Matango (1963)

One of the more peculiar creature films in Dir. Ishirō Honda's filmography is a story told by a Professor (Akira Kubo) who knows what he says will make him sound crazy but is compelled to share it, nevertheless. It begins jovial, with seven people on a private yacht, but shifts to something more grim when a storm blows the revellers onto an unnamed Japanese island. Occasional flashbacks to before they set out on their sea journey add comparative value, but the subtextual layer is where the dark tone finds its anchor. Depending perhaps on your level of cognisance, the creatures may seem ridiculous or oddly unsettling, but my guess is for many it'll be somewhere in-between.

2½ broken mirrors out of 5