Jul 3, 2014

Island of Lost Souls

Saw Island of Lost Souls, an amazing old film (circa 1932) which is an adaptation of The Island of Doctor Moreau. The doctor, when he is revealed, is amazing. Fat and effeminate, he minces and giggles. The beast-men are a bit lacking in makeup (you can see why someone would want to remake this) but they're suitably feral and menacing, most effective as dark shadows flitting around the edges of a campfire. There's one amazing scene where the beast-men display their servility toward Moreau, colouring it with a creepily religious tinge.

Much of the plot revolves around a lurid plot to have a cat-woman mate with a hapless dude who is shipwrecked on the island. The perversity of the situation is mined alternately for horror and pathos. The film is grand, grotesque, and perverse. I loved it. Especially for an older film, the punches land well and strong. There's a bit of 30s-era silliness spread around and the whole thing is in questionable taste, but the film is captivating and weird.

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