IMDb RATING
6.4/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
Shipwrecked survivors slowly transform into mushrooms.Shipwrecked survivors slowly transform into mushrooms.Shipwrecked survivors slowly transform into mushrooms.
Takuzô Kumagai
- Doctor
- (as Jirô Kumagai)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was nearly banned in Japan. The makeup some characters wore as they were turning into humanoid mushroom creatures was very similar to how many Japanese people looked after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- GoofsWhen Kasai shoots at Yoshida and Mami as he chases them off the boat, you can see the bullets ricochet off the ground before he even fires a shot.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits of the Japanese version are on animated sailboat sails.
- ConnectionsEdited into Gli ultimi giorni dell'umanità (2022)
Featured review
Purely because not all their contemporary monster movies could feature big mutated lizards (Godzilla), flying turtles (Gamera) or humongous moths (Mothra), the Japanese also made a monster movie with giant
mushrooms! Well, I say "the Japanese" but basically it's once again just the one and only legendary director Ishirô Honda who was responsible for yet another imaginative and extremely entertaining cult classic. Honda was an amazingly talented director and he single-handedly directed Japan's finest genre milestones. So
mushrooms! Yes I know this sounds incredibly idiotic and the international title "Attack of the Mushroom People" also strengthens the suspicion that we're dealing with a silly and light-headed B-movie, but this honestly is a very competent and admirably atmospheric tale of terror! Seven prominent citizens, including a university professor, a writer and a famous pop singer, turn their back on the stress of Tokyo for a holiday on a luxurious sailing yacht. There's a lot of flirting, laughing and "La La La La" singing on board, but then a massive thunderstorm turns their yacht into a heavily damaged piece of driftwood and the group washes ashore a mysterious fog-enshrouded island. With a food supply of barely one week, the group rapidly falls apart due to intrigues and selfishness, and what's the deal with those ominous mushrooms that grow all around the island? They also stumble upon a large and stranded research vessel that is overgrown with fungus and the same damn mushrooms! The survivors instinctively know they shouldn't eat them, but what else are they supposed to do when there's no more food? I consider myself very lucky and privileged because I was able to see the original Japanese-language version of "Matango" on a big cinema screen, during a little festival in my country with a focus on botanical- themed horror movies. Granted, the picture quality was quite creaky and the film was interrupted every 10 minutes due to technical reasons, but the charm and nostalgia value of an early '60s film on the big screen is irreplaceable! The concept of the film is one of the most original in horror cinema history, and director Honda maintains an unsettling atmosphere throughout. He achieves this thanks to subtle camera work, eerie sound effects & music, embittered character drawings and frightening monster designs and set pieces. Yes, the mushroom-monsters definitely DO look creepy and the large vessel is truly nightmarish!
- How long is Matango?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Attack of the Mushroom People
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content