Matango! Attack of the Mushroom People (1963)

[Chopper]

so i finally scored a copy of this from netflix, overall it was pretty fun and had some decent effects.

a group of people get stranded on an island infested by nasty mushrooms that turn people into (you guessed it) that go around spreading the horrible mushroom disease. this is a 60's Japanese horror sci-fi film laced with a little political commentary and philosophy. i also couldn't help but wander if it was sort of a commentary on the rising drug culture in the world. had some decent atmosphere to it also.



Post Edited (05-15-05 08:11)

[Brother Ragnarok]

Picked this one up on the day it hit domestic DVD, as I'd been wanting to see it for a long time.  It was different than I'd expected (I thought there would be more of the giant mushroom monsters), but I wasn't disappointed.  Very cool little flick.

[Dunners]

what? No giant mushrooms eating unlucky  people? how is this a japanese movie!?:P

[Scott]

Ah, you beat me to it Chopper. : ) I'm getting both THE MYSTERIANS and ATTACK FROM THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE they should arrive either Thursday or Friday from Netflix.



Post Edited (05-09-05 22:07)

[onionhead]

IronWolf over at Scifilm.org did a great revew on this one a few weeks ago.  I had forgotten about it, but now it's on my Must See list.

[Chopper]

haha, right on, let us know your intergalactic opinion of the Mushroom People Scott :)

[Chopper]

gosh i haven't been over to that site in ages, it sure is a great one too. thanks for the heads up Onionhead.

[peter johnson]

This movie is based on a short novella by a British fantasy author from the 1920's/30's, whose name I forget . . . Arthur Machen?
Anyway, it's in a few short-story collections from the period -- damn!  I wish I could remember his name!!
peter johnson/denny crane

[Chris K.]

...William Hope Hodgeson and the short story was called "The Voice in the Night." It was a very good short story too, as I can recall.

[onionhead]

Ah, Machen--The White People, The Inmost Light, The Great God Pan.
The White People is regarded by many to be one of the best horror stories ever written.
Highly recommended.

[Scott]

Wow, just saw MATANGO ! ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE. Very good film and I really enjoyed it. The color in the opening scenes on the ship, the arrival on the island, and then you have the mushrooms. The DVD is also great as it has commentary and interviews with the people involved. Check it out. I think everyone here will enjoy this film.

[Dr. Kobb]

A beloved movie here!  The whole thing just dripping with atmosphere!
I first saw "Attack of the Mushroom People" way back around `80, as a kid still in high school.  Several of us were sitting around, stoned, looking for something on in the wee hours after Night Flight had ended.  "Attack of the Mushroom People" came on, and we were prepared to rip into it.  We wound up watching in stunned silence, eating up every minute of this terrific film!

I was thrilled to pick up a print years later and see it again.  Enjoyed it every bit as much as the first time, so many years ago.

[Chopper]

isn't it a great experience when you discover a beloved b-movie of your childhood Dr. Kobb. bless the dvd for bringing back all our favorite old and wierd films! :D

[Dr. Kobb]

Indeed, Chopper!  I get a kick out of thinking up these old movies that I saw as a kid(or teen) and hunting them down.  MOST of the time, it's terrific seeing them again after so long.  Another favorite here that I sought out was "Maneater of Hydra" with Cameron Mitchell.  It was such a joy seeing that again, and loving it every bit as much as back when I used to catch it on an afternoon horror show as a kid.  Another great blast from the past was finally watching the TV-movie "Horror At 37,000 ft." after some twenty or so years.  Yet another was, "Terror of the Tongs".
 SOME movies, though, I finally get to see again and wonder, "What the heck was I thinking?!?".  Fer instance, "The Voyage of the Yes".  For some reason, I loved it as a kid.  Hokey, dumb movie, tho'.

[Texdar]

This movie is available to watch at Movieflix.com.  It's only $6.95 a month for the site and they have tons of B-Movies. They have a lot of free black and white movies to watch too.   I've already watched Asylum and Long Weekend.  Just found Matango! today, so will watch it tonight.

The quality of the movies is from "fair" to "not so good" but it does give it a "drive-in" feel when watching.