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 HORRORS
OF MALFORMED MEN (Synapse
Films) 1969. 99 minutes. Horror/thriller. Japanese with English
subtitles. Not rated. Some gore, wacky scenes, brief nudity. Hirosuke, a
seemingly well-put together medical student, quickly finds himself in a
world of trouble and assumes the identity of a look alike, who recently
died, to figure out what in hell is happening. Clues and crazy stories
lead him to a remote Japanese island where he discovers a world occupied
by man made disfigured humans, and one hell of a madman. However, this
grim discovery is the least of Hirosuke’s problems.
I
apologize, not really, for the sketchy plot synopsis, but if I reveal too
much it’ll ruin the twists and turns that riddle this fine film. The
shock and awe of this movie floored viewers in 1969 and still hold its own
nearly 20 years later, even in today’s jaded society. The handful of
twists was surprising and cool. Malformed Men has a The Island of
Dr. Moreau feel, but is more sinister due to humans being the subject of
treachery; hell, the entire mood of the film has an almost dream like feel
with all its nuttiness. The star madman is an odd character, indeed. He is
a creepy looking bastard, but it is never explained why he stands along
the shore gyrating and wiggling while standing in place looking uncannily
like the androgynous lead singer of Dead or Alive in the “You spine me
‘round baby ‘round ‘round like a record baby ‘round ‘round
‘round ‘round” video. Whoa, Peter Burns, Dead or Alive’s lead
singer, recently fell victim to man made disfigurement when his plastic
surgeon screwed up his lip injections! How freakin’ weird is that?
Director Teruo Ishii even injects a little humor when Hirosuke first
assumes the identity of his doppelganger, frightening two monks. Extras
include audio commentary, interviews, trailer, poster gallery, and
reversible cover with original Japanese artwork (really cool). –Denis
Sheehan
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