Island of Lost Souls (1932)

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

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

Waldemar Young (screenplay), Philip Wylie (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen

1 win.

Cast

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

Storyline

After his ship goes down, Edward Parker is rescued at sea. Parker gets into a fight with Captain Davies of the Apia and the Captain tosses him overboard while making a delivery to the tiny tropical island of Dr. Moreau. Parker discovers that Moreau has good reason to be so secretive on his lonely island. The doctor is a whip-cracking task master to a growing population of his own gruesome human/animal experiments. He does have one prize result, Lota the beautiful panther woman. Parker's fortunes for escape look up after his fiancée Ruth finds him with the help of fearless Captain Donohue. However, when Moreau's tribe of near-humans rises up to rebel, no one is safe...

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | experiment | unnatural experiment | laboratory | genetics | 

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Taglines:

A sensational picture from the book that shocked a thrill-saturated world.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

December 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

H.G. Wells' Island of Lost Souls

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paramount held a national contest to find a woman to play Lota the Panther Woman. A reported 60,000 women participated in this contest.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Montgomery: Mr. Hogan. Mr. Hogan! Derelict afloat with a man on board.
Mr. Hogan: Whereabouts?
Mr. Montgomery: Off your port bow.
Mr. Hogan: Aye.

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Connections

Referenced in The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)

User Reviews

This is a horror CLASSIC, pure and simple, and still one of the most extraordinary movies ever made!

The 1930s was a great decade for horror with classic titles like 'Dracula', 'Frankenstein', 'Bride Of Frankenstein', 'Freaks', 'King Kong', 'The Invisible Man' and 'White Zombie'. I always thought 'Bride Of Frankenstein' was the best of the lot, but a VERY close second would have to be 'Island Of Lost Souls'. It truly is an extraordinary movie and still able to chill the blood and fire the imagination! It's easily the best version of H.G. Wells' 'The Island Of Dr Moreau' to date, and literally years ahead of its time. Many of the 1930s films made before the self imposed censorship of the Hays Code are quite startling and really pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable on screen. This movie is seventy years old but it still pretty disturbing even now. At the time it must have been something else! Especially the super sexy Lota The Panther Woman (Kathleen Burke). Charles Laughton plays Moreau and he is one of the greatest of screen villains. The quintessential megalomaniac mad scientist figure. Richard Arlen is pretty good as the hero, Edward Parker, who finds himself trapped on Moreau's island, and horror legend Bela Lugosi is unforgettable as the Sayer of the Law. I watched an old video copy of this movie with a lousy transfer and was still utterly transfixed. If this is available on DVD with the care and attention given to it that Universal have taken on their classic horror titles I will add it straight to the top of my (ever expanding!) "must buy" list. 'Island Of Lost Souls' is one of the greatest horror movies I've ever seen, and one that I can't recommend highly enough to any horror buff whatever your age or taste.