Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Video Watchdog may have been the first to describe these two different endings to _The Manster_ (released in the U.S. in 1962), but I don't believe there's been a video comparison of them from hi-def sources (albeit rendered in 480p, sorry).
_The Manster_ was originally shot in Japan as "The Split" in 1958 by an independent U.S. production unit for United Artists. UA handled the Japanese (1959), Australian and UK releases (both 1961) under the original title, but it was UA's subsidiary (and nominally an arthouse distributor) Lopert Pictures which finally handled the United States release in 1962, and by now titled "The Manster" (and packaged with "The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus"). Except for the clip from an ancient Video Yesteryear/Video Images VHS, all clips herein are sourced from different HD masters created by MGM (which still holds original film elements via United Artists).
I can't say why one version of the film ends so abruptly (or why the 4:3 HD master ends without tracked-in music), but I suspect that the end title crediting Lopert was spliced in at the same time as the revised main title.
Incidentally, while I didn't include it in the video, there also exists another older 4:3 MGM master of the longer "United Artists Release" ending. IIRC this is the version that still plays every once in a great while on Turner Classic Movies.
Video Watchdog may have been the first to describe these two different endings to _The Manster_ (released in the U.S. in 1962), but I don't believe there's been a video comparison of them from hi-def sources (albeit rendered in 480p, sorry).
_The Manster_ was originally shot in Japan as "The Split" in 1958 by an independent U.S. production unit for United Artists. UA handled the Japanese (1959), Australian and UK releases (both 1961) under the original title, but it was UA's subsidiary (and nominally an arthouse distributor) Lopert Pictures which finally handled the United States release in 1962, and by now titled "The Manster" (and packaged with "The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus"). Except for the clip from an ancient Video Yesteryear/Video Images VHS, all clips herein are sourced from different HD masters created by MGM (which still holds original film elements via United Artists).
I can't say why one version of the film ends so abruptly (or why the 4:3 HD master ends without tracked-in music), but I suspect that the end title crediting Lopert was spliced in at the same time as the revised main title.
Incidentally, while I didn't include it in the video, there also exists another older 4:3 MGM master of the longer "United Artists Release" ending. IIRC this is the version that still plays every once in a great while on Turner Classic Movies.
