X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

Synopsis: Ray Milland stars in this visionary sci-fi film as Xavier, a doctor who gains the power to see through solid objects; first it's women's dresses at a party, then people's bodily organs, and,... Ray Milland stars in this visionary sci-fi film as Xavier, a doctor who gains the power to see through solid objects; first it's women's dresses at a party, then people's bodily organs, and, eventually, God looking back at him from the center of the universe. Attractive Dr. Diane Fairfax (Diana Van Der Vlis) is Xavier's love interest, though he can't stop seeing through things long enough to notice her--he can't even sleep since he can see through his own eyelids. When he accidentally kills a fellow doctor, Xavier winds up at a carnival sideshow where he performs fortune-telling and faith healing for a sleazy barker (Don Rickles). Later he and Diane head to Vegas, where his see-through card abilities parlay into a small fortune, but then he's on the run again, going progressively more insane as the visions get too much to bear. An insightful script, a moody Les Baxter score, and Milland's tortured performance amply compensate for the film's low budget, and there's a twisted shock ending. It's considered an intellectual peak in B-movie maestro Roger Corman's vast canon, with cheap but engaging "X-ray" optical effects that anticipate his later psychedelic freak-out THE TRIP. [More]

Starring: Ray Milland, Diana Van Der Vlis, John Hoyt, Don Rickles

Starring: Ray Milland, Diana Van Der Vlis, John Hoyt, Don Rickles

Director: Roger Corman

Director: Roger Corman

[See More Credits]