The Incredible Melting Man is a 1977 American science fiction body 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.

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.

[1] The Incredible Melting Man was featured in the comedy It Came from Hollywood (1982) and inspired the makeup effects for a scene in the science fiction-action film RoboCop (1987).

[7] During a space flight to Saturn, three astronauts are exposed to a blast of radiation which kills two of them and seriously injures the third, Colonel Steve West.

Adams claims that this explains several comedic lines of dialogue otherwise inconsistent with the rest of the film, including one moment when homeless men notice the melting West and say to each other, "You think we've got trouble, look at that dude".

[2] Variety described the script, in addition to its horror elements, as "a human story attempting to leave a moral message as to whether society or the horrible creature it is chasing is really the most destructive".

[13] Burr DeBenning played Dr. Ted Nelson,[14] and General Michael Perry was portrayed by Myron Healey, who was, Everman notes, often cast as a villain in 1950s science fiction films.

[14] Producer Max Rosenberg, best known for his horror and supernatural films, provided the financing for The Incredible Melting Man.

[14] Samuel W. Gelfman was the film's producer, and American International Pictures served as both the production company and the distributor.

[13][18] Rebar wore facial appliances that simulated melting flesh, and his hands and feet were fitted with liquid substances that dropped off as he walked, creating the appearance that West's body was falling apart.

To create the effect, Baker used a gelatin head with a wax skull and fake blood inside, which burst out upon impact.

[19] Baker created four distinct stages of makeup design so that West would appear to melt gradually as time passed.

[20] Richard Meyers, author of The World of Fantasy Films, said actor Rebar was impatient and uncooperative with the extensive makeup sessions required for the effects, and thus did not wear all of the facial appliances Baker designed.

[21][22] The version of the film shot by Sachs had not included any scenes with West before he sustained the radiation poisoning that caused his body to melt.

[11][15] Michel Levesque provided art direction,[11] and the musical score was composed by London Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Arlon Ober.

Instead, it showed portions of the scene immediately before the nurse is murdered, in which she runs down a hallway screaming and then crashes through a glass window trying to escape from West, who is only shown towards the end of the trailer.

[27] One poster for the film included the statement: "Rick Baker, the new master of special effects, who brought you the magic of The Exorcist and gave you the wonder of King Kong, now brings you his greatest creation, The Incredible Melting Man".

[8] The Globe and Mail writer Robert Martin praised Baker's makeup effects and said director Sachs did an efficient job building tension.

[22] A 1985 review in the book The Motion Picture Guide said, "The film tries to balance horror against morality but ends up shaky at best".

However, the review also called the dialogue "trite," described some scenes as "technically incorrect," and said the film disappointed by lingering on the ordinary characters rather than on the monster.

[9] Blockbuster Inc.'s Guide to Movies and Videos gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, and described it as "unexciting and contrived, though Rick Baker's gross-out makeup is undeniably effective".

[35] In The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies, Phil Hardy described it as a better-than-average but "spotty" film, and said director William Sachs injected a sense of "grisly humor" into it.

Everman wrote, "This is the kind of movie we've come to expect from AIP — cheaply made, nasty, and lots of fun".

[12] John W. Bowen of the Belleville Intelligencer said he enjoyed the "camp" style of the film, adding, "It's both inexplicable and sad this brain-damaged yet fiercely determined little drive-in bottom feeder never garnered more than a tiny cult following over the years".

[39] Z movie director Tim Ritter said he was partially inspired to enter show business by watching a trailer for The Incredible Melting Man at age 9.

During the scene, Emil Antonowsky (Paul McCrane) attempts to ram RoboCop with his van, but instead accidentally drives into a vat of toxic waste, causing the flesh to melt off his face and hands.

[57] A poster for the film appeared in the 1990 comedy Home Alone on the bedroom wall of character Keven McCallister's brother Buzz.