The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)
“A creature of the night... destroyed by the light of day!”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
A grim, sweaty inversion of the werewolf myth, this independent quickie has its doomed hero transform not under the moon but under the sun. Star Robert Clarke produced, directed, and headlined the picture himself, shooting on weekends around Los Angeles landmarks like Bronson Canyon.
Cast
About the Director
Robert Clarke — Robert Clarke, a busy B-movie actor frustrated with the films he appeared in, mortgaged his own resources to make this as a Jekyll-and-Hyde tragedy. His multi-hat, weekend-shoot approach gives it a raw, personal desperation rare in the genre.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
Public domain in the United States: the copyright was not renewed after its initial term expired, placing the film in the public domain. It has circulated freely from numerous sources for decades on that basis.
Behind the Scenes
Clarke conceived the film after his experience on the 1951 cult item The Man from Planet X, recruiting friends and film students to crew it cheaply. Decades later it inspired the affectionate 1983 parody Revenge of the Sun Demon.
Did You Know?
- Robert Clarke financed, produced, directed, and starred in the film himself.
- The climactic chase was shot at Bronson Canyon and a downtown gasworks, locations used in countless cheap genre films.
- It was double-billed on release with Roger Corman's Attack of the Crab Monsters.
Reception & Legacy
Panned as crude on release, it has gained a cult following for its genuinely bleak tone and Clarke's committed central performance. The sunlight-as-curse premise is widely praised as a clever twist.
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