Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Swingin’ 60s – Volume 4: “Purple People Eaters and Trippy Creatures” by Chris Christopoulos - HTML preview

“Tokyo is not very different from that island”

A little while later I spotted the yacht adrift off-shore and swam out towards it. On board I discovered a note written by Sakuda on an inside cabin wall listing the names of each of us on the island as dead:

“These people were cast ashore on a deserted island and died. I tried to escape and

reach help but I couldn’t make it and I died in the seas.

End Sakuda, Captain.”

In anger, disgust and frustration I drew a large ‘X’ over the note, a symbolic crossing out and admonition of the self-serving lies and self-justifications of a coward. It was little more than a suicide note left by Sakuda before he jumped into the sea after running out of food – food he had stolen from the rest of us!

I then made my way back to the derelict ship and Akiko. The poor little fool had just about given up hope and felt that it was better to just resign ourselves and eat the mushrooms believing that “if we can’t get off this island maybe there’s no other way to live.” It was at that point I declared my love for her. Perhaps our love would hold the answer to our survival by providing us with the power to resist succumbing to the temptation and resignation of living the life of a ‘mushroom person.’

Just as we were about to start preparations for leaving the island, several mushroom creatures entered the vessel and began attacking us. As I fought off some the attacking mushroom creatures with my gun, I became separated from Akiko who was soon kidnapped.

I went in search of Akiko and managed to track her down but to my dismay I discovered that she too had consumed mushrooms and had consequently begun to be infected. God knows I tried to rescue Akiko but I was quickly surrounded and overwhelmed by the mushroom creatures. I had no choice but to escape without her, and make my way onto the yacht and escape the island.

As you know after several days I was rescued where I now find myself here confined in this hospital room. Perhaps I would have been better off staying with Akiko on the island. [Turning to face the observing doctors, Murai’s face is revealed to show signs of being infected with the fungal growths.] “People in cities are cruel, aren’t they? It’s all the same. I’d be happier living on that island than in this city.”

[So ends the story of Matango as we come full circle with the neon-lighted city-scape coming into view through the hospital window to the accompaniment of the incessant, mechanical and dehumanizing pounding heartbeat of the metropolis.]