Gallery point in Ebisu Tokyo is currently holding a small exhibition devoted to tokusatsu horror films of the 50s and 60s. Most people know the Japanese monster or kaiju films of the era but Toho, in particular, produced a number of other special effects films which now have cult status in Japan and abroad. Godzilla director Ishiro Honda was at the helm of a number of these films, generally in partnership with effects genius Eiji Tsubaraya, credited as the creator of "suitmation". One of their most famous films is Matango, based on a short story by British author William Hope Hodgson. Renamed Attack of the Mushroom People when it was released overseas, the film's themes still work well with modern audiences and US fans have picked up on an odd link between the castaways in film and those featured in Gilligan's Island. Other films included in the gallery exhibition are The Human Vapor and The H-Man. There's an old article here which touches on this side of Toho's catalogue.
