Horrors of Malformed Men

Teruo Ishii's long-banned 'Horrors of Malformed Men' (1969) is a genuinely nightmarish piece of Japanese horror cinema. Both highly disciplined and extremely excessive, its plot elements include deceitfully-assumed identities, doppelgangers, family secrets, murder, revenge, unrequited love, adultery, kidnapping, incest, bestiality, dismemberment, torture, cannibalism, human beings purposefully deformed through radical surgery, and almost every other known perversion.The film's 'mad doctor,' Jogoro Komoda (Tatsumi Hijikata in a wonderfully bizarre film-stealing performance), who kidnaps and deforms innocent men and women so as to surround himself with literal reflections his own emotional scars and psychosis, is the maddest mad doctor in the long history of world cinema. Compared to Komoda, H.G. Wells' Dr. Moreau, as depicted in both the original novel and by Charles Laughton in the 'Island of Lost Souls film' adaptation of 1933, is a paragon of virtue, benevolence, and rationality.Komodo joins the very upper ranks of nefarious screen villains, such as Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury) in John Frankenheimer's 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962) and Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) in David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet' (1986).The first half of 'Horrors of Malformed Men' is a conservatively-produced drama concerned with the mysteries of identity and memory: Hirosuke Hitomi (Teruo Yoshida) awakens in an insane asylum, suffering from amnesia and surrounded by rioting female inmates. Escaping, Hirosuke discovers that a prominent citizen, who resembles him exactly, has just been murdered. Cautiously making his way to the dead man's family compound on a remote portion of the Japanese coast, Hirosuke begins to unravel the mysteries of his existence, which he learns are closely tied to a weird, isolated island barely visible from the shore.From the moment Hirosuke and his entourage set foot on the island, 'Horrors of Malformed Men' shifts into high surreal gear and never stops building momentum for a single frame.Ishii is an extremely perceptive, sensitive, and talented director: despite its shocking carnage, spiritual squalor, and decadence, 'Horrors of Malformed Men,' which was originally intended for general audiences, is also a physically beautiful and emotionally moving film: the climax is so deftly handled that viewers may come to sympathize, however briefly, with Komoda and the passions which has driven him to create an obscene Garden of Eden on Earth, with himself as both Father Creator and Serpent.Despite the surgically-grafted horrors writhing through the second half of the film, one of the most powerfully repulsive scenes involves not the torments of the physically maimed, but a starving captive woman who voraciously eats handfuls of live crabs off the corpse of her lover (whose flesh has, in turn, just been devoured by the crustaceans).That said, some--but only some--of the film's 'special effects' and 'monsters' are ludicrous as only monsters of 1960s Japanese cinema can be, and are seemingly intended to appear so: one 'monster,' for example, appears to be nothing more than a male actor amateurishly covered in standard-issue white marshmallows. Which will serve to remind viewers that earlier in his career, Ishii had directed the 'Super Giant' children's science fiction series, later compiled and released in the United States as 'Atomic Rulers of the World,' 'Invaders from Space,' and 'Attack from Space' in 1964.However, viewers looking for far more traditional monster, horror, and suspense fair such as 'Mystery of the Wax Museum' (1933), 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon' (1954), 'Village of the Damned' (1960), 'Halloween' (1978), 'Aliens' (1986), or 'Sleepy Hollow' (1999) should probably avoid 'Horrors of Malformed Men,' which they are likely to find obscure, 'arty,' and unnecessarily complicated.'Horrors of Malformed Men' is an important but disturbing work of fantastic art in the centuries-long tradition of the visionary and the grotesque, which, in cinematic terms, also includes 'Freaks' (1932), 'Eyes Without A Face' (1959), 'The Birds' (1963), 'El Topo' (1970), 'Profondo Rosso' (1975), 'Blue Velvet,' 'The Devil's Backbone' (2001), and 'Donnie Darko' (2001).

This movie was like Watching a Live action Play, and the sets and Costumes fit that simple theme.A lot of disjointed Scenes that Don’t Flow in a Cohesive Connection. The Chalky White Wash that was supposed to be the Deformities on the Malformed people cheapened the Scenes Even More. I purchased this Movie because of all the Great Reviews, and probably will Never watch it Again.I Love the Old Asian Films, but this is Not one of them.

I, too, feel something may have been "lost in translation" with this one. Not literally, but, culturally and without a contemporary context. I mean, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I am incredibly grateful to finally get to see this film and in such great condition AND with a bunch of extras. However, I found myself losing patience and/or just not relating to the hand-wringing morality and significance of a large part of this. I WILL say, though, that once they arrive on the island, it was almost like a nightmarish, adult version of WILLY WONKA, with wide-eyed, agape visitors being led through this sort of amusement park/monument of atrocities by a gleeful loonie who thinks it's all WONDERFUL. I also felt that the emotional overreacting was mostly reserved for the more "mundane" tragedies and once these characters are face-to-face with truly awful things they just walk around and take it all in for the most part. AND then there's the dreaded one-character-explains-it-all-for-you in the final act. I guess I wish the whole thing had been pitched "higher" throughout- consistently nightmarish and devoid of logic. This wouldn't have harmed the film, I think. All this aside, though, it's unlike any movie you'll ever see, and most of the visuals are absolutely mindblowing in a "did he just...?" way. And, amid all the performance artist gyrations, there are moments of truly awesome acting. Great use of sounds as well. And I love how the contemporary directors/fans have no problem describing their enjoyment of the film as laughing out loud at the absurdity of much of it. THAT I could TOTALLY relate to.

DEMENTED, DERANGED, DISTURBED, DELIGHTFUL - THIS IS TERUO ISHII, NOT AKIRA KUROSAWA - YOU EITHER GET IT OR YOU DON`T. AND I`M SO SORRY YOU GUYS EXPECTING RAMPANT NUDITY WERE DISAPPOINTED - THAT`S WHAT PORN`S FOR... THIS IS ASIAN CULT CINEMA, NOT PINKY VIOLENCE OR ROMANPORNO, AND IF YOU DON`T KNOW WHAT THESE TERMS MEAN, YOU SHOULD PULL YOUR PANTS BACK UP AND FIND OUT... TERUO ISHII AND KINJI FUKASAKU RULE FOREVER!

Absolutely brilliant in the way that only Japanese horror films from the 1960s to 1980s can be. Although it is said to be based on the Island of Dr. Moreau there is only minimal overlap. A must see picture for fans of Japanese horror from this period!

This is super boring and not very shocking at all. Sex? None. Sure there is nudity, but it's all like a few Japanese folk singers ate some pot brownies and decided to take up residence in a costume shop for a while. A few topless chicks and lots and lots of meandering scenes. The malformed men are just people covered in flour or what seems to be birthday cake! I want my money back. Trust me. You don't want this. I enjoy weird, but this did not do it for me. Rampo and Tsukamoto make weird Japanese stuff. Try other stuff by either of these two. Ishii missed the mark with this one.

You will either love it for its bizarre nature or hate it for its slow @$$ pacing. I liked it, a lot.

Words cannot describe. This movie was a film.

Firstly, no synopsis could convey this 99 minute festival of flamboyance. So let us simply approach with caution and declare it is a cult film, a psychotronic midnight movie. The film is peppered with humour, some of it distinctly asian, some of it broadly speaking black humour. The veering plotlines suggest much of the Rampo style upon which this was based, in that logical deduction and an almost Conan Doyle-Poe approach to a mystery is taken. There are times when it is clear these Rampo detection meanderings are almost absurd...which is where the film might suddenly diverge into an art film and annoy a great many people. The visual representation of narrative becomes ever more potent & discursive, the people employed to play a great many characters are in fact circus folk and so it all becomes a 'performance'.The nearest i could say this visually and narratively seemed to be similar to were the films of both Moctezuma, particularly Mansion of Madness, and occasional bursts of Jodorowsky, El Topo or Holy Mountain perhaps. And yet, because of the melange of Rampo stories deployed, rather than one coherent narrative, we have a flair, a firework display of images against what could easily have been a mystery plot made by Roger Corman in his Poe cycle. This extends as far in similarity in as much as the crashing waves, the coastal shots & the grotesque horrors played out against the natural beauty. Also of distinct flavour is the psychological spiralling that occurs to many characters. Every one in this film is in some way either starting with questionable sanity or is clearly going to come out of the whole circus of horrors with shreds of dignity and mind, a world in tatters. Imagine Island of Dr Moreau taken to extremes with the perverse logical linear ideas of madman played out in almost theatrical style.So, a cultic-psychotronic flick that bares similarities to a few equally barmy mexican midnight movie-makers, shot through with comic-tragic overtones, played with vigour by a circus troupe ensemble. Sounds messy?...surprisingly not. What did come across, especially after the hilariously audacious closing act, was how much control must have occurred not to have let this film run away from the director. It could have been a mad film about madness. As it stands it is quite simply unique, audacious, grotesque, funny & most importantly damn right weird. If these sensations appeal, if the idea of depraved minds losing their tether in a mad murder mystery floats your boat, this will definitely entertain. And that is the key here, regardless of content and the tendency to hysterical acting or lunatic narrative...this will entertain and like the better cult flicks, will outlive a great many superior, greater budgeted pieces of low-imagination. Recommended with or without literary hallucinogens.

Nothing complicated, just as described and expected in new and perfect condition at a good price. Well Done!

Gotta say I love this movie. Whilst it could be said the film makes no sense, it's actually a collection of stories by Edogawa Rampo which the director has tried to hold together. If somewhat unsuccesful it does make for amusing viewing as the story shifts abruptly to varying degrees of strangeness.The filmin banned in Japan due to its depiction, supposedly, of the mentally ill. However, as the story is so wierd anyway, these concerns become somewhat redundant....just who is disturbed in this movie?The Synapse Films dvd has an exceptionally good quality print - it looks gorgeous with bright clean pictures and sound. There's a short but informative 8-page bookelt, filmed interviews with other respected directors, and a film of its 2003 italian persentation. A commentary by film critic Mark Schilling is also included, though the sound quality of this somewhat echoey.Well worth purchasing.

Sehr schnelle Lieferung in sicherer Verpackung, Artikel wie neu. Prima!

Insane, creative visuals with a lot strange doppelganger detective story!