There's a subgenre in Japan , don't know if it has a name.....While we're conditioned to think of Godzilla and his friends and foes , Gamera , and TV shows like Ultraman , Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot  , Spectreman , etc.  , a majority of those movies and TV shows were aimed at kids (It's OK , I'm still a kid , and , I trust ,many of you are , too.) , there were several films , aimed more at adults and teens , that slipped through the cracks....At least in our Gai-Jin vision of Japanese Pop Culture......

You'd probably have to go to the very beginning , and see "Gojira" , the original Japanese print of "Godzilla , King of The Monsters". The original film was a powerful statement about the after-effects of the H-Bomb , and potential further devastation from ongoing Atomic testing.

No , no 400 foot tall fire breathing dinosaur hybrids have been seen , yet , but it's a far more powerful and decidedly dark picture than the one that evenyually turned  up , here , with Raymond Burr.

Other titles that are frequently dazzling, visually , but , seldom insult the viewer's intelligence include :   Dogora: Space Monster , Atragon , The Mysterians , Battle in Outer Space , The H-Man , Matango: Fungus of Death (Attack of The Mushroom People) , and , there's others......

I just watched "Dogora" for the first time in 30 something years , it's every bit as , well , psychedelic , as it was when I was trying to get my teenaged mind around it. The scenes of devastaton are abstract , and , strange as it may sound , beautiful. There's no man in a rubber suit knocking over power lines....

"Atragon" is also one of the most highly regarded Japanese Sci-Fi FILMS , ABOUT A SUPER-SCIENTIFIC SHIP THAT CAN TRAVEL ON LAND , SEA , OR AIR. Manda , the giant sea-serpent , puts in an appearance (he'd turn up , later , in "Destroy All Monsters").

Don't get me wrong, I still watch the old Godzilla flicks (And some of the newer ones), and stuff like that ,  but , maybe several of you know what I mean , there's a slew of films that exist beyond the borderline , even in genre-ready , steady Japan.

  I can safely recommend "Lake of Dracula" to Horror fans , and non - kiddie oriented Japanese Horror film fans. I don't know why I put it off for so many years. Somehow , I did'nt think the legend of Dracula would translate into then  -modern times in Japan. A small technicality brings the Count to early 70's Japan , transported in a coffin , like he was in the book and most filmed adaptations , to England, and the story works , from start to finish. This Dracula seems inspired by Christopher Lee , but has scant little dialogue (Niether did Lee , come to think of it, by this time.). He's bestial , mostly howling and screaming , and showing off his crooked , yellowing fangs and eyes that turn a golden hue , at will . However , he does work this black coat and white turtleneck that looks like an exaggerated clerical tunic .    A young woman is haunted by a dream sequence in which she meets the vampire at the age of five , in the town of her birth . Her boyfriend , a Doctor , helps her to uncover the mystery behind a series of killings , while her Sister , Dracula's intended Bride , hangs in the balance. THE DOCTOR USES HYPNOSIS TO FIND A CLUE , JUST AS DRACULA , NATURALLY , USES IT TO PUT HIS VICTIMS UNDER HIS POWER.....THE "LAKE" HAS SYMBOLIC MEANING , TOO. PRETTY LAME TITLE , I ADMIT , THO' A CHICAGO NOISE BAND USED IT FOR THEIR NAME.       The visuals are often beautiful , and it's pretty well - paced throughout.   The music is creepy , atmospheric , sometimes even Sci - Fi - LIKE....There are two other movies in this "Bloodthirsty Series" . Have'nt seen the others. I remember two of them being available on VHS about 20 years ago.

The US and Japan are/were on the same VHS system , if you should find any films like these on Japanese VHS , and usually have English subtitles.
 
John Battles said:

i DID FIND A COPY OF "LAKE OF DRACULA". IT'LL PROBABLY TAKE ME A WHILE TO WATCH IT , THOUGH. SOMETIMES , I'M TOO LAZY TO EVEN WATCH TELEVISION.

i DID FIND A COPY OF "LAKE OF DRACULA". IT'LL PROBABLY TAKE ME A WHILE TO WATCH IT , THOUGH. SOMETIMES , I'M TOO LAZY TO EVEN WATCH TELEVISION.

That's genius , too.

Lutz Vipinderwoman said:

Godzilla: A gentleman and a scholar, just a gentle giant with a terrible temper.

Godzilla: A gentleman and a scholar, just a gentle giant with a terrible temper.

THAT'S genius.
 
dave said:

That's what I was referring to , the great Trash-Rock classic , though , I doubt the record got around too much in Japan.....But , who knows? Still , there could be an in-joke in there , somewhere. Sometimes , monsters with a human side are scarier than giant bugs , lizards or insects , but , as you know , that was the norm , here , as well as in Japan , in The 50's , when the horriffic possibilities (And impossibilities) of the Atomic Bomb were being considered.

The original Gojira may not have been frightening to adults , but , it was still a far more convincing monster than the versions that would follow , a manifestation of the horrors
of the Atomic Age .....as opposed to a giant monster that does'nt MEAN to cause devastation , and , has a capacity for good , defeating , generally , more destructive (If not always as powerful.) monsters.  Everyone should see both versions of Gojira/Godzilla to see how much they differ. Some monsters are probably more creepy than actually scary to adults. Some Horror movies build a mood that even adults find scary , or , at least , suspenseful , while others are just fun to watch.  But , as adults , we can still appreciate the scare - appeal of the better films......

Hmmmmm......."Scream ! Scream for your lives !!!" - Vincent Price.

'SCREAM REAL LOUD !!"   -  Pee Wee Herman (WHO , YOU'LL NOTE , ONCE MET GODZILLA AND KING GHIDORAH.).

Lutz Vipinderwoman said:

I thought There Was a Fungus Among Us was a song by Hugh Barrett and the Victors;-) So you have to wonder if Honda had a few inside jokes with these titles, hmmm...I really have to wonder.  I believe The Human Vapor must have been sort of a biography. I've never heard of The Manster. That's funny. All the monster flicks of the past century. Why were people so fascinated with large flocks of animals or oversized insects and monsters, etc. Seems so ridiculous now. I know Gojira was, of course, about Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki A-bomb and its evils (rightly so), but do monsters really scare anyone but children? I haven't seen one yet. If I do, I'm just going to make the safe assumption it wants to eat me and run and just make a fool of myself while doing it...AND not take any practical preventions to conceal myself by screaming loudly. I've learned this much.

John Battles said:

How about "There Was a Fungus Among Us"......I thought it was Ishiro Honda , who also did a lot of Godzilla movies.......The Human Vapor , that's one I was thinking about , but could'nt remember the title. Honest. Then , there's The Manster , which is junk , but GREAT junk , about a man who grows an eyeball on his shoulder , which soon grows to a FULL head. His inner monster soon breaks free and wreaks havoc. Not REAL serious stuff , but , period Japanese Horror that did'nt involve giant monsters.

Yeah , you see what I mean? It was only nine years after the Hiroshima /Nagasaki attacks , and there was still VERY strong anti - American sentiment in Japan. That much , they whittled out of the U.S. release. But , the movie seems to be more of a statement against the emerging Cold War , as was "The Day The Earth Stood Still".  
 
MikeL said:

John, I saw the original version of "Godzilla" at a local indie theater that specializes in such oddities, and yes, you're right, that first movie is very dark and grim. A far cry from all the campiness that permeated the later films.

John, I saw the original version of "Godzilla" at a local indie theater that specializes in such oddities, and yes, you're right, that first movie is very dark and grim. A far cry from all the campiness that permeated the later films.

I thought There Was a Fungus Among Us was a song by Hugh Barrett and the Victors;-) So you have to wonder if Honda had a few inside jokes with these titles, hmmm...I really have to wonder.  I believe The Human Vapor must have been sort of a biography. I've never heard of The Manster. That's funny. All the monster flicks of the past century. Why were people so fascinated with large flocks of animals or oversized insects and monsters, etc. Seems so ridiculous now. I know Gojira was, of course, about Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki A-bomb and its evils (rightly so), but do monsters really scare anyone but children? I haven't seen one yet. If I do, I'm just going to make the safe assumption it wants to eat me and run and just make a fool of myself while doing it...AND not take any practical preventions to conceal myself by screaming loudly. I've learned this much.

John Battles said:

How about "There Was a Fungus Among Us"......I thought it was Ishiro Honda , who also did a lot of Godzilla movies.......The Human Vapor , that's one I was thinking about , but could'nt remember the title. Honest. Then , there's The Manster , which is junk , but GREAT junk , about a man who grows an eyeball on his shoulder , which soon grows to a FULL head. His inner monster soon breaks free and wreaks havoc. Not REAL serious stuff , but , period Japanese Horror that did'nt involve giant monsters.

How about "There Was a Fungus Among Us"......I thought it was Ishiro Honda , who also did a lot of Godzilla movies.......The Human Vapor , that's one I was thinking about , but could'nt remember the title. Honest. Then , there's The Manster , which is junk , but GREAT junk , about a man who grows an eyeball on his shoulder , which soon grows to a FULL head. His inner monster soon breaks free and wreaks havoc. Not REAL serious stuff , but , period Japanese Horror that did'nt involve giant monsters.

My particular favorite tokusatsu by Honda Ishiro (please look forward to) Matango and/or Attack of the Mushroom People or best title yet......: Fungus of Terror!!!! ahhhh..

O what....another Ishiro film, The Human Vapor: The Human Vapor

I AGREE , THE  TWO DO , OR CAN , BLEND TOGETHER NICELY.... I GREW UP SEEING SOME OF THESE MOVIES ON TV , AND , SOME TIME BACK , SCORED SOME VHS COPIES OF SEVERAL OF THESE FILMS  (Don't know which ones are presently available on DVD), AND , AS I SAY , I LIKED THAT THEY DID'NT DUMB THEM DOWN FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES.

BUT , THAT'S NOT AN ANTI - KID SENTIMENT ON MY PART. I EVEN KNEW HOW FAKE A LOT OF GODZILLA MOVIES I WATCHED AS  A KID WERE , BUT , IT'S THE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF......IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE , THOUGH , HOW SOME DIRECTORS AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES (INC. TOHO , THE HOUSE GODZILLA BUILT , THEN BURNED DOWN.) WENT AGAINST THE GRAIN , NOW AND THEM.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Never heard that before but after reading the entry, it sounds like adult stuff kind of has to share with the slightly more juvenile shows and movies but even so, it all blends in rather nicely.

That's an interesting essay....There might be some movies that would fall under that heading , within the genre I'm thinking of , if it even exists , but , it has less to do with giant monsters , and probably nothing  to do with (usually) giant superheroes....Dogora is a giant monster, but , because it's a jellyfish , it's almost formless , and , sometimes , not even shown when it's doing it's dirt.......It bears no  resemblance to Ghidorah , Rodan , Mothra , etc. The only way it's outlining is even shown is that it glows green in the dark , like a classic monster model. Manda is a giant monster, but , he only figures  so much  into the story of "Atragon". One gets the impression they incorporated the monster for box office appeal. Much like the American version of "Curse (Night) of The Demon" added on a giant monster , but , it's one of the scariest fucking movie monsters , ever....and DOES bear a Japanese influence , but , by that , I mean it closely resembles some of teh demons in Japanese mythology.  'Dogora " and "Atragon"  have a fantastic design sense , when compared to the better - known Japanese monster films (Which , as I say , I still enjoy.).

"Dogora " also has an appealing subplot about two rival diamond smuggling rings , very James Bond cooliah.
 
kopper said:

Do you mean Tokusatsu?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu

Good call. No , I was'nt aware of that...I've seen "X" and "Goke"....Sounds like a good set . I've heard of The Living Skeleton....I've never picked up "Lake of Dracula" (Which at least did'nt make him 200 feet tall!!!), either , that was a bit later....But I like to see how different cultures interpret well known Horror legends....

Have you picked up Criterion Collection's Eclipse Series #37 "when Horror Came To Shochiku"?  It's a 4 movie box set with THE X FROM OUTER SPACE (UCHU DAIKAIJU GIRARA), GOKE, BODY SNATCHER FROM HELL (KYUKETSUKI GOKEMIDORO), THE LIVING SKELTON (KYUKETSU DOKURO SEN), and Genocide (KONCHU DAISENSO).  So far the only one I have watched with X FROM OUTER SPACE.  That one is very much in the tradition of Godzilla/Gamera.  Good fun.  I can't comment on the rest yet.

Never heard that before but after reading the entry, it sounds like adult stuff kind of has to share with the slightly more juvenile shows and movies but even so, it all blends in rather nicely.

Do you mean Tokusatsu?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu

Not so quick reply: To a degree , maybe , but it seem like Tokusatsu refers largely to Kaiju (Giant Monsters) than some of the more serious Horror / Sci Fi myself , and other people discussed.

Of course, several of these movies DO feature giant monsters , but they're usually presented on a different scale than say , Godzilla , Rodan or Ghidorah.   Maijin is , technically , a giant monster, but he's a resurrected ancient Japanese warrior , a statue , I believe , making him more like a Golem than a reptilian or insectoid creature. But , Lake of Dracula ( Recommended.) , The Human Vapor , The H man , GOKE , The Body Snatcher From Hell , The Manster , and others , broke away from the Kaiju formula , even when said movies did feature giant monsters.   GOJIRA , OF COURSE , WAS AIMED AT ADULTS AND TEENS , But ,the Godzila we know and still love became more of a children's attraction (Which is cool.), but , more movies came out of Japan , aimed primarily at adults and teenagers. Even the recent Godzila films are a far cry from the Saturday matinees and Sunday Afternoon mini - marathons I enjoyed in my childhood and early teens. But , you know what? There's room for everything. Kids need to get turned on to Horror films in an inviting , not overly scary , manner. Thta's where the Big "G" COMES IN..........