The Incredible Melting Man
The Incredible Melting Man is a 1977 American science fiction horror film directed and written by William Sachs. The plot concerns an astronaut whose body begins to melt after he is exposed to radiation during a space flight to Saturn, driving him to commit murders and consume human flesh to survive. During post-production, the producers reshot scenes without Sachs' participation. The film starred Alex Rebar as the main character, alongside Burr DeBenning as a scientist trying to help him and Myron Healey as a United States Air Force general seeking to capture him. While writing and shooting, Sachs was influenced by Night of the Living Dead. With the changes by the producers, the final film has been described as a remake of First Man into Space (1959), which in turn was directly influenced by The Quatermass Xperiment, even though Sachs had never seen either of those films.
Theatrical release poster
Makeup effects artist Rick Baker designed facial appliances that simulated the deterioration of the main character.
The makeup effects in a scene from RoboCop (1987), where a man melts after getting covered in toxic waste, were inspired by Rick Baker's effects in The Incredible Melting Man.
Myron Daniel Healey was an American actor. He began his career in Hollywood, California during the early 1940s and eventually made hundreds of appearances in movies and on television during a career spanning more than half a century.
Healey in the TV series Stories of the Century, episode "The Dalton Gang"