Good start, but then it gets ruined

Did you people see the same film I saw?

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

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.

Now this is definitely a curious and utmost interesting B- horror/monster movie from the late fifties! The peculiar element is that "The Manster" was an American/Japanese co-production, meaning the events entirely take place in Tokyo while the characters (with the exception of the lead villain and some random casualties) are all Caucasian. High in the mountains, the self-acclaimed brilliant Dr. Suzuki is messing around with evolution theories and mutations. He's not very successful, though, as he just had to destroy a monstrous creation that went on a murdering rampage and he has another aberration locked up in a cage. When he meets foreign correspondent Larry Stanford, however, the crazy doctor immediately sees the ideal specimen for another experiment and promptly puts a drug in his whiskey. Larry undergoes a lengthy metamorphosis, not just physically but also in terms of behavior and personality, and discovers that the pains in his neck and left hand are foreboding signs of a hideous monster growing inside of him. A monster that desperately wants to pop out! The changing process Larry goes through is rather unusual. It's actually more of a "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" journey of doom in which our poor journalist gets corrupted under the influence of Dr. Suzuki and his lewd assistant Tara. Apparently "getting acquainted with Japanese culture" means binge- drinking, taking numerous public baths and committing adultery with several Geishas, as Larry changes from a hard-working and wife- loving American into a sleazy and obnoxious … Japanese citizen? That's quite racist, if you ask me, but it were the fifties and there were as many Japanese crew-members and producers involved as American ones, so I reckon they knew what they were doing. "The Manster" is more remarkable and special than the vast majority of 50s Sci-Fi/horror flicks thanks to a few impressive special effects (the eye in the shoulder was copied a number of times) and the bizarre atmosphere of conflicting cultures. In case you can't help thinking Larry's voice sounds familiar, it means you were also hooked on a legendary puppet-series… Thunderbirds are GO!

Its central plot revolves an obnoxious American journalist Larry Stanford played by Peter Dyneley who travels to Japan to interview scientist Dr. Robert Suzuki played by Tetsu Nakamura. Dr. Suzuki is on the cusp of a great scientific breakthrough and would like to share his discovery, oh so the reporter thinks. I can't help but think the writers for 1986 remake of The Fly must have borrowed generously from this movie's premise. The reporter does not know he will be the subject of Dr. Suzuki's next experiment. He is unwittingly drugged by Dr. Suzuki and injected with a drug that begins a slow and gradual transformation of the reporter's mind and ultimately - his body. Shortly thereafter, his behavior changes, and he gives in to base animal urges like that of a sexual nature as he cheats on his wife Linda played by Jane Hylton with geisha's, known in America as highly trained prostitutes. He gradually becomes violent, killing in the night as he roams the darken alleys and streets of Tokyo Japan, his victims typically are women, but it is not a theme, maybe women in 1959 Japan worked late at night are the opportune prey. The story gets creepier as the transformation turns him more into a horrific beast. The authorities begin to search for a killer they have no clue is a real monster lurking about. The movie succeeds in achieving its goal by being a really creepy Sci Fi horror flick with a gloomy tone and eerie soundtrack. Manster is a Good Friday night entertainment experience for the sci-fi horror crowd. Central Plot: After being secretly given an injection by Dr. Suzuki Larry returns to Tokyo and plans on going back to New York City in a few days to be reunited with his wife Linda. However, Dr. Suzuki knows he cannot let him leave Japan as he must observe the effects of the transformation drug so he meets up with Larry suggesting they explore some of Japan's hidden pleasures, Larry is excited and lets the Dr. take him out at night; Dr. Suzuki starts pampering his test subject. The Dr. shows him the seedy red-light side of Japan he's never seen before. He takes Larry to a whorehouse where he gets drunk on sake and messes around with some of the geisha. The pampering continues with a trip to a hot springs hotel. Dr. Suzuki's personal assistant the sensual and sexy Tara - Terri Zimmerman is brought along for the occasion, it seems Dr. Suzuki has used her in this capacity before, and soon Larry finds himself falling in love with her. She begins to feel sorry for what will become of Larry and complains to Dr. Suzuki though he reminds her that she knows all about his experiments and is the sole reason he rescued her from the poverty stricken life she once knew. Unfortunately, the romantics that develop between Tara and Larry are not developed further in this movie. In addition, Terri Zimmerman who plays Tara has special charisma with the camera and it is a wonder her career never excelled after this performance. As the drug begins to take hold of Larry he seeps into a drunken, sex addicted craze and when his boss notices and tries to get him help he rejects the notion of going back to New York. With the help of his Boss Ian Matthews his wife arrives in Tokyo only to discover her husband is now a mean drunken verbally abusive scum. He gets busted by his wife and boss bringing Tara into his hotel room and exclaims to his wife he wants to be with Tara. Linda doesn't give up on her marriage and sticks around. The story intensifies as Larry starts to exhibit strange physical changes more interesting in the same or similar fashion in The Fly 1986 transformation occurs. He starts to lose the feeling in his hand, begins having black outs, starts having unexplained pains in his right shoulder, which soon begins to grow into some sort of bulge, lump. At night he roams the streets and alleyways. During one late night excursion he goes to a Buddhist temple and murders a priest. The following night several women turn up dead. Larry doesn't remember anything later. He continues to roam the streets murdering others. One of the creepiest scenes is when an eyeball forms on his shoulder, and then an entire head pops out! Dr. Suzuki is hoping he'll eventually split into two different beings. After Larry murders a psychiatrist his boss tried to hook him with, the police superintendent Jerry Ito organizes his forces and a city-wide manhunt ensues. Larry ends up heading back to Dr. Suzuki's lab for the big finale. Noteworthy Mentions Title Manster the title is stupid and immediately lessens the quality. In conclusion For the true SciFi Horror buff, this is a must see, I recommend watching it at least 3X, yes! Each time you will see something different that you may have not paid closer attention too. Sexuality is often woven into scenes cleverly and the Scientist female assistant Tara exudes a sexual tension without over acting; the drama is not Oscar worthy, but it doesn't need to be. The physical transformation looks like it was made in 1959, oh yea! There are references to alcohol, drug and sex addiction as a result of the reporter's unfortunate circumstances which gives some depth to the light weight story line and plot. There are similarities to the transformation occurrences of another erstwhile anti-hero played by Jeff Goldblum in 1986's The Fly. The movie is light but entertaining and on a scale of 1 to 10, I give this a 6.75!

"The Manster" is the sort of movie that only Elvira, Joe Bob Briggs, or the "MST3K" crew could present. I saw the Mistress of the Dark's presentation. While watching there were some things that I noticed:*There's a white person cast as a Japanese.*The discussions between the reporter and scientist border on a bromance.*The song played on the instrument in that one scene sounds like a blues song.And then of course the eye reminded me of "Army of Darkness". As for Elvira, she learns that her green card has expired - she apparently comes from Transylvania - and she's facing deportation. But of course she never stops offering pun-filled commentary on the movie. It's the average so-bad-it's-good flick featuring dated gender relations. Always fun to watch.Elvira should sing a blues song about B movies, complete with puns.

Mad Japanese scientist Dr. Robert Suzuki (Tetsu Nakamura) hopes to create a serum that will advance human evolution, but all efforts so far have been less than successful, earlier attempts having turned his wife and brother (who apparently volunteered for the experiment, making them just as mad as he is) into hideously deformed monsters.Not one to admit defeat, Suzuki—aided by his glamorous assistant Tara (Terri Zimmern)—gives it one last go, drugging and injecting roving US reporter Larry Stanford (Peter Dyneley) without his knowledge. The serum takes effect gradually, Larry becoming progressively more wild and uncontrollable, first succumbing to the pleasures of booze and geisha girls, but eventually turning to murder. As his personality becomes more monstrous, so does his appearance: his hand gets hairy, an eyeball appears in his shoulder, and he grows a second head, eventually splitting into two separate beings.A wonderfully subversive storyline and a standout central performance from Dyneley help distinguish The Manster from most of its contemporaries; Stanford's insatiable sexual appetite and violent outbursts, Tara's dubious past (I'm guessing that she used to be a hooker), Dr. Suzuki's callous and calculating approach to his 'work', and the unforgettably surreal transformation from man to beast all go to make this film a genuinely freaky and thoroughly enjoyable ride into darker-than-usual 50s B-movie monster territory.7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.