Horrors of Malformed Men (1969) User Reviews (30)

Bizarre attempt to mix horror with Butoh dance

[ChungMo · 6/10 · 21 September 2007]

Postwar Japan gave birth to probably one of the most consistently weird dance forms, Butoh. It rather hard to describe except that the processions of anguished clay caked naked bodies and rag covered transvestites makes me think of a nuclear holocaust. Since Japan is the only country with any experience with the horrors of a nuclear holocaust, it isn't surprising.

We open with a dazed man in the middle of a cage of naked crazy women in a mental institution. We soon learn that he's an inmate as well. He is haunted by an odd children's lullaby. That night a strange bald man tries to kill him but instead our hero kills the bald man and escapes. Our hero hears the unusual lullaby and finds a circus performer who seems to come from the same remote place on the coast. He makes his way to the coast and finds out that a rich man who looks exactly like him has just died. He digs up the body and switches clothing becoming the dead man mistakenly buried too soon. Our hero then attempts to discover the strange secrets of the dead man's family while trying to imitate the deceased.

After watching this production I am very interested in why this film has been banned in Japan for so long. There are plenty of films that are WAY MORE DISTURBING, disgusting or horrifying from Japan, some made the same year! The most likely part is the second half of the film when the Butoh dancers are given plenty of screen time but much of it is mystifying to me rather then disturbing. The couple of torture scenes are rough but not worse then anything I've seen from any pinku film.

Anyway the film is quite good for the first half and starts to fall apart during the second half. It seems the the director and his camera person really didn't know what to do with the Butoh dancers. We get a number of very striking Butoh scenarios, poorly filmed (compared to the excellent filming in the rest of the film), that go by with the main characters just gazing on in disbelief. No real connection to the plot.

An interesting experiment.

One of the most popular movie by Director Teruo Ishii

[ebiros2 · 5/10 · 30 October 2012]

The movie directed by Teruo Ishii was part of series of very radical erotic violence movies that he directed for Toei studio in the late '60s and early '70s.

The story is an edit on many novels written by Edogawa Ranpo (who got his name from Edgar Alan Poe), but gathered fans and has become a popular story since it was made. Kogoro Akechi is the main protagonist that appears in many of Ranpo's novels.

Kogoro Akechi has somewhat become like the Sherlock Homes of Japan. Becoming the focus of many mystery drama with even new stories invented like this one long after the death of his creator.

This is a pretty interesting story, and no wonder it still garners fan base. It's an improbably story, but it carries the essence of Ranpo's novel that contains strange and unusual situation, and characters. Actors, and acting are first rate, and has the over the top craziness that director Ishii is known for, that makes this movie worth watching.

It's not a mainstream movie by any means, but is an interesting movie from the '60s Japan.

A Doctor Moreau... that's Japanese.

[Elvoid · 8 September 2004]

It's funny that Ishii says he was not familiar with the Moreau storyline because this flick looks so much like a crazy adaptation for it. Not an intense feature but one that will serve you very memorable freaky and somewhat psychedelic moments that, out of the wild context, will remind you of all the Japanese contemporary horror everyone yells for (think Ring, Dark Water as much as video games like Siren and Project Zero...). Very poorly written plot, but who cares when they're served such crazy visions and a final I would place in my top 10 of mindblowing movie endings - but that's just me... That's a very hard to see movie, and well worth seeing if you get the chance.

The real shock is the lack of shocks

[fertilecelluloid · 6/10 · 1 July 2008]

I like a malformed man as much as the next guy... No, strike that, I like malformed men more than most guys, so I was eager to see this infamous flick after reading about it for years. Now that I've seen it, I can return to my usual state of mind, which is probably just a stone's throw away from where this film came from. Like some of its characters, the film itself is malformed and untidy. There is an extremely convoluted plot about a man pretending to be someone else, and so many loose ends a detective is required to turn up at the climax to explain what the hell is going on. In a deformed nutshell, the film is about a wacko, who looks a little like Jesus, who has isolated himself on a island in order to create a society of freaks. Somehow, his doing this enables him to "get back" at the "normal" people who have ridiculed him. His motivations don't make a lot of sense, but since he's a nut, they don't have to. The wacko takes well formed people and turned them into malformed people. For example, he creates his own male/female Siamese twins by fusing their asses together. The special make-up effects are mildly grotesque, never achieving any level of realism. It is most unfortunate and sad that Ishii didn't take the Todd Browning approach and use real freaks of nature. Perhaps the real freaks were busy working in Sideshow Alley or performing in traveling circuses; however you look at it, it's a missed opportunity of epic proportions. Although the film most closely resembles "Island of Lost Souls", it is too sloppy and too silly to be considered a Japanese equivalent to that masterpiece. Once again, I find myself liking Ishii the filmmaker more than Ishii's film. His sensibility is original and interesting, and his love of the macabre and sexually grotesque is to be be admired. This is certainly worth seeing, but be prepared for a lot of awkwardness and a very slow pace. And don't come expecting too many shocks because the real shock here is the lack of shocks.

Hard to describe. Difficult to forget.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 5 December 2007]

The mere fact that it was banned in Japan was enough to make me want to seek out Horrors of Malformed Men. After all, it was made in the country that gave the world the Guinea Pig movies, pinku eiga, bukkake, hentai, and umpteen other acts of perversion that I don't even know the name for. If this film was considered unsuitable for viewing by its own people, what deviant treats could it possibly hold?

Well, not much really. Whilst there is plenty of nudity, a touch of blood, and a smattering of sex (non-explicit), there is nothing that could be really be described as particularly 'shocking', particularly by today's standards. My guess is that the film's central theme of physical deformity and dis-figuration touched a very sensitive nerve in a country that was still suffering from the effects of a nuclear attack, which resulted in its suppression.

Still, even without any extreme depravity on display, director Teruo Ishii's trippy flick is worth a watch if bizarre cinema is your cup of tea. Dreamlike, creepy and just downright weird, Horrors of Malformed Men contains plenty of startling imagery and a crazy narrative that is difficult to describe. But I'll give it a go...

Hirosuke (Teruo Yoshida) , a medical student with almost no recollection of his past, is trapped in an asylum, despite being perfectly sane. After escaping from the loony bin, and being framed for the murder of a circus girl, he spots the photo of a recently deceased man, Genzaburo Komoda, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance. By pretending to have been resurrected, Hirosuke assumes the dead man's identity, fooling everyone, including Komoda's widow and mistress (both of whom he gets jiggy with).

Whilst at the Komoda household, Hirosuke recalls memories that convince him to travel to a nearby island, home of Jogoro, the web-fingered father of Genzaburo (who we first see making awkward movements amongst some rocks, and then performing a freakishly slow walk towards the camera, which eerily reminded me of Sadako from Ringu).

Whilst on the island, Hirosuke not only discovers Jogoro's plans to build his 'ideal community' (by transforming perfectly normal humans into hideous freaks), but also the awful truth behind his own identity.

Throw in a pair of Siamese twins (consisting of both sexes), some gold-painted dancers performing a hilarious routine, a perverted transvestite who plots with Genzaburo's mistress to inherit the Komoda fortune, an undercover detective, a woman who is forced to eat crabs off the rotting body of her lover, some accidental incest, and a finalé featuring a firework display that scatters body parts through the air, and you have one hell of a strange film.

6.5, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

A murder mystery thriller that turns ino a supernatural horror film

[kluseba · 7/10 · 22 September 2020]

Horrors of Malformed Men is a quite experimental movie by veteran director Ishii Teruo that has been inspired by the tales of famous mystery and horror author Edogawa Rampo who had himself been inspired by Western authors such as Edgar Allan Poe. This experimental movie at the pulse of its time combines several of these tales. The main issue is that this fusion isn't always fluid and leads to two completely contrasting parts.

The first half of the movie is a murder mystery tale. A medical student without any recollection of his past is trapped in a sinister asylum. He manages to escape when one of the guards attempts to murder him. The fugitive discovers the photograph of a recently deceased man from a prosperous family who looks exactly like him. The medical student decides to take the dead man's identity to find out the truth about his origins and escape from the police.

The second half of the movie is a supernatural horror tale. The medical student travels to the island of a mad scientist who transforms perfectly normal humans into hideous freaks to create a better society. He gets captured, manipulated and threatened by the scientist and attempts to escape the island and prevent the scientist's megalomanic plans.

It's probably a matter of prefence whether you prefer the first or the second half of the movie but they are so different from each other that few people will equally appreciate both parts. The first half is atmospheric, mysterious and surprising as it convinces with clever storytelling and intriguing characters. It recalls numerous European murder mystery films as especially the German Edgar Wallace films and the Italian giallo genre come to mind. The second half is much more brutal, experimental and frantic and ventures into experimental cinematography with hectic camera work, numerous flashbacks and colourful locations. It's a mixture of Japan's very own pink film genre of the sixties and American pre-war science-fiction and horror cinema somewhere between King Kong and Island of Lost Souls.

In the end, Horrors of Malformed Men is certainly daring, entertaining and unconventional. However, the script is all over the place and the conclusion might even be too unconventional for most open-minded cineasts. Ishii Teruo should have created two different movies here instead of putting together two ideas that don't gel.

Island of the Freakshow Extravaganza-De-Luxe!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 27 May 2008]

Well, my fellow reviewers are all quite right about this one. "Horrors of Malformed Men" is – to put it all in one sentence – bizarre, disturbing, unclassifiable and literally something you have to see with your own eyes in order to believe it. The story may perhaps be a little too convoluted, grotesque and overlong (especially during the first hour) for its own good, but the all the footage filmed on the island, during the last half hour or so, is simply stupendous and genuinely grueling cinema of the macabre. The screenplay is adapted from the writings of Rampo Edogawa, who clearly had a few mental issues, but probably he at his turn found some inspiration in H.G. Wells' novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau" and maybe even in Todd Browning's legendary horror classic "Freaks". Briefly summarizing the plot is quite a challenging ordeal, but I'll give it a shot anyway. A man awakens in a mental asylum with a mysterious lullaby tune stuck in his head and some vague recollections of a remote island. Via a girl working in a traveling circus, he infiltrates in a wealthy family living by the coast. That isn't too difficult since he looks exactly like the former man of the house who – incidentally, of course – just passed away a couple of days earlier. Very well, but now he still doesn't know why the mysterious island lures him so much. Eventually, it turns out his own father inhabits the island and practices his extremely peculiar hobby there. He deliberately operated on people, like kidnapped girls and former servants, and turned them into hideously deformed prisoners because – and here comes the kicker – his wife cheated on him. There are more controversial and perverted themes aplenty, like incestuous relationships, the mentally insane and multiple WWII references, but there's honestly so much going on during the finale you tend to overlook some details. Luckily, one of the more insignificant supportive characters clarifies a lot of events through marvelously kinky flashbacks near the end. "Horrors of Malformed Men" isn't good, but I can't help praising most of aspects about it! The first half is often dull and completely incomprehensible, but the island-plot is just too hypnotizing for fans of obscure late 60's/early 70's horror. And this puppy was banned during a couple of decades, so the "forbidden fruit" element makes it even more appealing. The island sequences, most of them flashbacks, are truly unforgettable, with nightmarish imagery and a constant grisly atmosphere. The faces and bodies of the titular malformed men will surely haunt my dreams for the next couple of nights, as they look really uncanny and menacing.

Finishing with a little a slightly off-topic and unimportant note: "Horrors of Malformed Men" also feature a killing technique that I'm sure to have seen already in a James Bond movie. Only, I can't remember which Bond movie and thus don't know for sure in which film it was shown first. The scene goes like this: the hero and his love-interest lie asleep face to face whilst an assailant slowly positions himself in the attic and exactly above the couple. Then, via a piece of cord, he lowers down poison onto the lips of his target. In both films, the hero turns his head right on time and the poison kills the poor girl. If anyone knows in which James Bond movie this assassination method occurs, please PM me!

And you thought your Father had problems...

[Indyrod · 8/10 · 13 October 2007]

Wow, this is a must have for Japanese horror fans, and can you believe it, banned for all those years. Outstanding story involving a man finding his way back to his origins, which include his Father making malformed men, and ladies. My favorite, the goat women. This is quite a gruesome horror film from 1969 or so, that got banned in Japan, and therefore restricted everywhere. Don't worry, it's available now, and you need to see it, before it disappears again. Great DVD too, as it contains a commentary from some historians that will bore you to death. It did me at least, but nothing could damage my affection for this excellent shocker for the times. You thought your Father had problems, wait until you meet this dude. I like this one, it is decadent, gruesome, and has some naked girls. And should I forget, a pretty shocking depiction of the result of malformed men. Yes, Malformed Men, you have been warned.

Solid and enjoyable if somewhat flawed effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 9 February 2019]

Looking to find out a burning mystery, a man escapes from an insane asylum and sets out to uncover the truth only to see a manner of accomplishing that when a man with his identical appearance is found dead, but a complication threatens to undo his quest when a strange secret is revealed.

For the most part, this was a wholly enjoyable effort. A lot of what makes the film so enjoyable is the strong first half which really sets this off on a fine note with how this plays out. The idea of him being trapped in the asylum with a fractured memory and trying to remember what happened while having all the unfortunate events occur around him both inside the prison and out provide this with a wholly enjoyable setup. Combined, these efforts provide a fine mystery-like beginning that is quite enjoyable and engaging during this section. Beyond this, film scores incredibly well with the scenes on the island depicting the strange revelations found there. The lead-up to the fact that the entire island is full of deformities and freaks, from the stories told to him and the various clues that fill him in on his quest to understand the mystery, and once we get beyond that there's some fantastic imagery of them alone on the island observing the demented work of his father. With their painted bodies, misshapen and deformed features, extended or protruding body parts and generally bizarre look that goes along with their absolutely hypnotic dance performances and behavior, these scenes create some memorable and unnerving ideas that are quite fun overall. Alongside the fine gore from that time period, these here are what hold this one up overall for the most part as there are some problems here. The main issue with the film is the complete lack of scares or tension in the middle of the film as we follow an incredibly convoluted and uninteresting hidden identity storyline. This whole section of the film, exploring the idea of him infiltrating the family and getting beyond their suspicions as if he were the man originally brought back to life, just becomes deathly boring as it resorts to the same old series of backstabbing political intrigue and sexual liaisons between him and the female members of the household which offers up the exploitation angles but nothing else. Once it gets to him being sent to the island things pick up but it's still not very interesting under this part of the film. That also brings up the other issue here in that the scenes on the island are far more bizarre than they are creepy or scary. The idea of them being just regular, random freaks and not really homicidal or dangerous doesn't provide this with any kind of special danger since nothing really happens to him in the end. Likewise, the fact that the ending turns into an endless round of reveals and storytelling for a section of the film we wouldn't have known about anyway just turns the entire thing into a comical and overlong unraveling sequence that does the film no favors. These are what hold this one down the most.

Rated Unrated/R: Nudity, Graphic Violence and sex scenes.

Not very good at all

[zetes · 5/10 · 2 March 2008]

This infamous Japenese cult flick unfortunately doesn't live up to its lofty reputation. It has some worthy moments, but only a few in what is otherwise a painfully boring and poorly made affair. The confusing story involves a medical student searching for his origins based on the few memories he has from his childhood. He makes his way to the coast of the Japan Sea, where he discovers an obituary for a man who looks exactly like him. He then pretends to be the dead man resurrected, and eventually is brought to an island not far away where the dead man's father is purportedly conducting odd experiments on human beings. The entire story up to here is confusing, uninvolving, and honestly pretty stupid. Only when the protagonist arrives on the island with the titular malformed men does it contain a shred of interest. But only a shred. The mad scientist on the island, kind of the Japanese version of Dr. Moreau, is mutating human beings into freaks. These people, played by circus performers, are dressed in weird costumes and covered with icky makeup. Supposedly the film was meant to reflect the effects of an atomic bomb. I'm not really that sure that was meant, since I don't think any radiation poisoning resulted in a person turning silver. This seems to be where some of the film's fans find substance in the thing, but, really, that half-assed commentary isn't even close to as good as the half-assed commentary in the original Gojira, or, even more appropriate to this conversation, another Ishiro Honda film, Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People, which was made six years earlier than Horrors of Malformed Men. The malformed men are pretty cool, I must admit, but their appearance and participation in the film takes up around ten minutes of this 100 minute film, one tenth, by my estimation. I couldn't forgive the first half of the movie. And even moreso I can't forgive what comes after this, where the mad doctor tells his story in a prolonged, monochromatic flashback. I guess I should be thankful, because the stuff I couldn't understand about the plot earlier in the movie is explicated in such detail that I wanted to rip my hair out. But at least I finally got the plot. And worse, after the doctor has his ten minute flashback, another character has another ten minute flashback. The story is patently ridiculous, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It could have been fun, but it isn't. It's a crushing bore! It does end on a hilarious bit, but nothing could have saved this movie.

A rewarding movie.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 30 July 2009]

If you can stick this movie out till the end, you'll get a very rewarding movie. It's not the easiest movie to watch and it didn't seemed at first to me that this movie was going to be much good early one but it's definitely a movie that gets better in its second halve, when there is more story and the movie its visuals become just great to watch.

It's a quite surrealistic Japanese movie, that relies heavily on its visuals. There are some amazing visuals throughout the movie, with also the thanks of the phenomenal camera-work. It's an artistic movie above all things, so beware of what to expect.

Of course there is also a story but this one is quite hard to follow at times. It isn't until the movie reaches its halve way point that it becomes more or less more clear in which direction the story is going. The movie soon becomes a sort of a surrealistic Japanese version of the Island of Dr. Moreau. I think those that are familiar with this story, or any of the other movie versions of the story will be more able to understand and appreciate this movie.

For a Japanese movie it also features quite some good acting. It's an obviously well cast movie, in which the actors don't act in a very theatrical way, like you might expect from a Japanese movie. Especially surprising also since this movie got made back in 1969.

After finishing watching this movie I simply must say that I overall enjoyed it and found it to be an ultimately rewarding movie to watch, though it's obvious that this is not really a movie for just everyone.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Bizarre

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 23 October 2018]

"Horrors of Malformed Men" is a truly bizarre Japanese horror flick that reminded me far more often of Jodorowsky than of anything in the supernatural genre.

If it has any other similarity, it's with avant-garde dance, as the movie often looks like a stage performance someone filmed from the front row.

The plot, if it can be said to have one, is a mess. A man is somehow in the female cell of an insane asylum, where all of the women are young, beautiful, and topless. He has no idea who he is. He realises that he is the spitting image of a recently deceased man, and so travels to that man's home and pretends to be him. On an island near-by, the titular "malformed men" reside.

The movie doesn't feel scary or suspenseful, but I don't think it means to be. Instead, it is a series of extravagant and strange set pieces, with much nudity, elaborate costumes, body paint, and kitsch.

Unfortunately, there's not enough of a plot - or a plot easy enough to follow - to keep your attention in between these admittedly quite impressive sequences. I found myself wanting the movie to end quicker than it did.

Some beautiful imagery but still a snorefest

[rwagn · 5/10 · 8 February 2009]

This film has some beautiful imagery and a nice dreamlike quality at times. There is also much Japanese symbolism and dance. That sums up the recommendation. On the down side, nothing much happens in this movie. There are some crappy "Manimals" that look like something that escaped from a road show version of "The Lion King". There's a lot of crabs, a couple of bones, an adulterous wife chained in a dark cave with the decomposing corpse of her lover and an incestuous brother and sister who commit suicide by sitting on top of sky fireworks. Add to this a demented "scientist" who looks like a yard gnome and has Disney dreams of grandeur. You have been warned. I don't know what content got this filmed banned as the nudity is PG and the atrocities are stated and not shown. It was OK for a one time view but I can't see me sitting through this one again. Sayanara!

Strange. Hard to Follow, But Fascinating Story Over All.

[DarkSpotOn · 6/10 · 22 November 2022]

Well, I'll say right now that I'm surprised but confused as well. I'll tell you the first half of the movie is kinda boring. However, the second half is a fun ride.

I'll say that for a movie made in 1969, the effects are pretty good. The story is really hard to follow, but at least it was for me. Pretty much a young man finds pieces of information that there's a man that has the same looks and symbol on his foot. However, that man is dead.

Well, the young man goes out of his way to find the dead man's location and finds out the truth that his father is an insane cultist that deforms people. Why? We do not know at all, which is bothering me. Yes, the cultist's wife cheated on him, but I doubt that's a good enough reason to deform innocent people.

I wanted to give this thing a 7.5, but I'm still really confused about this movie. If you take Salo, Cannibal Holocaust, and Midsommar you'd get this thing. It's not a bad movie, but it a hard to follow, very strange, and a bit boring in the beginning, cuz the movie did not make much sense at the start.

The Island of the Freaks

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 12 December 2022]

The medical student Hirosuke Hitomi (Teruo Yoshida) is mysteriously interned in a mental institution without any explanation. When a stranger tries to kill him in his cell, he flees from the asylum and sees the young woman from the circus Hideko (Teruko Yumi) singing a lullaby that stays in his memory. She tells to him that she is from a coastal town, but out of the blue, Hideko is murdered. Hirosuke travels to the coast and learns in the newspaper that the wealthy Genzaburô Komoda, who is his doppelganger, has just died. He decides to assume his identity as if he had had only a sudden illness and revived. He lures his wife Chiyoko Komoda (Michiko Kobata), his mistress, the butler and the servants. When mysterious letters are delivered to his wife, who dies, and his mistress, he decides to travel to the island where Genzaburô's father Jôgorô Komoda (Tatsumi Hijikata) lives to find his origins. Soon he meets Jôgorô, who is a mad man that built an island of freaks, turning normal persons into malformed persons. Further, Hirosuke learns who he is.

"Kyôfu kikei ningen: Edogawa Rampo zenshû", a.k.a. "Horrors of Malformed Men", is a film certainly based on "The Island of Dr. Moreau" by the English author H. G. Wells (1866-1946). Japanese author Edogawa Rampo rewrote this tale and Teruo Ishii made this sick and transgressor film. The plot shows perversions, incest, the most freak creatures and a dreadful revenge, but is laughable many times. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Horror dos Homens Deformados" ("The Horror of the Malformed Men")

Horrors of Malformed Men

[Scarecrow-88 · 9/10 · 11 December 2007]

Let me just start by saying this film is crazy..but, I had such a thrill and few films leave me as breathless with my jaw hanging in shock as "Horrors of Malformed Men". It was like the door to an asylum of depravity and insanity was opened and we bare witness to the madness that springs forth.

It starts out rather conventional. A young man, Hitomi is placed in the cell of an asylum and remembers the image of a seashore and the tune of a lullaby. A bald prisoner tries to murder him in his cell, but our protagonist gets the better of him and escapes. He meets a female circus performer who he heard humming the lullaby tune from his memory down a street from the institution. This circus performer was about to reveal the whereabouts of the seashore location he seeks, but is stabbed by a knife in the back. He is framed for her murder and flees. On a train he sees the photo of a recently deceased heir to a fortune named Genzaburou who looks exactly like Hitomi. After Genzaburou's burial ceremony, Hitomi assumes the man's identity having the surprised family believing his death misdiagnosed. Strangely, both Hitomi and Genzaburou have a specific scar on their foot and our protagonist notices the seashore from his memory nearby where his new identity lives. As Hitomi tries to falsely lead others who knew Genzaburou astray, continuing to remain in this new identity becomes quite exhausting..how long can Hitomi continue this charade. Hitomi is told that across the sea on an island lives Genzaburou's father. Hitomi's wife is murdered by a poison, and his secret lover is supposedly getting threats through letter so he decides to take a trip to the island and that's where the film takes a detour into insanity..

The film really doesn't get good until Hitomi, his assistant(who may be more than he appears)and lover(..along with their man-servant who is of major importance and a voice that brings answers to some things left unanswered back at Genzaburou's estate)land on the island where he finds his father, web-hands and dancing in some state of lunacy, who has turned normal women and old men into "malformed" animalistic primitives conducting all forms of depravity and unhinged behavior(..not to mention, the way that many are covered naked in forms of paint, chalk, feathers, etc). Some of them, in cages, eat grass from the madman's hand, making animal noises! The madman explains what motivated this island of the bizarre and odd, speaking of his wife's adultery and his own web-hands. He plans, the nut, to turn loose his malformed army on the normal, enslaving them so that they can experience what it's like to feel his anguish. He also answers an important question that has troubled Hitomi. The film also explores an incestial relationship that blooms between Hitomi and the Siamese woman he separates from a creep the madman "sown" onto her, that culminates into "fireworks" at the end.

Really, this film has to be seen to be believed..especially the closing hour on the island. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. There's a lengthly "reveal" segment where everything that has occurred gets fitting explanations specifically Hitomi's missing history and how his life as a medical doctor was thwarted by betrayal which resulted in his attempted murder in that asylum. The "human chair", "human fireworks" and, especially, the scene where a woman, imprisoned in a cave, has to eat the crabs which had spent a few days munching on her lover's corpse, are just highlights of many surreal sequences in this truly one-of-a-kind film.

A Pinku "B" Horror flick

[edchin2006 · 4/10 · 19 January 2010]

The only good thing I can say about is that it is not a horrible "Horror" film.

There are actually some interesting aspects to the movie. It has a plot! And, the plot is sort of interesting - even if we have to wait to the end of the picture for it to make any sense. It's interesting but boring because the story/plot is narrated to us. It would have been much more interesting the conventional way - letting us figure it out for ourselves. But, to think of it, lots of Sherlock Holmes films and others of that ilk have someone explain it all to us at the end.

Contrary to another opinion, I find the last half more interesting than the first. However, that is not to suggest that either is not boring. Both halves are boring! Possibly the most boring Pinku film that I have ever seen.

As a Horror flick it is, also, boring. I expected a Horror film which might be so bad that it is good - meaning comedic. Well, disappointment abounds.

Butoh On The Noto

[ferbs54 · 8/10 · 29 March 2012]

Based on the 1926 novel "The Strange Tale of Panorama Island" by Edogawa Rampo--the so-called Edgar Allan Poe of Japan--as well as at least two Rampo short stories, "The Human Chair" (1925) and "The Walker in the Attic" (also 1925), and also conflating Rampo's most famous detective character, Kogoro Akechi, the 1969 film "Horrors of Malformed Men" obviously has a lot of ground to cover. The picture was cowritten by its director, genre favorite Teruo Ishii, an old fan of Rampo's work in boys' detective magazines in the 1920s, and so shocked and scandalized viewers upon its initial release that it has been a sort of taboo product ever since; indeed, the film has never been made available for home viewing in Japan! I suppose that given its central theme of willful and calculated human mutations, coming a scant 25 years after the atomic denouement of WW2, this feeling can be understandable. Still, for viewers today, the film will probably come as a genuine stunner. In it, a medical student named Hitomi (an appealing performance by handsome Teruo Yoshida) escapes from a mental institution in the year 1925 (although it could just as easily be yesterday, based on what the viewer sees), with only a dim knowledge of who he is, or why a child's lullaby keeps repeating itself in his mind, or why he keeps seeing visions of a mysterious-looking seacoast. His lot worsens when he is falsely accused of knifing a young girl (in a scene strangely reminiscent of a similar one in "North by Northwest"), and while on the run, and desperately searching for that bit of seacoast on Honshu's 800-mile-long northern shore (!), notices the obituary for a man who he exactly resembles. He pretends to be that dead man, resurrected back to life, and ultimately goes to the island sanctuary of his look-alike's father, a Dr. Moreau type of character. And once on that island, things start to get REALLY strange!

Shot on the Noto Peninsula, "Horrors of Malformed Men" is a film of impressive natural beauty and, once on that darn island, dreamlike surrealism. Indeed, the film would have been a natural back in the early '70s among the midnight-feature stoner crowd. It is easily as "trippy" as Alejandro Jodorowsky's "El Topo," a favorite back then amongst that crowd, as well as Jess Franco's "Succubus," Jaromil Jires' "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" and Michel Lemoine's "Seven Women for Satan" (all films that SHOULD have been on the midnight circuit back when)...but unlike these films, and amazingly, its wild and crazy plot makes absolute, perfect sense by the picture's conclusion! In a final summation, events are explained at a clip that rivals the rat-a-tat explications in "The Big Sleep," accompanied by monotinted flashback sequences. And, oh, is this film a strange one! Among the film's many bits of weirdness are that freaky insane asylum opening; a snake decapitation; a 1/2 goat, 1/2 girl creature; a human torch sconce; a psychedelic, Cirque du Soleil-style dance number (put on for no apparent reason other than to flabbergast the viewer) performed by a gaggle of the island freaks; silver-painted women; a male/female Siamese twin combo; the eating of live crabs (and lots of them!); incest; the old poison-down-the-string trick (which viewers may recall from the 007 blowout "You Only Live Twice"); freeze frames; and other assorted mishegas. In the film's single most arresting image, perhaps, Jagoro Kimodo, the creator of the island monstrosities, capers along the seashore, the waves crashing behind him. Kimodo is played in the film by Tatsumi Hijikata, the founder of the Butoh style of dance, and the stylized, spiderlike way that he scuttles along here is like something you may have never seen before. Featuring exquisite camera work from Shigeru Akatsuka and a freaky-deaky score by Masao Yagi, and concluding with a beautifully symbolic fireworks/sunset display, "Horrors of Malformed Men" is a film that should linger long in the memory. Far from just another Dr. Moreau rip-off, it is a genuine work of cinematic art, a minor masterpiece, and should prove a real find for the jaded horror buff. It is presented here on a great-looking DVD from Synapse, loaded with "extras." In the most interesting, directors Shinya Tsukamoto and Minoru Kawasaki discuss the influence that Ishii and Rampo have had on their own work, while in another, we see Ishii himself--"the King of Cult"--present the film at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy in 2003 (two years before his death). A most generous DVD package, of a film that must be seen to be believed....

Bad, and not in a good way

[ahoodwink · 1/10 · 28 December 2010]

A horrible waste of time. I'm all for non-linear narratives, but this made no sense and never paid off. Characters have beards or an eye patch in one scene, then not in the next. You can't tell which characters actually exist, or who they are to each other. There's no coherent visual style, or rhythm, or any logic whatsoever.

The Butoh dancers are probably supposed to be "artsy" or intense, but they just come off as silly, capering about with great commitment and no discernible purpose.

While there's some resemblance to the Dr. Moreau story, this movie is too goofy to be shocking, and too disorganized to ever build up any fear or potency.

What you do get: a random, unintelligible story, bad special effect violence, and a fair number of bare tits. (That actually makes it sound better than it is.)

for those not easily shocked

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 25 January 2008]

Well, where to begin? This notorious Japanese horror has finally surfaced and our first concern is what was so terrible that kept it banned for so long? Made just over 20 years after the atomic bomb was exploded over Hiroshima, some of this film looks as if some of the short-lived survivors might have made it to the set. Both the way the deformity issue is enthused over here and the clear connection with the bomb attack, make this a true horror. We begin with vivid scenes inside a mental institution but then the film settles down into a creepy mystery before cracking open about half an hour in, whence we find ourselves in the Mexican, Jodorowsky territory, and then worse. This film is not particularly well written and is uneven and occasionally rather silly but nevertheless this is still a work of some considerable power. A one off and a must see for those not easily shocked.

Wow....that's an hour and 40 minutes of my life I can't get back....

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 31 October 2013]

The film begins in a mental institution where lots of half naked women are running about the place. One of the inmates insists he's not crazy and kills someone and escapes. Then, he learns that his exact double just died so he takes the man's place--only to be eventually lured to a freaky island run by a lunatic. There, he learns that his lover is his sister and lots of deformed folks have been created by the man man who created the place. In the end, the freaky man dies and the brother/sister lovers blow themselves up in a fireworks exhibition.

As you can see, "Horrors of a Deformed Man" is a difficult film to describe. It's sort of like combining a surrealist film with soft-core pornography and "The Island of Lost Souls". If you think that such a combination makes little sense, then you now know how I felt watching this film. It was thoroughly confusing, often grotesque and titillating--but not in a good way. The worst part about it is that I really have no idea what was happening during most of the film, not did I really care. Some of the reviewers apparently liked this and though the film was creepy--I mostly just thought it was dumb and a waste of my time. For my time, the great old film "Freaks" is much scarier AND it actually has a story. "Horrors of a Deformed Man" is just disjoint, stupid and incredibly talky. Rarely have I enjoyed a movie less than this one.

The best part is when he dances

[sabrinatsang · 10/10 · 31 May 2009]

Words cannot describe how wonderfully entertaining this movie was. I rented it, knowing it was just my kind of flick, even my boyfriend who has a very contrasting taste in movies from me immediately recognized it's potential and our decision was made. The part where he dances on the rocks on the island is the best, I took my camera out and recorded a ghetto taping of it to show to others in case I never come across it again. The eating crabs thing was definitely the grossest, the ending was kinda screwed up I never expected Toki to still love him, that part I donno if I like or not. Hahaha and when they said they were going to explode in the sky like fireworks, I didn't know they meant literally! HAHAHAHA.

EARLY JAPANESE CULT HORROR

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 8/10 · 24 October 2018]

The term cult film is used so often these days that at times it seems as if the meaning has been lost. As a somewhat older person I can recall days when the term had more meaning, when the accessibility of movies was limited to what was in the theater and what played on one of three networks on TV. The rise of the midnight movie changed that and the term cult film was used for those films as well as movies that played in select locations, rarely mainstream theater chains. They were movies sought out by fans of something different or foreign films that patrons had no access to. With the creation of home video all of that changed and the doors opened for fans to have easy access to those films for a nominal fee. Arrow Video has been providing many of those films for fans and HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN falls into that category.

The movie is unusual from the start with a young man named Hirosuke (Teruo Yoshida), a medical student, finds himself inside an insane asylum in the women's room. Half clad women scurry about and one approaches him with a knife in her hand. Thankfully (or it would have been a short film) the knife is fake and a guard returns the young man to his own cell. With no knowledge of his past but a memory of a children's song and a location he continues to draw the Hirosuke wonders who he is. Attacked in his cell later he kills the man who attacked him, escapes and is on the run.

While on the run he reads a newspaper and reads of the death of a man who looks exactly like him named Genzaburo Komoda. Digging up the body and dressing in his clothes, he returns to the man's home and takes on his identity. With each day he learns more about the man, a well to do businessman. It turns out they both had identical scars, something that makes him more curious than afraid. His appearance is close enough that he fools both Genzaburo's wife and mistress.

Hirosuke learns more about Genzaburo as well as his family. It seems his father Jogoro left the family home and transported himself to an island nearby, the same island Hirosuke has had dreams of. There he intends to create a fantasy land for people to visit but this is far from a Disney like island. Jogoro had webbed fingers and was considered malformed. Hirosuke demands to be taken to the island to visit his father and there learns of the man's plans for the island. In addition to that all of the family secrets are revealed once he arrives taking up the last half of the film. To reveal what takes place would ruin the film for those inclined to watch.

Suffice to say that once they hit the island the word surreal is an apt description, not just in what takes place but in the methods employed by director Teruo Ishii to portray what is there. Colored lights and strange makeup are used to show the inhabitants of the island as well as Jogoro. It is a world some would call unusual and others would call a nightmare. But there is a method to the madness Jogoro employs as strange as it is.

I wasn't sure what to expect while watching the film. The trailer made it seem like a horror film but while there are horrific elements to it I found it more of a combination mystery and revenge film instead. Hirosuke's search to discover who he is, why he looks exactly like Genzaburo and why the song and island are instilled in his mind make for an interesting film. In addition to that the cinematography is fascinating as well and considering the film was made in 1969 makes it even more interesting. Even with what normally becomes a lost in translation cliché when it comes to styles of acting this movie features fine performances from all involved.

As I said Arrow Video is releasing this and they've done a fantastic job with the look of the film itself. They're offering the film in a 2k restoration from the original negative and it looks marvelous. If that weren't enough they've included several extras as well that fans will enjoy. Those include two audio commentary tracks by Japanese cinema experts Tom Mes and Mark Schilling, MALFORMED MOVIES a new interview with Toei exploitation movie screenwriter Masahiro Kakefuda, MALFORMED MEMORIES where filmmakers Shinya Tsukamoto (who made TETSUO THE IRON MAN) and Minoru Kawasaki (who made THE CALAMARI WRESTLER) discuss the career of director Teruo Ishii, an image gallery, the theatrical trailer, a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford and for the first pressing only a collector's booklet featuring new writing by Jasper Sharp, Tom Mes and Grady Hendrix.

If you've never seen the film but enjoy Japanese cinema, cult movies or exploitation films then by all means you should check this one out. If you're already a fan then this will be the version to add to your shelf.

It's Good.

[SameirAli · 8/10 · 12 December 2021]

It's really hard to believe that the film was made in 1969, it's not only the technical side, but, the subject itself. Though this film is a Sci-Fi, nothing much of these details are discussed in the movie, it concentrates more on the dramatic aspects. Interestingly the famous poison over the thread scene from "You Only Live Twice (1967)" was adapted into this film. Must watch for those who are dying to see different kind of films.