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Ray Milland, Diana Van der Vlis, Harold J. Stone, Don Rickles, John Hoyt ... see more see more... , Morris Ankrum , John Dierkes , Kathryn Hart , Jonathan Haze , Carol Irey , Vicki Lee , Dick Miller , Barboura Morris , Lotie Summers

Dr. James Xavier (Ray Milland) is a brilliant but unorthodox researcher whose work with human sight has yielded an experimental chemical that may vastly increase the range of what we can see. Despite ... read more read more...the misgivings and warnings of the two people closest to him, Dr. Diane Fairfax (Diana Van Der Vlis) and Dr. Sam Brant (Harold J. Stone), he uses it on himself and finds that he is able to look inside the human body in real-time. This gives him the ability to save the life of a patient in surgery, but in the process, he offends a top physician and calls his own judgement into question. He won't stop or even slow his experiments, however, and when Sam is accidentally killed trying to stop him, he is forced to flee. Soon he is living the life of a hunted man, and is protected and exploited by Crane (Don Rickles), a larcenous carny-man who sets him up as a "healer" on skid row, taking peoples' pennies while Xavier makes his diagnoses. After getting away from Crane, Xavier is found by Diane, who joins him on the run, and by now his own worst nature is coming to the surface. They head to Las Vegas, where his ability to see through objects allows him to win at most of the games in front of him, but he is discovered because of the attention that his "streak" draws to him. Pursued out of town, he heads out to the desert, and by now his ability to see transcends the boundaries of earthly space, leading him to a terrible quandry and a hideous solution to his plight, inspired by an encounter with a preacher. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Flixster Users

60% liked it

2,997 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

21 critics

R, 1 hr. 16 min.

Directed by: Roger Corman

Release Date: September 18, 1963

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DVD Release Date: June 5, 2001

Stats: 133 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (133)

  • ajv2688
    November 26, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is an okay movie from Corman, it's not one of the best, but it's not one of the worst either. It has a familiar sci-fi horror theme, but with a man who actually has X-ray eyes, which is the coolest part of the movie.
  • flixsterman
    December 2, 2009
    flixsterman
    All hail Roger Corman! A cult classic with all the trappings you'd expect from uber-cool low-budget 60's science fiction.

    It wasn't enough that the mad scientist could see through paper, clothes and skin. He kept pushing, kept experimenting until he saw things no man was eve... read morer intended to see, things no man should ever see [insert creepy music here].
  • John2223
    March 24, 2011
    John2223
    An interesting movie with a very original plot about a scientist who gets x-ray vision when he gives himself eyes medicine. It delivers a fair amount of suspense, unsettling atmosphere and enough ingenious plot twists to maintain your interest throughout. The ending of the movie ... read morewas haunting and even quite surprising.
    It's defiantly worth watching if you like good science fiction movies.
  • Hellshocked
    July 15, 2010
    Hellshocked
    Corman's take on Prometheus/Frankenstein is little more than a poorly written genre cheapie which never once deals with any of the surprisingly interesting subjects it accidentally manages to raise.

    For reasons beyond me this is highly regarded in some circles. It is far, far fr... read moreom Corman's best (though equally far from his worst) and it would have been very interesting to see what a real writer from the period (Rod Serling, perhaps? Definitely Ray Bradbury) would have done with the premise.
  • djskyler
    September 22, 2008
    djskyler
    This film kept me riveted with two contradictory forces that drove it along. On one side was the Roger Corman driving a very campy script with cheap thrills and an absurd chain of events. The other side was held by a very somber and serious performance by Ray Milland. No matte... read morer how silly it gets, you never want to laugh at a determined Ray Milland. Don Rickles joins and is able to get a few insult jokes in, but soon he reveals himself as an unpleasant con-man, wanting to exploit the x-ray eyes. As the film moves into its fervent finish, there is increased use of "Spectarama," a photographic effect used to simulate a POV shot of x-ray vision. Combined with a creepy score, the climax proves to be an intense and almost uncomfortable experience. A very memorable movie.
  • cmrnlewis
    July 2, 2008
    cmrnlewis
    Another Roger Corman classic. It starts out campy and then descends into a total nightmare with a shocker ending.
  • bokman7757
    December 9, 2007
    bokman7757
    A genuinely great suspense film from Roger Corman, of all people. Very much a psychological picture, with a hefty dose of sixties surrealism, leading up to one of the great shock endings.
  • flixsterbum
    November 24, 2007
    flixsterbum
    I've been meaning to watch this for years after Stephen King recommended it in his book "Danse Macabre". A great premise: Ray Milland experiments with hormones to increase his eyesight to superhuman abilities and succeeds far beyond his greatest dreams (and nightmares! bwoohaha... read morehaaa!). Campy fun with some creepy music and pretty passable special effects for the time, but it's the very end that you have to stick around for. King described it in his book, and he definitely did it justice. Corman tapped into something pretty horrifying here; I'd love to see the idea explored again, preferrably in a sci-fi remake without Will Smith or Nicolas Cage attached (actually, come to think of it, Cage could probably camp it up to great effect).

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
June 6, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Director Roger Corman keeps this moving and Ray Milland is competent as the doomed man. Special effects on his prism-eye world, called Spectarama, are good if sometimes repetitive. Full Review

Dave Kehr
June 6, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

This queasy 1963 SF parable was directed--quickly and cheaply--by Roger Corman for American-International, drawing some of its strength from its tawdry drive-in overtones. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Surprisingly level-headed and persuasive in its restraint and succinct dialogue. Full Review

Steve Crum
March 8, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Ray Milland in low budget Roger Corman horror-fest.

June 6, 2007
Film4

Glorious low-budget fun, imaginative, eerie and sometimes even a little scary. Full Review

June 6, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Memorable, viscerally disturbing sci-fi/horror. Full Review

Pablo Villaca
September 11, 2006
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Embora a premissa não seja desenvolvida de maneira particularmente imaginativa, Milland encarna a situação angustiante de seu personagem com talento (e o plano final é arrepiante).

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Intelligent sci-fi movie has a powerful performance from Milland. Full Review

Mark Bourne
April 5, 2006
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com

Science fiction's much-vaunted 'sense of wonder' gets flipped to reveal the horrific back side of that coin. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
January 8, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

One of the better sci-fi cult films. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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