Matango:Attack of the Mushroom People poster & wallpaper
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Eisei Amamoto, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Kenji Sahara ... see more see more... , Yoshio Tsuchiya , Hiroshi Tachikawa , Mike Yashiro , Akio Kusama , Jiro Kumagai , Miki Yashiro , Yutaka Oka

This twisted, surreal monster story is related in flashback by an asylum inmate, who tells of his horrific experiences as one of several castaways on a mist-shrouded tropical island. While the crew af... read more read more...fect repairs to their yacht, the stranded passengers take refuge in a derelict ship overgrown with a strange variety of mushroom -- which seems to be the only available source of food on the island. When their own rations are depleted, they begin to develop an eerie, uncontrollable craving for the mushrooms, and for a time only the narrator and his girlfriend manage to resist the urge to chow down as well. As expected, everyone who partakes of the fungus begins to transform into a giant, lumbering mushroom-monster, and eventually even the two holdouts find themselves tucking in to the tempting toadstools. Naturally, the narrator's tale is pooh-poohed as the ravings of a madman, until he suddenly begins to develop a severe complexion problem... This is something of a wacky diversion for the Godzilla gang (director Inoshiro Honda, monster-maker Eiji Tsuburaya and others), and is available under a wide assortment of titles, including Matango, Curse of the Mushroom People, and Fungus of Terror. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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67% liked it

1,399 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 10 min.

Directed by: Ishirô Honda

Release Date: August 11, 1963

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DVD Release Date: March 15, 2005

Stats: 123 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (123)

  • DragonEyeMorrison
    August 4, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Downbeat, pesimistic film with a nice sense of dramatic tension and social paranoia.
  • ceWEBrity
    March 8, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    I was really surprised to discover that, instead of being a campy old Japanese beastie movie like I expected, it's...well, it's still a campy old Japanese beastie movie. But there are undeniable traces of insight, originality, and plain ol' loveliness to it. Matango is astonishin... read moregly bleak, not at all the escapist fun that I would have expected from the English title, especially toward the ending. The soundtrack is mostly an aping of American creature horrors of the time, but it does them one better, managing to achieve a creeping unease. It looks fantastic too, not at all cheap like most of Japan's attempts at blockbuster cinema. Foggy, swampy and landlocked, this island of murderous mushrooms has an odd personality of its own that makes it surprisingly captivating. I can't say I was ever truly scared by Matango, but I did think to myself several times "this is actually creepy" and I empathized unironically with the characters.

    The movie's strengths are sort of avalanched by its oddities; some of the human behavior is totally inexplicable, the premise at a base level is ridiculous, and the gun never seems to run out of ammunition despite being shot well over 100 times. Though well-drawn, the characters are generally unsubtle. It's also rather misogynist, with all of its action driven by the male characters while the females stand back and scream, but this is more an issue of the era and culture than the movie itself. Matango could easily be pinned to a wall and lambasted by any moviegoer looking for a cheap shot, but those willing to look at it in an appreciative way might find something worth championing here.
  • bbcfloridabound
    March 11, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    Some How I expected more from Toho Films, other Sci Fi pictures they put out just seem to have the excellent plastic model effects when it came to tanks and jets, but this one had none of these, just people washing up on a island after their yacht goes a stray, and they find ano... read morether deserted ship, with mushrooms growing wild onboard, and on the island, they all figure out if you eat the mushrooms you will turn into a mushroom, I ate some mushrooms in Puerto Rico one time and thought I was a mushroom for about 10 hrs, anyway most of the crew falls into the trap of eating the mushrooms. I am told that this film was banned in Japan when it first came out because it reminded people of the atom bomb victims. Not at all a good B&W sci fi film but I will give it 3 stars and add it to my collection of Toho Films.
  • Beefy
    September 24, 2006
    Beefy
    A total trip. No surprises, but good creepy fun in a 60s vein. No giant monsters, despite being a Toho flick.
  • lesleyanorton
    June 29, 2010
    lesleyanorton
    Scary mushrooms threaten a group of people stranded on a desert island. An unsettling parable about survival and your friends turning to the dark (fungus-eating) side. You know it will all end badly.

  • cacutshaw
    February 6, 2007
    cacutshaw
    Awesome film by Ishiro Honda. Genuinely creepy with a great story and excellent characters. I love the whole stranded on an island concept and Honda takes full advantage of this excellent setting.
  • mikeboas
    January 1, 2010
    mikeboas
    While the photography and effects in this horror story are wonderful, the story is a bit limp. The set-up is fine: after a yacht is shipwrecked, the passengers and crew fight amongst themselves when food becomes scarce. The story's main thrust is about class struggle magnified ... read moreunder such pressure, but I was more interested in the mushroom plot. Unfortunately, the mystery and sci-fi elements are never tackled head-on. We're left with vague assumptions about what's really going on with the Mushroom People.

    Still, worth watching for some good performances and creepy scenes. And the Mushroom People, of course.
  • gavinrrsmith
    November 10, 2007
    gavinrrsmith
    When examined closely, mushrooms are truly unsettling creatures. Therefore, it is odd that so few horror films have tried to explore the subject of deadly fungi. This is one such film. When a group of high society friends find their yacht wrecked on a strange, uninhabitated islan... read mored. Taking refuge in a derelict ship they discover a log explaining that the crew of the strange vessel went mad from consuming the giant mushrooms, called Matango, that grow all over the island. Unfortunately, when hunger and fear begins to get the better of the castaways, those mushrooms soon become irresistable. The horror of this film plays on rather the opposite fears usually played upon in monster films. This is not a film where the terror comes from the monster wanting to eat you, but rather from you eating the monster! Famed director Ishiro Honda is at the top of his game here--the film is a slow build to madness and when that madness hits, it hits hard. The make-up effects are inspired and the cast is great--particularly the always alluring Kumi Mizuno as the group's femme fatale. If you enjoy creepy, surreal horror then you ought to love this film.
  • darkdial
    March 26, 2007
    darkdial
    There's nothing else out there quite like this. Original and truly leaves you in disbelief as to what you just witnessed.
  • mpghoul1973
    January 31, 2007
    mpghoul1973
    Great sets and a ORIGINAL story thats at times scary, drives this great Japanese horror classic. Such a weird film. i love it.

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Critic Reviews

Ian Berriman
April 20, 2010
Ian Berriman, SFX Magazine

A surprisingly downbeat example of Japanese horror, with an extremely cynical view of human nature. Full Review

Ken Hanke
November 26, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Strange Japanese sci-fi film that seems to evoke the effects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

January 1, 2000
Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Fr. Chris Carpenter
November 4, 2004
Fr. Chris Carpenter, Catholic Sun

No review available.

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