AaronCapenBanner
Ishiro Honda directed this unusual film, which combines plot elements from both the crime and science fiction genres. A wanted criminal mysteriously disappears from a crime scene, leaving behind only his clothes. Japanese police track him by following his wife, who does lead them to the criminal, who has somehow mutated into a hydrogen creature who can change into a blob-like creature at will, and who can be traced to a mysterious ghost-ship anchored in the harbor that was exposed to unknown radioactive fallout. Can this menace be stopped? Good F/X, but story drags, and differing genres clash unsuccessfully in forgettable film.
poe426
Director Ishiro Honda, whose GOJIRA would go on to become (if you'll pardon the pun) one of the Biggest stars of the post-World War Two era, also gave us this little (gleaming) gem. Part police procedural and part fright film, THE H-MAN is a taut little thriller with some often exceptionally good special effects. (There are one or two of the gelatin-rolling-across-photo "effects" made popular by THE BLOB- that nifty little fright film from the other side of the world-, but in THE H-MAN, these shots are kept to a minimum.) Unlike all too many fright films from ANY age (Atomic or otherwise), THE H-MAN boasts some outstanding performances by some seasoned veterans: in fact, kick the Fantastic Elements to the curb, and what you'd be left with here is a decent little crime drama. One of Honda's finest.
Chung Mo
This is one of the legendary Toho sci-fi films that is remembered more then actually seen. A number of friends fondly recall this film as one of the best that Honda directed even with the less than stellar English dubbing.The film is very well done but with some weak points that detract from the overall effect of the production. One aspect that is very good is the excellent special effect work by Eji Tsuburaya. The scenes of liquid humans going up walls works and the scenes where the victims are liquefied are still effective. Towards the end we are treated to some great miniatures of the Tokyo waterfront and sewer system that are almost indistinguishable from the life-size sets. The film is filled with shadows and creepy sets. The story moves along quite well until the times we get to the nightclub were everything stops for dance numbers with bikini clad women and two songs (one in English!). The film would be a good fifteen minutes shorter without them and they contribute nothing to the story. Of course you might enjoy these for their own qualities.The ending is a little screwy and there seems to be some budgetary constraints as a promised H-Man destruction event never occurs.Overall, a very good horror film that stands up to anything that came out of the US or Britain at the same time.
h-mansleeplessin58
As a first grader at age 6, I felt underpriveledged. All my class mates would come to school on Mondays bragging about whatever Saturday movie experience they had. Most of the time it was a Hercules, or Sinbad or other epic tale and their comments were vivid. But when the conversation revolved around a horror movie their version turned out to be a tease. I could tell that the real deal with horror pictures was to experience it personally. Here was the conumdrum, I wasn't allowed to go the the show without an adult and I didn't want to be seen by my friends with a parent. Well finally an aunt stepped up and volunteered to take me. In that darkened theater, finally seeing a horror movie for the first time, my anticipation was peaking: that is until the H Bomb went off and the tale of this insidious monster began. Needless to say my horror fascination came full circle by the end of the first reel, and the experience left me anxious for many, many, months! Thinking back to that screenining I feel that the H man was a landmark movie and probably generated the same type emotional response as the radio broadcast of War of the Worlds had a generation earlier. A remake would be awesome with todays technology, looking forward to it, and even a peak back to the past with the original version would be nice.
AD
