Monster Movie Mayhem: ‘Matango’

By CONNOR KEATING
Tiger Media Network

Up next on the spooky October monster movie marathon, we’ve got one of my all-time favorite films – 1963’s, “Matango” directed by Ishiro Honda, (who is best known for directing the original “Godzilla”) and is loosely based on the short story “The Voice in The Night” written by William Hope Hodgson. “Matango” also goes by the name “Attack of The Mushroom People”, however, I feel this pulpy name is disingenuous to the film and might set certain expectations for those unaware of what exactly they’re getting themselves into when they hit “play”.

The film follows the crew of an expensive yacht, mostly made up of the rich and famous, but with a few working-class men hired to run the ship. However, things don’t go as planned and the yacht is severely damaged in a storm, destroying the sails. The boat is left adrift at sea, and as the characters slowly lose hope, they stumble across an island. They head for it and after some exploring find the island uninhabited. The only sign of other people ever being there is a wrecked science vessel of an undetermined country that seemed to be studying the effects of radiation, but now is left totally abandoned and covered in moss, mold, and fungus. The crew decides to set up base on the ship after thoroughly cleaning it and manage to get a vague idea of what had happened. They surmise it had something to do with the large mushrooms that grow in abundance on the island. As time goes on, tension begins to rise between the castaways as their food supplies dwindle and soon there’s only one option left…

  While “Matango” is certainly a monster movie, and there are mushroom people that attack, it does take a bit to get there. So I think it’s best to view the film as a survival movie, like “Cast Away” but way shorter. Most of the film is spent with these characters as they try to survive, but end up descending into madness and turning on each other. There’s Professor Murai, a psychologist and his student Akiko, Sakuta, the hired skipper whose expertise the others ignore, Koyama the greedy sailor, Yoshida the writer who’s absorbed in his work, Mami the self-centered singer, and Kasai the rich owner of the yacht. It’s a cast mostly made up of terrible people who you watch slowly go mad, but it’s done carefully enough that they aren’t unlikable right off the bat. 

I hate movies where the cast is almost entirely crappy people, but here it’s gradual enough, and some characters break down in interesting ways that make you feel sorry for them. The majority of the film is watching them all lose it and fight over things they used to take for granted like food. One of the characters sells some turtle eggs he found for a bunch of cash, which is useless on the island. The film as a whole is a big critique of society, wrapped up in an eerie story about an island of mushroom people, with a major emphasis on greed. Greed for food, greed for women, greed for power, and greed for money. The film’s themes are capped off at the end, where the only survivor of the crew is being held in a psych ward and laments about wishing he were back on the island with the woman he loved since he views Tokyo as no different from that island… And of course, since this is an early 60s monster movie, there’s mention of radiation as well. 

One of the aspects that really carries the film is the sheer atmosphere. Everything from the color palette and lighting to the set design and locations helps to give the film its very distinct and striking style. The film is mostly dark and dreary colors: greens, browns, and grays, but will occasionally throw in splashes of color, particularly in the mushroom-filled center of the island, the fungus-filled captain’s quarters of the ship, and the neon-lit city of Tokyo at night. The film does a fantastic job of making the island feel eerie. It’s almost always shrouded in either fog or rain and really sells the idea that this is an island that “even the birds seem to avoid”. 

The sets are also very impressive as well, with the ship being the standout. Even after the thick layer of mold and fungus is removed, the whole ship retains its creepy and dilapidated feel. The center of the island, which is only revealed at the very end, is quite memorable, being a mushroom-covered jungle filled with the disembodied laughter of children, it gives the whole thing a very trippy feel. The music and sound design is also fantastic. The film knows when to be totally silent, and when to add spooky music. All of these aspects come together to create a certain style that is distinctly “Matango.”

While the film does take its time, when it gets going, it goes. This leads to a pretty climactic finale with the Matango attacking the ship, and the last man standing is forced to head into the jungle to try to rescue his girlfriend. The Matango themselves are pretty memorable monsters and come in two flavors. The first are the more human-like ones, likely the former crew of the science ship. Their design is kinda meh, just being guys with a lot of lumps, but they do allow for some creepy body horror scenes that you wouldn’t expect out of a film from this time. The more iconic version of the Matango though is pretty impressive, being giant mushroom monsters, and there are interestingly multiple distinct suit designs used. It’s a very awesome design and perfectly encapsulates what a giant walking mushroom should look like. The design actually got the studio, Toho, in a bit of hot water because it resembles a mushroom cloud. Well, that’s kind of unavoidable… but very likely intentional knowing the director. 

“Matango” is one of my favorite films of all time. The characters are great, and played by Toho’s top actors who are at the top of their game. Its themes are explored well, and in an interesting way. The film has a very distinct style and atmosphere. Everything is then capped off with an epic climax with the Matango and ultimately concludes with a shocking twist in the psych ward. Is it a film for everyone? No. While it’s under 100 minutes, it’s a very slow film. If you’re expecting a full-on monster movie, then you’re likely to be disappointed. However, if you can appreciate old-school special effects, a slower pace, and like watching people go crazy, then I recommend checking this one out. I give “Matango” 10 “slowed down child laughing sound effects” out of 10.

Connor Keating is a junior at Fort Hays State University, studying digital media and journalism. Connor is an old-school movie fan, particularly Japanese monster movies, and is an avid DVD collector.