Island of Lost Souls (1932)

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

Waldemar Young (screen play), Philip Wylie (screen play),

Stars:

Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Laughton	...	Dr. Moreau
Richard Arlen	...	Edward Parker
Leila Hyams	...	Ruth Thomas
Bela Lugosi	...	Sayer of the Law
Kathleen Burke	...	The Panther Woman
Arthur Hohl	...	Montgomery
Stanley Fields	...	Captain Davies
Paul Hurst	...	Donahue
Hans Steinke	...	Ouran
Tetsu Komai	...	M'ling
George Irving	...	The Consul

Storyline

After his ship goes down, Edward Parker is rescued at sea. Parker gets into a fight with Captain Davies of the Apia and the Captain tosses him overboard while making a delivery to the tiny tropical island of Dr. Moreau. Parker discovers that Moreau has good reason to be so secretive on his lonely island. The doctor is a whip-cracking task master to a growing population of his own gruesome human/animal experiments. He does have one prize result, Lota the beautiful panther woman. Parker's fortunes for escape look up after his fiancée Ruth finds him with the help of fearless Captain Donohue. However, when Moreau's tribe of near-humans rises up to rebel, no one is safe...

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Plot Keywords:

experiment | island | half human | ship | escape | 

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Taglines:

TERROR! Stalked the Brush-Choked Island...Where Men Who Were Animals Sought the Girl Who Was All-Human!

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Genres:

Adventure | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Island of Dr. Moreau

Filming Locations:

Catalina Island, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in October-November 1932. This was Charles Laughton's third Hollywood production, having already completed The Old Dark House and The Sign of the Cross.

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Goofs

As the beast-men attack Moreau's lab one of them brushes against a flaming torch and sets his furry head alight.

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Quotes

Ruth Thomas: [hearing chanting] What's that?
Dr. Moreau: The natives, they have a curious ceremony. Mr. Parker has witnessed it.
Ruth Thomas: Tell us about it, Edward.
Edward Parker: Oh, it's... it's nothing.
Dr. Moreau: They are restless tonight.

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Connections

Version of The Twilight People (1972)

User Reviews

Waking Nightmare

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.