes off the worse for wear in every instance. He even leaves his ear on a tree! Incredibly, the deaths in this film seem to have been played for laughs - check out the scene where he beheads a fisherman! The highlight of the film is probably the scene where he attacks a young girl who cuts off one of his arms with a meat cleaver! The camera lingers on the still twitching digits of the severed hand in one of many neat touches.
On an aesthetic level the film is disappointing, no Oscar-calibre material here, but the Incredible Melting Man makes for quite an effective monster. It's just a shame that he wasn't given much to do apart from run around in the dark. The effects of his melting face and the final disintegration are truly superb, Rick Baker sure knows his stuff. And who can forget the fantastic ending, where, as I once heard someone on the Internet sum it up neatly, "The guy melted and they threw him in the trashcan!" An enjoyable obscurity from a forgotten era.
Rating: 3/5
Apologies for the lengthy post.
Cheers,
Graham
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killercrabGreat reviews - right on the money. I have the copy Dem has. Smith also wrote THE SAXONBURY PRINTOUT set in a pleasant English medieval market town. The back cover suggests the usual gubbins about a deep buried secret waiting to pulse through the EKO6 computer. I'm betting it's one of those large funky machines from the 1970's with spools the size of bicycle wheels. As you can tell I've not read it yet!
Back on topic - I saw THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN at the pictures - doubled I think with the SAVAGE BEES or some such trash . Back then I used to go to the cinema each saturday - the turnaround of films was weekly and I enjoyed and suffered a spate of variable horrors from Romero's CRAZIES to MANSION OF THE DOOMED - aka THE EYES OF DR CHANEY. Anyway MELTING MAN was one I recall fondly for it's OTT grue - the head cascading down a waterfall certainly wasn't art - but damn if it wasn't something you told your mates about! The melting man melting was tragic - certainly not an aspect you'd want if you were invading Earth. Low budget schloker through and through but strangely still watchable in a *did they really make that?* way - even today. I have the crappy Vipco dvd and would upgrade this vital nostalgia hit.
Great work guys.
ade
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demonik I agree with you, Graham, the tie-in cover stomps all over the original in terms of .... well, everything. A bit like ade's edition of
Scream And Scream Again (Paperback Library, 1970): The original with the cover painting is great but the tie-in is the must-have, IMO.
Now I've read a number of these books, the "cardboard cut-out characters" are no longer a problem to me. If I read something like Sharman's
The Cats again these days, my review would be far more positive because I've stopped expecting to feel anything about the monster-fodder. Having said that, I like that Smith puts several minor characters in the way of the melting one - the lemon-scrumping, lovey-dovey old timers, the irritating little girl, the sleazy photographer who turns nasty with the young woman who doesn't want to take her top off, the obligatory wino's around the campfire, etc. - but, through more luck than judgement, some escape without even knowing they were in danger. Even the flashbacks to the trio's adventures on Mars and aboard the ship - the kind of material I normally run a mile from - has kept my interest.
And I've still got twenty pages of this delicious garbage to go!
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killercrabNow I've read a number of these books, the "cardboard cut-out characters" are no longer a problem to me.>>
Try ORGY OF BUBASTIS - there is *no* characterisation. Once you get passed that - it's quite acceptable. Verges on the saucy too - heck scratch that there is one sleazy bit where our hero is tied to a woman by leather straps and electrodes added and hosed with some medicinal liquid - I'm not joking! A bizarre book indeed.
ade
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CalentureI'd just like to add my vote for this film. I remember sitting in the cinema, jaw hanging open in disbelief, watching the caretaker grab his broom and cross the screen, grumbling all the time under his breath as he sweeps the remains of the melting man into a dustpan. One of the few really enjoyable trashy films; the makers judged the balance of gore and humour perfectly. I think it's been shown on ITV in the past couple of years.
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demonik I don't know if Smith cut away from the script before the squelchy one's final moments, but the scooped-into-the-garbage-can ending is omitted from the novelization. He leaves us having set everything up perfectly for a sequel - and IMO
The Incredible Melting Man justifies one - but sadly, it just wasn't to be. Typical!
Astronaut Stephen West (Alex Rebar) is the sole survivor of a disastrous space mission. Rushed to hospital with severe radiation burns, he finds his flesh beginning to melt because of a strange, extra-terrestrial contamination.
When he escapes from his doctors' care, he sets in motion a series of macabre killings and creates a reign of terror - because the only way he can survive is ...
Suspense and terror are the ingredients of this spine-chiller. Don't watch it alone!"He's getting stronger as he melts!"
Watching this endearing no budget shocker made me appreciate what an incredible job Phil Strong did on the novelisation in that he somehow made it seem almost sensible. As has been mentioned, Strong only strays from the script on a couple of occasions, substituting Mars for the Sun as the rocket's destination and dispensing altogether with the never to be forgotten ending where the pile of gloop that once was astronaut Stephen West is scraped up and dumped in a garbage can by a hobbling janitor.
Turns out that this feted finale isn't the only marvellous moment either. There's also the severed head bobbing hilariously downstream and over the waterfall: the screaming nurse wobbling away from the melting one - to add to the suspense of it all this is played out in slow-mo - and a brilliant turn by Don Walters as the pervy photographer (manfully refusing to be upstaged by his revolting jumper), who won't let his innocent model escape without jiggling her boobs and even sneaks in some bonus snaps of the fisherman's decapitated corpse. And, of course, Dr. Nelson's discovery of a chunk of his festering friend - "My God! It's his ear!"
You'll get no arguments from me about the standard of acting - presumably the only requirements for the women were that they gave good hysteria - and Alex Rebar is worse than anything in
Murder At The Grange until he gets his soupy face and striped pyjamas.
Thanks so much for this, Graham!
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CalentureI'm so glad that you've finally watched this masterpiece.
Your write-up brought back a lot of very happy memories! Brilliant stuff!
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intruder2kDem,
No need to thank me - your review's worth it. Loved what you had to say, although I had to scratch my head and wonder who this 'Strong' chap is you talk about - just kidding
The only other movie moment I recall is the arm-severing moment in which IMM's hand is still wriggling next to the girl's foot. Wacky!
Of course, Alex Rebar isn't the *real* star - it's Rick Baker, the special effects genius. Still can't decide on which gloriously grisly effect is better - the melting guy in this film, or the effect at the end of de Palma's THE FURY, which is superb.
On a final, closing note, I've just gone back and compared the two covers after all this business. I don't mind yours so much after all - the bluntness of the tagline "HE IS A HUMAN TIME BOMB" gives it a certain appeal. If only they had that on my copy to round it off - instead it's this bland "NEW PEAK IN HORROR" rubbish.
It's a shame they never made the sequel, THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MEN - the premise cries out for it.
Sorry, going a little off-track... perhaps doolally?
Graham
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demonikThe special effects are certainly just that, but I couldn't help wondering if they were ... a little overdone? I mean, every close-up of Steve West and the gooey flesh is dripping from his face at the rate of a litre a minute: he's like a walking waterfall. Surely he'd have been reduced to a skull on a pole before he'd even got out of the hospital?
Another great bit was when the bandage got stuck up his nose. I knew I was in for a masterpiece from that moment!