Island of Terror (1966)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Edward Mann (writer)
Al Ramsen (writer)

Release Date:

February 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

How could they stop the devouring death...that lived by sucking on living human bones!

Plot:

A small island community is overrun with creeping, blobbish, tentacled monsters which liquefy and digest the bones from living creatures...

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Creature | Island | Reference To Napoleon | Medical Research

Cast

Peter Cushing	...	Dr. Brian Stanley
Edward Judd	...	Dr. David West
Carole Gray	...	Toni Merrill
Eddie Byrne	...	Dr. Reginald Landers
Sam Kydd	...	Constable John Harris
Niall MacGinnis	...	Roger Campbell
James Caffrey	...	Peter Argyle
Liam Gaffney	...	Ian Bellows
Roger Heathcote	...	Dunley
Keith Bell	...	Halsey
Shay Gorman	...	Morton
Peter Forbes-Robertson	...	Dr. Lawrence Phillips
Richard Bidlake	...	Carson
Joyce Hemson	...	Mrs. Bellows
Edward Ogden	...	Helicopter Pilot

Also Known As:

Night of the Silicates
The Creepers
The Night the Creatures Came
The Night the Silicates Came

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:X (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #21295)

Filming Locations:

Black Park Country Park, Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Planet Film Productions

Trivia:

In the French version (post-synchronized) Edward Judd is dubbed by Jean-Claude Michel / Visa d'exploitation en France : #38125

Goofs:

Continuity: After Dr. Landers is killed, his corpse mysteriously vanishes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Peter Argyle: Is that all, then, Ian?
Ian Bellows: I think so. And how long will it take to fill the order, then, this time, eh?
Peter Argyle: Oh, probably three to four weeks.
Ian Bellows: Y'know, they ought to give us better service, and a boat coming once a week is not enough! You'd think at least they'd get our telephones installed.
Peter Argyle: Y'know, they promised 'em this year.
Ian Bellows: Aye, and last!

Intelligent enjoyable horror hokum

A strong cast and a strong premise make this a hugely enjoyable 'under siege' monster flick. Peter Cushing, Edward Judd and Eddie Burns head a cast of stalwart British character actors including Sam Kydd and Niall McGuiness as they try to uncover the truth behind the gruesome deaths occurring on their lonely fog shrouded island. A great use of Barry Gray's (Thunderbirds composer) electronic sound effects add to the atmosphere. All in all 'Island of Terror' is a great little horror film that succeeds due to it's good narrative pace, its logical progression and its unpretentious nature. On a par with many of the Hammer films being made at the time and far better than most Sci-Fi horror being made 40 years on.