ALL SCI-FI

[Casey62]

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MATANGO (Toho,1963), or ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE (U.S.title), is one of Japan's scariest, most unusual science-fiction thrillers. Directed by the great Ishiro Honda, it tells the story of seven shipwrecked people who come across a fungus infested island and ghost ship. Soon, unable to bear the lack of food, they succumb to eating the poisonous spores and slowly begin to deform into deadly, fungal monsters.

Kind of a Japanese take on INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956), MATANGO is different from most of Japan's sci-fi films in that it focuses more on the psychology of the characters than it does on fighting the menace on the island. This isn't saying MATANGO doesn't deliver its share of chills — it does — and the fact that the characters all come off as somewhat unstable only makes their situation even more dismal. The claustrophobic atmosphere also adds to the steadily increasing feeling of impending doom.

The real horror is ultimately found in everyone's inability to resist eating what they know will destroy their humanity.

The special effects are by the legendary Eiji Tsuburaya, best known for the Kaiju films featuring Godzilla and other giant monsters. MATANGO's Mushroom People aren't gigantic, but they're just as invincible. Hajime Koizumi's moody cinematography captures the slimy atmosphere of the rotting ship, as well as the steamy, fungal jungle of the island.

[Krel]

I haven't seen this movie since the 1960s, but I have read the story it is based on. Read the 1907 story, "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson here: http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/voicenig.htm

David.

[Custer]

Or if you want a scary audiobook, William Hope Hodgson's tale is one of the stories in a Librivox collection here, "Short Ghost and Horror Collection 005."

[Bud Brewster]

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Wouldn't you just love to see a poster with a monster carrying a girl, but instead of her being gorgeous and terrified, she's pug ugly, slightly overweight, and looking delighted to be in the arms of the monster, resting her head on his chest while she smile's blissfully.

Just a thought.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[alltare]

Is the movie available for download anywhere?

It sounds very much like Clifford Simak's short story "Drop Dead". You can download the pdf file at

http://www.librelib.com/download/21796

and you can download or listen online to the X Minus One radio play at

http://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/sci-fi/x-minus-one/drop-dead-1957-08-22

[Eadie]

[Bud Brewster]

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Eadie, I made a boo boo.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[scotpens]

Not exactly on topic, but more than once I've seen the title of this film misspelled as "Mantango."

"Man Tango" sounds like Jack Lemmon dancing with Joe E. Brown in Some Like It Hot.

[Krel]

[Krel]

[Bud Brewster]

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This picture quality of this trailer is pretty good, but since it's the Japanese version we don't get a dramatic announcer saying things like, "See a horrible monster molest beautiful women . . . and then eat them!"

Instead we have brief clips of dramatic moments while the characters speak Japanese, and subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen. However, Japanese writing does flash on the screen periodically, probably saying stuff like "Horror beyond belief!" — and — "A nightmare that never ends!"

Actually, the subtitles do translate the on-screen text blurbs, but they only say things like "Fear!" and "Mystery!" Frankly I like my suggestions better. But the last one is funny. It says, "Please look forward to Matango."

We only get a few glimpses of the mushroom people, and their heads appear to be somewhat larger than the one shown in the poster. I modified the poster to correct that error, along with the addition of a frightening face.





And I couldn't resist making a few changes to the young lady, too. She's bit fuller in front and bit less covered in the lower regions.




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_ Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People (1963)


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)