Depending on which supplemental feature you watch or hear on the Shout! Factory Blu-ray of The Incredible Melting Man, the 1977 creature feature was either a travesty of unfulfilled filmmaking ambition or a campy goof from start to finish. Both sides of the story are presented on the disc through interviews with its principal players--writer-director William Sachs (Galaxina) and special effects makeup artists Rick Baker and Greg Cannom. Sachs is definitely in the former camp, as evidenced by his somewhat bitter-toned commentary track, which details the myriad ways in which the film's producers and other third parties undermined his attempt to make a picture that hewed closer to the black comedy of E.C. Comics. Sachs is also featured in a 20-minute interview segment that also features multi-Oscar winner Baker--though it should be noted that the two men are interviewed separately, which occasionally creates some amusing contradictory moments (Sachs praises Baker's work, while Baker good-naturedly bemoans the picture's cheapness and his attempt to get out of the assignment by drastically inflating his fee--which the producers accepted). Fellow Oscar-winning artist Greg Cannom, who served as Baker's assistant on the film (along with an uncredited Rob Bottin and Craig Reardon), gets his own brief interview, during which he discusses his early career and collaboration with Baker. For Melting Man fans, the interview and commentary extras, however divergent in tone, make this Blu-ray a must-have, while the collection of promotional material--two theatrical trailers and a radio spot, all of which hinge on Baker's then-newfound fame via Star Wars (1977) and King Kong (1976), and a gallery of production stills, lobby cards, and advertisements--preserves the film's gleefully goopy charms. --Paul Gaita
