Screamers (1979)
"L'isola degli uomini pesce" (original title)

Aquatic creatures threaten the existence of a mysterious island.

Director:

Sergio Martino

Writers:

Cesare Frugoni (story), Luciano Martino (story),

Stars:

Barbara Bach, Claudio Cassinelli, Richard Johnson

Cast

Credited cast:
Barbara Bach	...	Amanda Marvin
Claudio Cassinelli	...	Lt. Claude de Ross
Richard Johnson	...	Edmond Rackham
Beryl Cunningham	...	Shakira
Joseph Cotten	...	Prof. Ernest Marvin
Franco Iavarone	...	José
Roberto Posse	...	Peter
Giuseppe Castellano	...	Skip
Franco Mazzieri	...	François (as Francesco Mazzieri)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jim Alquist	...	James (US version) (as James Alquist)
Eunice Bolt	...	Samantha (US version)
Tom J. Delaney	...	Patterson (US version)
Mel Ferrer	...	Radcliffe (US version)
Cameron Mitchell	...	Decker (US version)

Storyline

After their prison ship sinks in the Caribbean, a group of prisoners and a doctor wash ashore on a seemingly deserted island. They soon discover a strange couple, who invite them to stay at their house. While the prisoners try to plan an escape, the doctor does some investigating, and soon finds out just what the pair are really doing, and why the prisoners keep disappearing mysteriously.

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Plot Keywords:

island | mysterious island | water | monster | decapitation | 

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Taglines:

They Fight and Live on the Bottom of the Ocean ...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

June 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Island of the Fishmen

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dania Film, Medusa Produzione

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Videodrome (1983)

User Reviews

The Fishmen RULE!!!

Sure, most people will designate "Island of the Fishmen" as silly and trashy hokum, but can you honestly name one other movie that brings forward THIS many exhilarating themes? This Italian gem stands for pure entertainment and features stuff like voodoo, volcanic eruptions, mutant fish-creatures, the mysterious continent of Atlantis, treasure-hunting, a remote island filled with death traps and utterly mad scientists! All this and much more in one simple movie? Yes, please! Close-minded opponents of Italian horror cinema can easily tag this film as a cheap exploitation version of "The Island of Dr. Moreau", but the truth is that this is so much more! "Island of the Fishmen" delivers thrills and adventure from start to finish with surprisingly convincing special effects and astonishingly stylish camera-work. The story promisingly opens with a small group of prisoners, survivors of a shipwreck, washing ashore a tropical island. They encounter the sadistic Edmond Rackham who rules over a native tribe…and a legion of genetically created amphibian monsters that live in the island's swamps. There are so many twists and additional sub-plots in the story that it's almost impossible to write a summary but, trust me, this gem is worth checking out. Sergio Martino once again proves that he's an ingenious filmmaker who has the talent to be commercial-minded and creative at the same time. He makes great use of the beautiful island location and also the interior sets look very impressive. The staggering underwater footage and imaginative scenery really lift this film high above the normal standards of late 70's exploitation. I don't quite understand why Roger Corman reworked the original so much and released it on the American market under a different title ("Screamers"), because there are very few elements open for improvement. The cast members are all Sergio Martino regulars (with the exception of the great Joseph Cotton is a neat supportive rule) and give away great performances. In case you can get your hands on the recently restored German version, you're treated to fifteen uncut minutes of extra action. See it!