Based on the true story. Okay so its not based on a true story but Annette and I once convinced her daughter that The Incredible Shrinking Man was a true story so why not go for the double header of convincing her The Incredible Melting Man is also true. Its worth a giggle isnt it.

Anyways, Arrow Video is excited to announce the UK Blu-ray and DVD release of The Incredible Melting Man, the ‘70s cult classic which saw special effects legend Rick Baker (Thriller, An American Werewolf in London, Men in Black) lend his hand in creating another memorable horror creature.

Before he turned his hand to lycanthropes in An American Werewolf in London, shuffling zombies in the Thrillermusic video and hostile extra-terrestrials in Men in Black, special effects legend Rick Baker lent his talents to the creation of another memorable horror creature. Step forward, The Incredible Melting Man!

When spacecraft Scorpio V returns to Earth following a mission to Saturn, two of the crew are dead and the third, astronaut Steve West, is in a critical condition. Critical, that is, until he rises from his hospital bed to bite chunks out of a nurse before escaping into the surrounding countryside. The authorities set about trying to track Steve down before he claims any other victims, but they don’t know the really bad news yet – Steve is also highly radioactive!

The Incredible Melting Man offers up a wealth of show-stopping B-movie moments in its relatively modest running time – chief among them, the scene in which a disembodied head floats down a river only to smash messily on the rocks further downstream – but the real star of the show here is Baker’s ultra-icky special effects work which let you see the Melting Man’s transition in all its gooey, glistening glory.

This new edition arrives in time for Halloween on 13th October 2014. Originally starting life as a comedy under the title The Ghoul from Outer Space, writer-director William Sachs clashed with the film’s producers over the tone of the film believing that the studio thought he was making a serious film when he was in actual fact making a parody of the horror genre.

However, despite the clash and the mix of genres, The Incredible Melting Man has had remarkable staying power due to the credible comedic performances given by nearly everyone in the cast, even a group of kids who run into Steve during an ill-fated game of hide-and-seek. Of course, the effects from Baker still manage to turn one’s stomach decades after they were put on film. Additionally, the score by Arlon Ober (and the Cosmic Consort Orchestra) provides a pitch-perfect accompaniment to the on-screen action. Finally, the film looks darn good. Some viewers have complained about the lighting being flat but the restored print makes the film look as good as it ever could be.

The movie will make its UK Blu-ray debut on 13^th October 2014 in a newly restored transfer with a host of extra features including an audio commentary with writer/director William Sachs, a Super-8 digest of the film, an interview with legendary make-up artist Rick Baker and an interview with William Sachs.

Alongside this, the Blu-ray disc will also include a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin and a sizable collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film.

I need to add that from the many Arrow releases that I have seen, the transfers are always stunning. In some cases they look even better than 2014 films, in all other times they look just as good as 2014 films. Would love to see the process of how they go through this painstaking transfer upgrade process.

Arrow really are the best in the UK at releasing classic and cult films thats for sure, alongside the great special features that they gather for films that were out before the words special feature were evening a thing.

Special Features

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements
• Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio Commentary with William Sachs
• Super 8 digest version of the film
• Interview with Writer/Director William Sachs and Make-up Effects Artist Rick Baker
• Interview with Make-up Effects Artist Greg Cannom
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
• Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film.