Some friends out for a good time on a yacht get caught in a storm. They come to a mysterious island and find an abandoned ship with food. Things take a turn after people eat the strange mushrooms and transform into hideous creatures.People have been getting stranded on deserted islands in the movies and on TV for decades. Before the hit series LOST, we had that cult sitcom GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, but even it wasn't the first. It's a scenario we've seen in literature, from epics like ROBINSON CRUSOE to short stories like THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT, which is the basis for MATANGO.
After a number of monster movies like the first GODZILLA, director Ishiro Honda and the Toho Company would make something a little different. The single setting, emphasis on character and slower build all made this a real departure. In fact, many people would likely find the film none too exciting. However, if weird cult films, from Japan or elsewhere, are your thing then don't hesitate to see it. Now 50 years old, the film really holds up and is a supremely creepy experience.
Honda puts on a great show as director here. His use of color, POV shots and shadow bring the story to life. He also does well with his actors, all of which make his or her character standout from the others. You actually feel bad for the innocents and abhor the bad guys. The score by Sadao Bekku is nice and eerie and has a dreamlike quality. It really enhances the atmosphere of the film, which is gloomy and claustrophobic at times.
Aside from the beautiful scenery, there's also some amazing production design. The interior of the shipwreck is very detailed and spooky. Then there's the part of the forest where the mushrooms grow, all of which look real instead of like some cheap arts and crafts project. The effects are also beautifully executed, particularly the mushroom people themselves. It's cool that instead of simply looking like large mushrooms, they're all lumpy and distorted looking. The fact that they don't make any noise only adds to their menace.
So many horror films today show too much and don't keep us in suspense. MATANGO comes from a time when filmmakers knew that the opposite was the way to go. We're kept waiting for things to go downhill and when they finally do, we get a few good shocks. The mushroom people just pop up from out of nowhere and waste no time in closing in on victims. It's also nice that we don't really get to see what they do to people once they get a hold of them. Makes one imagine all kinds of awful things to happen next.
For a film made half a century ago, this one holds up amazingly well. However, there are a couple instances where the age shows. It's pretty obvious that the yacht is in front of a projection screen in the early scenes. And then there's the glowing floating orbs, which look like light bulbs superimposed on the screen. The other major issue is the lack of monster action. Once they show up, we don't see them get to do too much.
If made today, MATANGO would likely be done tongue in cheek. Nothing wrong with that per se, but thisworks well as a straight horror film. Sure the concept is silly, but the people involved made it work. It also has more depth than one would expect from this kind of film. This is great however because it allows us to get more involved. And let it be a lesson to all of you who think about eating those wild mushrooms and berries when lost in the woods.
8/10
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