I got the DVD with the Japanese and English version. I've been wanting to see this for a years just because of the cheesy English title. Also because I learned that a certain stage mini-boss from the first NES Godzilla game had monsters from Matango, more or less.
Thankfully it was quite worth the wait. By no means does it have Night of the Living Dead's fame but it certainly could be a Japanese equivalent plot wise. Seven upper class people get stranded on an island. Only unlike Gilligan's Island food and supplies run out and they are in a dire situation. It's a drag that Ishiro couldn't get to do more sci-fi/horror films due to his kaiju films overshadowing his more preferred works but he has quite the exquisitely bleak atomsphere in this movie. The only weakness I really see in the movie is it seems the rifle had too much ammo, and I don't quite understand the last shot of the film. I'm sure if I did I would like it, just a tad confused.
And yes people do trip on mushrooms in this movie.
It's been on my "to see" list forever... :bluesad:
I want to see this as well, Ishiro Honda's films are the best!
I love Japanese monster movies! I got to look on ebay.
Ha, I just watched this a couple of days ago, and it is a great example of Japanese sc-fi. The set design is quite good, and while it took me awhile to get a handle on who all the characters were, the actors do a fine job. Plot wise it takes some time to get to the actual mushroom people, but by then you hardly notice as the plight of the passengers to survive is interesting enough. That rifle did have a lot of ammo though :lookingup: