X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Sunday night at the drive-in was a tribute to one of the most accomplished and influential directors in the history of motion pictures; the one and only Roger Corman, who passed away six week ago at the age of 98.
Sunday night at the drive-in was a tribute to one of the most accomplished and influential directors in the history of motion pictures; the one and only Roger Corman, who passed away six week ago at the age of 98.
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Roger Corman directed 55 films from 1954 to 2008, and he was the producer or executive producer for over 300 others. Most of his filmography is comprised of B movies. I doubt that I've even seen 10 percent of his work, but I've enjoyed everything of his that I have seen, including It Conquered The World, A Bucket Of Blood, Little Shop Of Horrors, The Masque Of The Red Death, Rock N' Roll High School, Slumber Party Massacre II and III, and one of my all-time favorite movies, Death Race 2000.
Last night was an opportunity to check another of his films off of my watch list: the 1963 science fiction classic, X - The Man With The X-Ray Eyes.
I was flying solo at the drive-in last night, so my pre-show was spent listening to Cy's DJ set and playing Tetris Effect on Switch, and I finally managed to complete Journey Mode at the Expert level.
Prior to showtime, there was a nice introduction to the film that was provided by author and film critic Tim Lucas. He is the author of a 2022 novel that is based on Roger Corman, The Man With Kaleidoscope Eyes. There was also a curated pre-show trailer reel that included The Terror, A Bucket Of Blood, and The Haunted Palace.
This was my first time seeing X - The Man With The X-Ray Eyes and it's a damn good movie! It's about a scientist who has developed eyedrops that allow people to see beyond the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. He tests the drops on himself, and they produce positive results at first, but the effects go well beyond his control. I don't want to say too much more so that I don't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but I will say that the ending is intense.
B-movies tend to get labeled as "so bad they're good", but that's not at all what's going on here. This is a movie that I'd recommend to anyone. You can stream it for free on Pluto.
And that's a wrap on another awesome weekend at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater. Next weekend is Son Of Godzilla-palooza.
