When a rare species of butterfly is found in a mysterious valley in Japan, a pair of entomologists go to investigate and find more. They discover Varan, a giant monster, who decides to leave the valley and head straight for Tokyo.
Practical Effects
Varan's suit has genuine menace despite visible zippers.
Direction
Honda stages panic with documentary urgency.
Director
Ishirō Honda
Kōzō Nomura
Kenji Uozaki
Ayumi Sonoda
Yuriko Shinjô
Koreya Senda
Dr. Sugimoto
Akihiko Hirata
Dr. Fujimora
Fuyuki Murakami
Dr. Majima
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Military Officer Katsumoto
Minosuke Yamada
Secretary of Defense
Hisaya Ito
Ichiro
Yoshibumi Tajima
Captain of Uranami
Nadao Kirino
Yutaka Wada
Akio Kusama
Military Officer Kusama
Noriko Honma
Ken's Mom
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Toho initially produced this for American television as 'Varan the Unbelievable,' then expanded it for Japanese theatrical release.
The butterfly-to-kaiju pipeline reflects 1950s Japan's anxiety about hidden threats in seemingly pristine nature.
JP
