X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

"Suddenly he could see through clothes, flesh… and walls!"

1963 1h 19m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 276

Science FictionThrillerHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A doctor uses special eye drops to give himself x-ray vision, but the new power has disastrous consequences.

“Suddenly he could see through clothes, flesh… and walls!”

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Cast

Ray Milland
James Xavier
Diana Van der Vlis
Diane Fairfax
Harold J. Stone
Sam Brant
John Hoyt
Willard Benson
Don Rickles
Crane
Dick Miller
John Trask (uncredited)
Jonathan Haze
Heckler (uncredited)
Kathryn Hart
Mrs. Hart (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roger Corman
Writers: Robert Dillon, Ray Russell, Ray Russell
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

63 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roger Corman, shot by Floyd Crosby. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Les Baxter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anthony Carras shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Ray Milland and Diana Van der Vlis and Harold J. Stone carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Suddenly he could see through clothes, flesh… and walls!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roger Corman directs. Floyd Crosby behind the camera. Les Baxter scores. Anthony Carras cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
363 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Roger Corman, shot by Floyd Crosby. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Les Baxter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Anthony Carras shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ray Milland and Diana Van der Vlis and Harold J. Stone carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Suddenly he could see through clothes, flesh… and walls!".
9IMDB entry: tt0057693 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "casino", "experiment", "carnival", "eye".

The technical file

Cinematography: Floyd Crosby
Original score: Les Baxter
Editing: Anthony Carras
Production design: Daniel Haller
Costume design: Marjorie Corso
Makeup / hair: Ted Coodley
Runtime: 79 min · 1h 19m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $250,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

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Roger Corman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-02-19
★ 6/10
RELEASED IN 1963 and directed by Roger Corman, "X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes" chronicles events in Los Angeles when a doctor (Ray Milland) develops a formula that grants x-ray vision, which derails his career and forces him to join a carnival, using his new power to make a living. Diana Van der Vlis plays his disciple while Don Rickles is on hand as a carnival barker. The early 60’s vibe is to die for, but the beginning is rather dull. Things perk up at an adult party where the aging doctor tries to keep hip and eventually sees everyone nakkid (lol). The carnival sequence and what it leads into are arguably the best parts, although the Vegas and tent revival episodes have their attractions. The movie scores meh on the female front, but Lorrie Summers and Cathie Merchant have small parts. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 19 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles, California & Las Vegas, Nevada. WRITERS: Robert Dillon and Ray Russell. ADDITIONAL CAST: Harold J. Stone and John Hoyt play colleagues of the doctor. GRADE: B-
John Chard2019-01-05
★ 7/10
If thine eyes offend thee... Brilliant Doctor Xavier is working on a a serum to hopefully improve human sight, he stumbles upon a formula that can give subjects x-ray vision. Refusing to wait for approval from colleagues, and driven by the potential the serum has, he tests it on himself. At first it seems to be a remarkable, almost beautiful thing, but as things move on, Xavier spirals downwards towards the darkest depths that man can see. X is a totally memorable piece of sci-fi schlock, at times visceral with its weirdness, and at others wholly disturbing, this ranks as one of the best of director Roger Corman's efforts. Ray Milland takes the lead role of Xavier and adds a touch of class to the proceedings, Xavier's descent is quite something to observe with Milland layering it perfectly. From the jaunty hilarity of being able to see through peoples clothes, to the joy of being able to beat the casino at their own game, Xavier still has to go further because his pain is too much to bear, and only come the final shocking finale are we the viewers able to see clearly Xavier's pain. 7/10
r96sk2023-01-12
★ 8/10
Bizarre, but I like it. <em>'X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes'</em> is quite the interesting film. Perfectly paced at almost 80 minutes, it features a very good performance from Ray Milland as James Xavier. Diana Van der Vlis and Harold J. Stone are solid behind Milland, while there's also a role for Mr. Potato Head himself Don Rickles. Based on the title, you can presume a few beats as to what will happen (man has x-ray vision, women appear... you can guess what occurs next - not that it 'shows' anything, mind). Still, there are also some quite good horror bits involved - the last scene with Stone's character and the final scene itself are rather awesome. For 63', the special effects look swell too. A very good flick, one that most definitely has strong rewatchability to it.