SCRIPTS FROM THE CRYPT: THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON: AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (SOFTCOVER EDITION) by Tom Weaver
In this one-of-a-kind volume, you'll learn everything under the sun about producer-director-star Robert Clarke's 1959 monster classic: Clarke's in-depth account of the making of his low-budget independent movie; reprints of TWO versions of the script, the first set in the jungles of Guatemala; the full story of SUN DEMON's world premiere at a Texas drive-in; anecdotal memories of the frantic filmmaking process from nearly a dozen cast-and-crew participants; the original "Showmanship Manual"; an outline for a follow-up SUN DEMON film proposed by Clarke in the 1970s; scores of rare and never-seen photographs; even an afterword from sexquisite co-star Nan Peterson! This is the first in a series of such books from longtime genre fan and chronicler Tom Weaver.
From MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT magazine, reviewed by Bryan Senn:
"a fascinating chronicle of independent filmmaking from a bygone era"
"Weaver leaves no sun-drenched stone unturned"
"Weaver also continues his super-fun Scripts from the Crypt series, begun with The Hideous Sun Demon, with not one but two new entries. No. 2 goes deep on the Lon Chaney cult shocker Indestructible Man (1956). Beyond the complete original screenplay by Vy Russell and Sue Bradford, the profusely illustrated large-format softcover incorporates new and archival quotes from many of the pic's participants, an interview with costar Casey Adams (aka Max Showalter), profiles of colorful filmmaking partners Jack Pollexfen and Aubrey Wisberg, notes on the script, trivia, David Schecter's analysis of the score, and much, much more, including an appreciation by fan/auteur Fred Olen Ray. Even if you, unlike Indestructible Man Butcher Benton, have never chanted the mantra "Paul Lowe, Squeamy Ellis, Joe Marcelli," you'll want to invest your time and dough in this essential tome.
-- Videoscope