Working upon the assumption that two heads are better than one, directors George Breakston and Kenneth Crane crafted a neat little gem here that's a throwback to all those great horror flicks of the Forties, but without such luminaries as Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney or Atwill. This one came out in 1959, which for me remains a prolific year in the annals of horror, with such great titles as "House on Haunted Hill", "The Killer Shrews", "The Bat" and "The Giant Gila Monster". I can rattle off those titles with ease because when I catch a memorable flick from 1959, I automatically make a mental note of it. So now, "The Manster" makes that vaunted list!
Now before I get too effusive, this thing does wind up getting pretty silly once reporter Larry Danforth (Peter Dyneley) gets injected with some evolutionary serum concocted by Japanese scientist Robert Suzuki (Satoshi Nakamura). At first you wonder what's going on with Danforth's transformation into a beast, because the film's intro shows a creature resembling an abominable snowman or a Bigfoot, but Larry starts developing an eye for trouble with a hairy hand that seems to have a will of it's own. By the time Larry's changeover is complete, he goes full circle with a split personality that defies credibility and merely serves to throw the viewer into a fit of hilarity.
I don't know, there must have been something in the water in that glorious year of 1959 for all these cool movies to be made. A few more that come to mind are "The Return of The Fly", "The Wasp Woman" and "The Tingler". Seen 'em all, for better or worse, making '59 one of my best years in movie history!
Now before I get too effusive, this thing does wind up getting pretty silly once reporter Larry Danforth (Peter Dyneley) gets injected with some evolutionary serum concocted by Japanese scientist Robert Suzuki (Satoshi Nakamura). At first you wonder what's going on with Danforth's transformation into a beast, because the film's intro shows a creature resembling an abominable snowman or a Bigfoot, but Larry starts developing an eye for trouble with a hairy hand that seems to have a will of it's own. By the time Larry's changeover is complete, he goes full circle with a split personality that defies credibility and merely serves to throw the viewer into a fit of hilarity.
I don't know, there must have been something in the water in that glorious year of 1959 for all these cool movies to be made. A few more that come to mind are "The Return of The Fly", "The Wasp Woman" and "The Tingler". Seen 'em all, for better or worse, making '59 one of my best years in movie history!