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

Dare To Look Into The Eyes Of Madness! Fantastic tale of heart-pounding suspense, this harrowing and terrifying sci-fi shocker will fascinate horror film fans. Starring Ray Milland (The Premature Burial), it charts the startling transformation of a doctor so blinded by ambition that he dares to glimpse eternity! When the brilliant Dr. Xavier (Milland) concocts a serum to improve human sight, he stumbles upon a formula for x-ray vision. Inspired by its awesome medical potential, but shunned by his short-sighted colleagues, the doctor tests the potion on himself, only to discover that his ability to see through walls, clothing and flesh is slowly eclipsed by and insatiable desire to look still further - even if it means seeing more than any mortal can bear! Featuring wonderful direction by the great Roger Corman (Tales of Terror) and a strong supporting cast that includes Harold J. Stone (The Wrong Man), John Hoyt (Blackboard Jungle) and comedy legend Don Rickles (Run Silent, Run Deep).

\Special Features: Terror Vision! Legenday Director Joe Dante on X, Audio Commentary with Roger Corman , Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas, Rare Prologue, Trailers From Hell with Mick Garris, Original Theatrical Trailer
One of the reasons that "X - The Man With the X-Ray Eyes" looks half-way decent in Ray Milland's film career is that when he started his spectacular drop from winning the Oscar for his performance in 1945's "The Lost Weekend" he was still almost a decade away from making "The Thing With Two Heads." I always figured this 1963 film from director Roger Corman was inspired by the infamous add for X-Ray specs that appeared inside the front cover of virtually every comic book produced when I was a kid. However, the screen play is credited to Robert Dillon ("Muscle Beach Party," "French Connection II") and Ray Russell ("Mr. Sardonicus"), based on a story by Russell. The plot is as simple as the ad: Dr. James Xavier (Milland), is a world famous scientist who is experimenting with human eyesight and develops a serum that will allow him to see fun things like ultraviolent rays and (gasp!) through objects. Of course, this is one of those things that seems like a good idea at the time...
The film is really much more of a science fiction film than it is the traditional sort of horror film you expect from Corman, who has a script that suits his ability to bring out the weirdness in situations. The film has remarkably little to do with voyeurism and actually more to do with the nature of reality. It is ultimately a psychological drama, because as Xavier sees human beings reduced to their skeletons, he becomes incapable of dealing with them on a personal level.
In terms of movies where the mad scientist goes off the deep end with a god complex, this one makes the main character the victim of his own experiments (contrast this with Claude Reins in "The Invisible Man"). After accidentally killing a colleague, Xavier hides out in a carnival sideshow where he works as a faith healer. Clearly his x-ray vision functions as a metaphor for the ability to have insight into the sad side of life, but, ironically, Xavier cannot see where his own life is heading. His "visions" become increasingly worse until a fateful meeting with an evangelist at a revival meeting in the desert.
Although not a traditional horror or monster movie, "X - The Man With the X-Ray Eyes" has a sense of bleakness that becomes rather overwhelming by the end. As always, Corman is working with a limited budget, and while this does not affect his direction, it does limit the film's effectiveness because the special effects (i.e., optical tricks) can barefly suggest the depths of Xavier's "visions." However, if you get into the spirit of things you can let your imagination carry the load. Considered by many to be Corman's masterpiece, it remains a most atypical Corman film, which makes a kind of sense. Certainly, this has the most unforgettable ending of a Corman film.