Review of The Manster (1959) by Brett B — 07 May 2012

Half-Man, Half-Monster!

The Manster (aka, The Split) [1959] NR- They made a lot of Japanese sci-fi monster films with Americans in them back in the daze after the bombs. It has made for some unusual and classic choices while also bringing down shame upon both lands whenever a dud flaked out from sky-high. Here is somewhere in the middle...it's quite a bit of a dud especially during the first half hour or so (the opening sequence is nice and keeps things tense for a short time but it quickly falls off track) and the low-budget technical merits of the film along with some really bad editing tends to drag it down ever so slightly more into complete duddiness. But then comes the surprise twist. SPOLIER ALERT: I won't come directly out and say it, but any fan of Army of Darkness will instantly realize where Sam Raimi pays homage to this particular movie (hint: Good Ash vs. Bad Ash especially as Bad Ash is born). END SPOILER.

It's not great, but it is fun and the cheap fx after the big twist are enough to bring good campy humor into the mix. It's not so-bad-that-it's-good (it is a bad movie overall) but it is interesting and worth at least one watch especially for fans of Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness and 1950s-60s sci-fi. (B&W).