[HorrorScience] Half Human (1955)

On this occasion I am going to talk to you about Half Human, a film that was considered lost until a few years ago, because was censored and banned by her own production company and it was not released in cinemas or released on VHS in its native country, Japan.

However, the rights were sold to American production companies, who did not hesitate to cut footage and add scenes with American actors talking to each other, as if they were part of the plot (a practice that was done with almost all Japanese films at the time) using the actor John Carradine as a lure.

Thus, for a long time the only version that could be found was the American one, but fortunately and thanks to some Italian fans, a copy of the original version was leaked on the internet, thus removing it from oblivion and allowing the public to enjoy it without cuts or additions.

Half Human is another film directed by Ishiro Honda, who after the enormous success he achieved with the first Godzilla movie, leaves aside the giant monsters to film this fantasy film with light touches of horror and suspense, centered on the myth of the Abominable Snowman.

The film begins with some students who are skiing down the mountain. Two of them decide to separate from the group to visit an elderly man who lives in a house in the area, while the rest go to the nearest shelter to wait for them. Unfortunately, a strong snow storm shakes the mountains for hours, isolating the two students who had been separated.

The next day the rest of the group leaves in search, but they only find the corpse of the old man and that of one of the boys, the destroyed house, remains of hair and huge footprints in the snow, which do not seem to belong to any known animal.

Once the cold season has passed, an expedition group is created to enter the mountains, rescue the other boy and discover what the creature is that has left those footprints. As they advance through the mountains, problems and difficulties begin, since after an accident the guides decide not to continue. due to the danger that seems to exist in that forbidden area, which leaves our protagonists alone on the mountain.

Or that's what they believe, because at the same time there is a group of hunters who have learned about the history of the enormous animal and decide to go hunt it to make a fortune with it. There is also a small town with natives nearby, who are not exactly thrilled to see so many foreigners in their area.

As usually happens in these films, the surveillance posts are of little use and the monster reaches the tent where the protagonists are resting, but when they wake up he is chased by one of them. His bravery will be compensated by being injured, but fortunately a girl from the tribe takes him home to take care of him. This will not please the rest of the natives who decide to sacrifice it to satisfy the monster.

Luckily for him, the monster is kinder than his frightening appearance suggests, as he not only spares the victim's life, but also sets him free.

Meanwhile, the hunters manage to catch what appears to be the baby of the monster, and decide to use it to stop a trap for the adult, who they will put in a cage so they can quickly take it out of the mountains and earn money by exhibiting it. The baby of the monster does not give up and tries to free its father, which ends up causing his death and unleashing the fury of the monster, which from that moment on will act like a real madman, destroying everything in front of it, including the native village.

As it could not be otherwise, the girl who was with the expedition is also kidnapped by the monster, which will take the protagonists to the cave where she lives. Will they find the girl alive? Will they find the student who disappeared on the mountain? What will the natives do about it?

Half Human It is a film that is nothing more than correct, its initial part is very slow and its resolution quite abrupt. Regarding the special effects, they seem quite correct, the monster is a costumed actor (as in most Japanese films) but some moments of stop-motion animation are also included with an acceptable result, despite not being as good as what can be seen in American films.

I cannot criticize the effects any more, because the quality of the version that I have seen was not very good, because as I mentioned at the beginning, this film has not had adequate treatment in regards to its distribution. I understand that some websites sell a DVD version but I don't know if it is the original Japanese version and if, if so, it is the same one I have seen or if it is a higher quality version.

Some curiosities about Half Human:

• The reason why this film was banned was the natives, who are portrayed as mentally retarded (or almost so) with an appearance that is too reminiscent of the Ainu, who are indigenous people who live in some areas of Japan and who despite being so old (or older) that the Japanese themselves have always been marginalized and persecuted in the different stages of Japanese society, which marginalizes and singles them out even today (there are companies that if they discover that you have Ainu relatives they will not hire you, for example).  In the recent history of Japan, laws and aid have been included to compensate this tribe, and I imagine that at the time this film was going to be released, there was already awareness of the issue, so Toho preferred to avoid problems by prohibiting its distribution in the Japanese country.
• Although the film is about the Abominable Snowman, it is clear that there is a strong influence of king kong, from the appearance of the monster, his habit of kidnapping women or the indigenous people who consider him a god and offer him sacrifices. This influence was confirmed years later, when Honda directed King Kong Vs Godzilla, King Kong Escapes and War of Gargantuas (starring two giant apes).