Customer Reviews

Isle of the Dead [VHS]

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Karloff did three great movies for producer Val Lewton in the mid-40's; and while "Isle" may not be the best of them, it's probably the creepiest. Especially the famous "resurrection" scene comes to mind. I dare you to watch the last 10 minutes of the film with all the lights out, and you won't forget it for a long time. -Those drops of water hitting that coffin, the sobbing and the subsequent "walk of terror" around the house will stay with you, I gaurantee. The story is not very logical, but it's scary and that's what counts. Lewton was indeed the true Master of atmosphere.

Another Val Lewton masterpiece of horror through suggestion, shadow, and surrealism. Karloff is at his best as a grizzardly Greek general whose mind is caught between the rationalism of modern secular thinking and the oppressive superstitions of his native culture. Do Vorvolika (vampires) really exist on the dark, dreary Island off the Greek coast? Even worse, is delicately beautiful Ellen Drew one such creature? See for yourself in this well-made tale of psychological terror. Karloff is splendid in his role as the well-intentioned general whose only wish is to protect the party stranded on a dreary island overcome by a terrible plague. But is it really the plague, or is it the spell of vampires? Great support from Alan Napier, Skelton Knaggs, and Jason Robards, Sr. Of course, Ellen Drew, one of Hollywood's truly beautiful and ladylike actresses of the late 1930s and early 1940s is effective as well as gorgeous in the role of the young Greek servant whom one rather superstitious and jealous old hag believes is a "vorvolika." Is she? And how will Karloff deal with the situation? Purchase this film. Like "The Body Snatcher" and "The Cat People," the directing is magnificent. Lewton's genius at utilizing shadows and suggestions creates more terror than a million slasher films with gallons of blood splashing across the screen. A great horror film with fine performances both in front of, and behind, the camera.

"Isle of the Dead" is a multilayered film that is at first hard to penetrate, but when the viewer actually understands what's going on the rewards are rich. A group of people are quarantined on a small Greek island during the Balkan war of 1912, and things start happening which we can never be sure are actually supernatural or not until the horrific ending.

Boris Karloff is in top form playing the creepy but well intentioned "watchdog" General Nikolas Pherides, a man set apart from others by his inhuman loyalty to the military and his singular loneliness. Also, as the film goes on and he grows more and more irrational, we see that he is slowly losing his mind.

One gets the sense from the beginning of the film that this tough and alienated old man probably would have been better off if he had never decided to accompany a strangely sprightly reporter, Oliver Davis (he seems almost amusingly out of place in this movie, and his cheesy romanticism makes you wonder if he wandered off the set of "Casablanca") to the small island where his wife is buried.

As it turns out, all the coffins have been pillaged by peasants for antiques, and the bodies destroyed by a superstitious old woman who turns out to be the real villian in the film, a black clad old coot named Mira. From the outset she preys on the General's already unsound mind, insisting that Thea (Ellen Drew), a healthy young woman, is a vampire feasting on the ill health of the rest of the islands' inhabitants. At first Karloff's character writes her off as a nut, but as his friends start falling dropping off like flies from the plague which has struck the island, he becomes more and more vulnerable to her nonsense, and begins watching Thea like a hawk.

Albrecht (actually actor Jason Robards' father in an unflattering role), who owns the island, is a native Greek and sits somewhat happily as the dementia escalates. He seems like the Santa Claus of the movie, praying to Hermes and insisting that one must surrender to the gods in order to achieve an honorable death. There is one unforgettable scene in which the military doctor catches the plague and simply says, while dying, "Live fighting and die knowing you know nothing". Thereby another knotch in the already deteriorating psyche of the General is undone.

This is a film about acceptance of fate and the consequences of dogged stubborness represented by the General. The last half hour is unforgettable; a woman is buried alive, bursts from her coffin (the mood of unrelenting doom and inevitable death is pure Poe) and begins a killing spree which ends in the death of both the General and the superstitious old Mira. Ultimately the General is a sympathetic character. We are not sure what to make of his intensity. In the first scene he sends a man to die for abandoning his troops without blinking, and yet throughout the rest of the movie his more human side emerges, which he has obviously been repressing for a long time. The atmosphere of this film will not leave you long after watching it.

I bought a copy of this movie when our local video store decided to clear out some of its old VHS horror section. I bought it mostly because it said the name "Boris Karloff" on the front. Well, me and a group of my friends decided to watch it one night in the wee hours of the morning. The movie was great. I was not let down. Karloff delivers an impressive performance as a Greek general who gets stranded on an island. Believing the people on the island (himself included) to be possibly infected with the plague, he quarantines the group of people he finds living there to the island. But is this all a result of the plague...or is it a vampire?? You'll have to watch it and find out. Great film.

All of Val Lewton's RKO horror films should be available of DVD; one by one, however, they have gone out of print. This is one of the few that's left on VHS; buy it immediately. While not as effective as THE SEVENTH VICTIM or I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, this is a superb film that deserves to be seen as widely as possible.

When is RKO going to put out a complete boxed set of Val Lewton films on DVD? It's long overdue.

I am an admirer of the horror films produced in the 40's by Val Lewton for RKO,especially the original Cat People, IWalked With A Zombie and ,best of all the chilling .pessimistic The Seventh Victim.Isle of the Dead is a weaker than usual reffort but is still compelling.
Boris Karloff plays a Greek general during the civil war in that nation in 1910.He is a stern,unyielding man whose ethical code is such that when a colleague fails in his duty the General browbeats him into suicide.Accompanied by an American journalist he pays a nocturnal visit to the island ,used as a cemetery,on which his late wife is interred.An outbreak of plague forces them to remain on the island where the claustrophobic drama is played out among a disparate group of characters.These include a doctor,the British Consul and his wife .The latter's companion is a narcoleptic and a relationship forms between this woman and the journalist despite Karloff becoming increasingly persuaded that she is evil and responsible for the plague.He is encouraged in this view by the housekeeper,a devotee of the old religion who claims the woman is a vampire.
The slow and measured build up will not please those raised on movies cut like MTV videos,but the dreamlike finale ,in which a victim of premature burial rises to wreak revenge is handled with edge and a sense of creepiness.The judicious use of sound evokes memories of The Cat People and there is a driven,forceful performance by an ailing Karloff resplendent in a becoming gray curly coiffure.
It will be enjoyed by devotees of vintage movies but should be avoided by seekers after the visceral

A black and white brooding horror story of people under siege on a greek island during the black plague, How they survive the horror and what happens to them makes for an intensely dramatic movie.

The movie is very good and the build up to then end is excellent but I will never know the actual ending. My version (which I bought through Amazon) is made by "Video Entertainment Corp" is very poor quality and the worst part is that the tape ends (runs out of tape) before the end of the movie. I was very disappointed with my purchase. Just as a side note, I also bought the "Cat People" with the same purchase and while the tape has the complete movie..... the quality of the tape is horrible. It is also made by Video Entertainment Corp and it is as if someone taped this off the TV using extended play mode on their VCR..... very poor condition.

Isle of the dead is a 1945 film from Val Lewton's horror film division at RKO. The film stars Boris Karloff and Ellen Drew with Jason Robards Sr., and Alan Napier.

Boris Karloff (1887-1969) started in films in 1916 and up until 1931 he was a bit player in B films. Then came "Frankenstein" (1931), "The Mummy" (1932) and "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (1932) and he was off on a whirlwind career that lasted for decades. "Isle of the Dead" comes a few years before his "Abbott and Costello meets..." films while he was doing the "scarey dude but not a monster" films such as "Dick Tracey Meets Gruesome" (1947), "Bedlam" (1946), and "The Boogie Man Will Get You" (1942).

Pretty and sultry Ellen Drew (1915-2003) worked steadily from 1936 to 1950, appearing in more than 50 films, although most were forgettable. Her starring roles were in films like "Buck Benny Rides Again" (1940), "The Monster and the Girl" (1941), "That's My Baby" (1944) and "Davy Crockett Indian Scout" (1947).

Jason Robards Sr. (1892-1963) is billed as Jason Robards since his son was not acting at the time (Junior started in films in 1959). Robards was a prolific actor appearing in nearly 100 films, most of which are forgettable. The next year he appeared with Karloff in another Lewton film, "Bedlam".

Distinguished-looking Alan Napier (1903-88) is best known for playing Alfred in the "Batman" TV series (1966-8), although he made more than 100 films. He was a staple in horror films of the 40s and 50s, appearing in "Cat People" (1942), "The Hairy Ape" (1944), and "The Uninvited" (1944). I remember him best as the evil priest from "Joan of Arc" (1948).

Val Lewton (1904-51) was the producer. He was Head of Horror" at RKO where he produced "Cat People" (1942), I Walked with a Zombie" (1943), and "The Leopard Man" (1943) and teamed with Karloff on this film, "The Body Snatchers" (1945), and "Bedlam" (1946).He specialized in doing more with less, and this is an example.

Mark Robson (1913-78) directs. He worked with Lewton on "Cat People" (1942), I Walked with a Zombie" (1943) and "Bedlam" (1946). He was twice nominated for an Oscar and a DGA award ("Peyton Place" and "Inn of the Sixth Happiness"), and twice nominated at Cannes ("Bright Victory" and "The Harder They Fall"). His best work was directing "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1954) and "Champion" (1949).

Fans of Val Lewton will enjoy the film as this is a break from his more horrific efforts, and fans of Karloff will enjoy seeing the master at work, although Karloff did better work in other films. Martin Scorsese rated this film as #2 in his list of the 11 "scariest horror films of all time"

This film takes place in 1912 Greece during a Balkan War. A Colonel is punished for lagging behind. A reporter for an American newspaper interviews General Pherides. The dead must be quickly buried for fear of plague. Who can be singing in a graveyard at night? The General and the reporter find a house with refugees from the war, and stay overnight. The darkness and night provides atmosphere, but nothing happens. Thea dislikes General Pherides because of his ruthlessness in collecting taxes before the war. There is danger of septicemic plague; no one may leave the island. If the sirocco wind blows it will kill off the fleas that spread the plague. There is fear of vorvolakos, the evil spirits that sicken and kill people [vampires?].

The British consul St. Albans has caught the sickness; he soon dies. His wife mourns, she has other fears. Doctor Drossos is next to suffer. Prayer brings comfort to some. The old woman Kyra warns about evil demons. The General orders Thea to stay away from the others - in case she is a vorvolakos! Mrs. St. Albans has collapsed. Is it death or a cataleptic trance? The story has a shocking surprise. But little horror.

This film must be an example of what Hollywood stamped out to provide cheap mass entertainment in the 1940s. [When the number of movie theatres started to decline.] The low budget shows in the script and scenery. [Earnest Dorian is best known as "Baron Kurtz" in "The Third Man".]