La isla de la muerte (1967)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Mel Welles

Writers:

Mel Welles (story)
Ernst R. von Theumer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 November 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

What Was the Terrifying Secret of the Vampire Tree?

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Meat Eating Plant | Vampire | Island

Cast

Cameron Mitchell	...	Baron von Weser
George Martin	...	David Moss
Elisa Montés	...	Beth Christianson
Rolf von Nauckhoff	...	James Robinson (as Rolf v. Naukoff)
Matilde Muñoz Sampedro	...	Myrtle Callihan
Kai Fischer	...	Cora Robinson
Hermann Nehlsen	...	Prof. Jules Demerest
Mike Brendel	...	Baldi, the manservant
Ricardo Valle	...	Alfredo

Also Known As:

Das Geheimnis der Todesinsel (West Germany)
Death Island
Island of the Dead
Island of the Doomed (USA)
Man Eater of Hydra (USA) (TV title)
The Bloodsuckers

Runtime:

88 min | France:85 min

Country:

Spain | West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1968) | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Arenys de Mar, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Orbita Film S.A.

Silly and schlocky junk, but fairly entertaining.

A group of vacationers pay to visit an island paradise presided over by Baron Von Weser (Cameron Mitchell). Little do they know what kind of experiments that this mad scientist is conducting in seclusion. His star attraction is his "vampire tree" creation, sucking all of the blood out of hapless victims, decimating the vacationers one at a time.

Directed by actor Mel Welles (a regular in Roger Corman films, most notably "The Little Shop of Horrors"), this cheap, cheesy schlock is moderately entertaining as a guilty pleasure. Featuring typically bad dubbing, interesting low-grade special effects, a surprisingly gory finish, nice photography, a nondescript cast, and a most amusing music score, it should hit the spot for lovers of B movies. I imagine the best time to watch such a flick would be early morning, when it would be most likely to be shown on TV. It does have that sort of appeal going for it.

Mitchell, despite clearly being dubbed by some other actor, portrays a smooth, dapper antagonist, who manages to retain his cool for the balance of the picture. George Martin is the requisite hero, Elisa Montes his cute and perky love interest given to fainting at times of stress, Matilde Sampedro the overbearing Myrtle, and Mike Brendel the hulking manservant Baldi.

It's not without its share of atmosphere, and pacing is pretty consistent throughout. Ultimately, the best part is the climax, which proves to be worth waiting for.

I enjoyed it to a certain extent.

5/10