Island of Lost Souls (1932) Reviews

• Waking Nightmare

  Shield-32001-04-22

  Universal dominated the horror market of the 1930s, but every once in a while the other studios would produce a classic of their own. `Island of Lost Souls,' produced by Paramount, is one such film. It's tight, fast, and haunting. The most striking thing about `Island' is its claustrophobic, nightmarish atmosphere. Some people criticize the hero, Edward Parker (Richard Arlen), as bland and colorless, but I think this works in the film's favor. Since he has no personality of his own, he can be more of an Everyman; he also has no strength to draw upon and is therefore powerless against the horrors around him. He sees the perverse monstrosities Moreau has created on his island, finds himself attracted to and then repulsed by the cat-woman Lota, and then struggles to free himself from Moreau's manipulative control. It's like those nightmares where you try to run away from something terrible but your feet won't move. Charles Laughton steals the show as Dr. Moreau; his disarming, cherubic exterior somehow enhances his aura of menace. He may not look as blatantly evil as Bela Lugosi, but after a few minutes you just know there's something terribly wrong with this man. The irony is, the creatures Moreau creates are far more humane than he is. The creatures themselves live in a tight society, bound by the laws Moreau has given them; instead of dwelling on their physical awfulness, the film imparts them with a curious dignity and innocence. When the inevitable rebellion comes, I found myself cheering the creatures on, much like I felt my heart go out to the Frankenstein Monster or King Kong. `Island' is one of those movies you need to watch on a humid summer night, when your clothes cling to your skin and every breath feels like it's coming through a wet towel. Feel the suspense and the terror seep into you, and then try to tell me the old horror movies weren't infinitely better than what passes for horror nowadays.

• An evil genius accelerates evolution through terrible pain

  netwallah2006-05-13

  From the H.G. Wells story, "The Island of Dr. Moreau," this film is part horror story, part science fiction, and part moral fable. If the film works, it's because of Wells's writing and because of the simultaneously comforting and disturbing presence of Charles Laughton as Dr. Moreau. He is another sort of Dr. Frankenstein, a scientist whose hunger for discovery transforms genius and egotism into a pathology. Moreau has discovered a means of accelerating evolution by hundreds of millennia. His experiments with plants were harmless enough, but, banished to a tropical island, he forces beasts to evolve into men through sessions in the operating theatre he calls the House of Pain. The creatures are given the law, which they chant responsively: "Are we not men?" Into this scenario comes an innocent outsider, Parker (Richard Arlen), who rejects Moreau's vision and stands for truth and dignity—Arlen is a typical 30s hero, a bit of a stick figure, really, with good posture and a pretty fiancée Ruth (Leila Hyams) who shows up on the island to save him, and in turn to be saved herself, but he's not a great actor. On the other hand, Laughton is. He invests the part with a complex mix of charm, sprawling awkwardly on an operating table to show how fully at ease he is, or smiling with a boyish expression of amusement, not unlike Fatty Arbuckle—but he's also able to exude menace by holding absolutely still, an effect emphasized by shadow, and by saying terrible things with a bland expression. Also remarkable is Kathleen Burke as Lota, the Panther Woman, Moreau's most advanced experiment: she weeps, she loves, she protects her beloved and dies in the effort. The beast-people—Parker and Moreau call them "natives," Parker sincerely and Moreau ironically—are disturbed, and Moreau says "They are restless tonight." Is this the origin of the familiar phrase? When they discover Dr. Moreau is willing to break the law, ordering the death of an intruder, they realize he can die, too, and take him to the House of Pain. Rowing away from the burning island, Dr. Moreau's assistant, the repentant Dr. Montgomery (Arthur Hohl) tells them, "Don't look back." Another source for yet another familiar phrase? The story is not really about political events of the 30s at all--the story was written much earlier--but about the human limits of science, a theme dating back at least to Faustus and Frankenstein.

• A Chilling Classic!

  Whizzer-21999-09-29

  This chilling adaptation of the H.G.Well's novella, "The Island of Dr Moreau" remains unsurpassed, despite two later wretched attempts to improve upon it. Banned in England upon release! An exotic, but sinister atmosphere pervading Moreau's privately-owned island is enhanced by filming in Black & White, whose shadowy contrasts imbue the setting which a dark, suspenseful tone. Moreau amorally attempts to "play God" by creating "manimals" - hybrid humans and animals - via surgical vivasection and blood transfusion in his laboratory, The House of Pain. Charles Laughton has never been more campily devilish as when playing Moreau - an exquisite performance by a great actor. Bela Lugosi plays a small, but effective part as "The Sayer of the Law": "Are we not men?" Kathleen Burke as the beautiful, erotic "Panther Woman" who develops an ill-fated romance with the protagonist, Edward Parker (played by Richard Arlen). Crisp direction by Erle Kenton, with nice make-up effects by Wally Westmore. The cutaway from the grisly ending when Moreau is about to be subjected to "surgery of the most fatal kind" in The House of Pain is most appreciated and is what I consider to be an exercise in directorial restraint and finesse. My imagination more than filled in the horrific details. Kudos to Mr. Kenton!

• Terrifying when I first saw it in 1933. Equally so in 2000.

  amadeus-102001-02-24

  I first saw this film in 1933 when I was 7 years old. My 20 year old aunt, who was also my nanny, used to drag me to these things (also took me to equally horrifying Trader Horn and King Kong) instead of taking me to the playground. Even after 67 years, I remembered the scene when someone was lashing the rebellious half-animals. I checked it out from my video store last year for a re-run. Absolutely magnificent Laughton. Still scary.

• This is a horror CLASSIC, pure and simple, and still one of the most extraordinary movies ever made!

  Infofreak2003-08-06

  The 1930s was a great decade for horror with classic titles like 'Dracula', 'Frankenstein', 'Bride Of Frankenstein', 'Freaks', 'King Kong', 'The Invisible Man' and 'White Zombie'. I always thought 'Bride Of Frankenstein' was the best of the lot, but a VERY close second would have to be 'Island Of Lost Souls'. It truly is an extraordinary movie and still able to chill the blood and fire the imagination! It's easily the best version of H.G. Wells' 'The Island Of Dr Moreau' to date, and literally years ahead of its time. Many of the 1930s films made before the self imposed censorship of the Hays Code are quite startling and really pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on screen. This movie is seventy years old but it still pretty disturbing even now. At the time it must have been something else! Especially the super sexy Lota The Panther Woman (Kathleen Burke). Charles Laughton plays Moreau and he is one of the greatest of screen villains. The quintessential megalomaniac mad scientist figure. Richard Arlen is pretty good as the hero, Edward Parker, who finds himself trapped on Moreau's island, and horror legend Bela Lugosi is unforgettable as the Sayer of the Law. I watched an old video copy of this movie with a lousy transfer and was still utterly transfixed. If this is available on DVD with the care and attention given to it that Universal have taken on their classic horror titles I will add it straight to the top of my (ever expanding!) "must buy" list. 'Island Of Lost Souls' is one of the greatest horror movies I've ever seen, and one that I can't recommend highly enough to any horror buff whatever your age or taste.