The Manster (1962)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

An American reporter in Japan meets with an elusive Japanese scientist who has crazed (well he is kind of mad) theories about chemically changing evolution. Drugging the American, he invites him to vacation around Japan - but then weird things start happening - like GROWING AN EYE ON HIS SHOULDER! This scene was homaged in Army of Darkness. A crazy but fun little film, it's better than most of what is on the SyFy-less channel. The end has to be seen to be believed. Just amazing! and fun.

British producer/director George Breakston presents a campy Japanese horror flick that is unintentionally funny as well as a bit creepy. American reporter Larry Stanford (Peter Dyneley) is on assignment in Tokyo to interview a crazed scientist Dr. Suzuki (Tetsu Nakamura), who is experimenting with mutations. The doc is impressed with Stanford's manliness and decides to prepare him for an experiment and offers him a drink. The atmosphere to blame, the reporter feels a bit woozy before changing his total personality. He begins drinking heavily and easily becomes a womanizer; especially finding a fondness for Suzuki's assistant Tara (Terri Zimmern). After a binge of bad behavior, Stanford begins sprouting hair and another head on his shoulder. Black and white thriller of a hapless reporter battling himself; half-man, half-monster.Other players: Norman van Hawley, Jane Hylton, Jerry Ito and George Whyman.

This film surprised me - better than I ever expected it to be. Something about it reminds me a little bit of Jekyll & Hyde and to a lesser degree The Wolf Man... I can't place my finger on it but I think it was the chase scenes. The Manster may not be quite as good as the 2 films I mentioned but it's almost to the level of them - quite a good film.A mad scientist is interviewed about his amazing experiments. The scientist feels the reporter would make the perfect subject for his most diabolical of experiments which turns the reporter into a two-headed creature - a killer.This one is a little bit above average on the 1950's horror b-films - they really went all out for the film. As one reviewer said "This is a film waiting to be re-discovered".5/10

Over the years, there haven't been that many movie co-productions between Japan and The United States. "The Manster" gives some clues as to why that may be the case. As I said in my summary line, the movie isn't terrible. The Japan setting does add a little flavor, and occasionally there is some atmospheric direction. But for the most part, the movie comes across as routine. You will recognize elements like the mad scientist and his innocent victim from other movies you've seen before, enough that you'll be able to predict much of what will happen before it actually does. There are additional problems, like the villain disappearing for really long periods of time, a protagonist who isn't very likable, and the fact that very little is done with the idea of a monster with two heads. I will say it again: This is not a terrible movie, but I can only really recommend it for die hard fans of '50s horror movies and/or Japanese cinema.