This forgettable Italian potboiler is titled rather misleadingly to make us believe that this could be a horror film. The presence of the star-billed horror icon Boris Karloff only further cements this notion. But the sad reality is that this is a very plodding crime film as opposed to cheesetastic horror schlock. Set on an island just off the Italian mainland, it follows a policeman who is dispatched there to root out a gang of drug peddlers who operate in the vicinity. Once he arrives there a young child is kidnapped by the gangsters adding a further dimension to the criminality at play.
Starting with the positives, this one does have an attractive location and it is interesting to see an early example of Italian genre cinema. So it does have some distinctive elements which set it apart from a lot of other similar types of movies from the period. However, it does have to be said that this one is resolutely lacking in excitement at all levels. This really shouldn't be so, given the set-up but to say that the potential in the material is never maximised is unfortunately no understatement. While it is nice to see Karloff, in truth he doesn't really add a lot to this one either. The most interesting character was the dog to be perfectly honest. In summary, this one is pretty much a misfire and mainly only has historical interest I would say.
Starting with the positives, this one does have an attractive location and it is interesting to see an early example of Italian genre cinema. So it does have some distinctive elements which set it apart from a lot of other similar types of movies from the period. However, it does have to be said that this one is resolutely lacking in excitement at all levels. This really shouldn't be so, given the set-up but to say that the potential in the material is never maximised is unfortunately no understatement. While it is nice to see Karloff, in truth he doesn't really add a lot to this one either. The most interesting character was the dog to be perfectly honest. In summary, this one is pretty much a misfire and mainly only has historical interest I would say.