Greetings from the planet Saturn

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Movie
German title Greetings from the planet Saturn
Original title The Incredible Melting Man
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1977
length 86 minutes
Age rating FSK 18
Rod
Director William Sachs
script William Sachs
production Samuel W. Gelfman
music Arlon Ober
camera Willy Curtis
cut James Beshears
occupation

The Planet Saturn Greetings is an American horror film from 1977, directed by William Sachs for American International Pictures .

action

Three astronauts are on a flight to Saturn . They are exposed to an outbreak of ionizing radiation that kills two of the astronauts. The third astronaut, Steve West, is seriously injured.

Back on earth, the unconscious astronaut lies in a hospital. His head is bandaged. The attending physician, Dr. Loring, can't explain what's happening to West right now. West later wakes up and finds to his horror that the flesh of his hands and face is beginning to dissolve. In his panic, he attacks a nurse, kills her and flees the hospital.

Together with his friend, the scientist Dr. Nelson, examines Dr. Loring the dead nurse's body. They detect a slight radiation in the corpse and conclude that West himself was radioactively damaged. Dr. Nelson believes West has gone mad and needs human flesh to slow the melting of his own flesh. Dr. Nelson enlists the help of Air Force General Perry.

West attacks a fisherman and kills him. He discovers a frightened girl who escapes. With a Geiger counter , Dr. Nelson chase the fugitive astronaut. However, Nelson finds only one ear that West fell off his head during his escape. Nelson and General Perry investigate the scene where the fisherman was murdered. Sheriff Blake present suspects that Dr. Nelson knows more than he says. Nelson drives home in the evening. His pregnant wife, Judy, tells him that she is expecting her mother and her significant other for dinner. The couple are attacked and killed on their way to the Nelsons of West.

Sheriff Blake quotes Nelson to the crime scene, who identifies the bodies. Blake expects an explanation, and Nelson reluctantly tells him about West and his condition. Nelson believes West gets stronger the more his body dissolves. Nelson goes home to consult with General Perry. But he is attacked and killed by West, the pregnant Judy remains unharmed. Nelson and Blake arrive when West escapes. On his escape he penetrates the house of winters. West kills the husband, but is repulsed by the wife, who cuts off his arm with a kitchen knife. Blake is informed of the attack and drives Nelson to the scene. They follow West to a factory building. The fugitive climbs up the fire stairs.

Blake follows West upstairs and shoots the killer with a rifle. West cannot stop the projectile. He lifts Blake over the railing and throws him onto a high voltage line. Then he hits Nelson, who falls over the railing but is able to hold on to the outside. Nelson desperately reminds West of their past friendship, whereupon West Nelson moves to safety. Two armed guards appear and fire in panic at West, but meet Nelson, who wants to protect his friend. The mad West kills both guards and flees. But he stumbles against the side of the factory building and now completely dissolves.

The next morning, an employee finds the bloody remains and wipes them up. A news broadcast on the radio announces the start of a new group of astronauts on Saturn.

Reviews

The lexicon of international films described the film as "a cheap mixture of horror and science fiction film that indulges in bloodthirsty details and tends to be involuntarily comical."

The movie magazine Cinema found the film mixed up black humor and nasty make-up effects with the progressive pessimism of the sci-fi cinema of the 1970s.

Rob Gonsalves of eFilmCritic wrote that William Sachs gave the world a unique horror creature, giving Rick Baker and Jonathan Demme paychecks when they probably needed money. And he gave a gift to generations of fans of bad films.

background

The film premiered in the United States in December 1977. In Germany, it appeared in cinemas on November 30, 1979.

The makeup effects were created by makeup artist Rick Baker . Alex Rebar had to wear layers of masks on his face that simulated melting flesh. His hands and feet were moistened with liquids that dripped off as the actor moved. Baker's work served as the basis for make-up effects in the science fiction film RoboCop (1987 by Paul Verhoeven ).

The film is the theme of the fourth episode of the seventh season of the US television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (episode 704).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Greetings from the planet Saturn. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ Critique of Cinema
  3. ↑ Rob Gonsalves on eFilmCritic.com (Engl.)