Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

H.G. Wells (novel)
Waldemar Young (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

December 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Experiment | Island | Half Human | Escape | Doctor

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Island of Dr. Moreau (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1996) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The filmmakers wanted an unknown actress to play Lota, the Panther Woman. Kathleen Burke, their selection, was working as a dentist's assistant at the time. It was her first film role ever.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Dr. Moreau: Have you forgotten the house of pain?
Sayer of the Law: You! You made us in the house of pain! You made us... things! Not men! Not beasts! Part men! Things!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999) (V)

The rarest of treats -- a bona fide classic that still delivers!

I'll be brief: If you've never seen this definitive, influential horror film, see it. After all these years, it still has the power to shock. Good performances all around (Charles Laughton in particular). Small wonder this thing was banned in the U.K. for so long. Now that it's been remade (at least twice), it's worth taking a look at the original.