Island of Terror (1966)

An isolated remote island community is threatened by an attack by tentacled silicates which liquefy and digest bone and tissue.

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Edward Mann (original story) (as Edward Andrew Mann), Al Ramsen (original story) (as Allan Ramsen)

Stars:

Peter Cushing, Edward Judd, Carole Gray

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Mr. Roger Campbell
James Caffrey	...	Peter Argyle
Liam Gaffney	...	Ian Bellows
Roger Heathcott	...	Dunley
Keith Bell	...	Halsey
Margaret Lacey	...	Old Woman (as Margaret Lacy)
Shay Gorman	...	Morton
Peter Forbes-Robertson	...	Dr. Lawrence Phillips (as Peter Forbes Robertson)
Richard Bidlake	...	Carson
Joyce Hemson	...	Mrs. Bellows

Storyline

A small, isolated island community's terrorised from a horde of creeping, blobbish, tentacled monsters which liquefy and digest the bones from living creatures. The community struggles to fight back, against these horrors.

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Plot Keywords:

chopping off a hand | hysterical female | silicon based life | medical ethics | pathologist | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night of the Silicates

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Planet Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

It is never shown or explained how the silicates are able to climb trees or get onto roofs.

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Quotes

Dr. Lawrence Phillips: The potential across the cell membrane must be maintained during irradiation of the nucleus. Is the tri-chem stage complete?
Carson: Yes.
Dr. Lawrence Phillips: And the, uh, vapor-applicator?
Carson: It's been corrected. The histo-connect problem has been solved. There shouldn't be any snags.
Dr. Lawrence Phillips: Good. Now that we've received the infusion equipment, well, I'm certain they will understand my reason for going ahead. I've waited a long time for this moment. If we're successful today, it may well be that we have the cure for cancer.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by a few seconds by the BBFC to remove a brief shot of blood-spurts after a hand is chopped off with an axe. The early UK and French DVDs retain this version though the German CCI DVD issue has the scene intact. The 2014 UK Odeon DVD release is fully uncut.

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Connections

Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: Island of Terror (1973)

User Reviews

Intelligent enjoyable horror from Hammer master Terrence Fisher

A strong cast and a strong premise make this a hugely enjoyable 'under siege' monster flick. Peter Cushing, Edward Judd and Eddie Byrne head a cast of stalwart British character actors that includes the ever reliable Sam Kydd and Niall MacGinnis, as they try to uncover the truth behind the gruesome deaths occurring on their lonely fog shrouded island. It's a great little horror film that succeeds due to its excellent narrative pace, its logical progression and its unpretentious nature. Despite its relatively low profile the film is on a par with many of the best Hammer films being made at the time. This should be no surprise as the director is none other than the man calling the shots on much of Hammer's most admired output - Terrence Fisher. He handled most of the Frankenstein movies and a number of the Dracula films, including the startling debuts in each case. He was also responsible for The Mummy, Curse of the Werewolf, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Gorgon. With such a pedigree of atmospheric chillers Island of Terror continues that success but manages to feel new and fresh. Malcolm Lockyer (Dr Who and the Daleks) provides the music and special mention should be made of the great use of Barry Gray's electronic sound effects. Gray was of course the man responsible for the grand music that accompanied most of Gerry Anderson's marionette series and he knew how build tension with quietly suspenseful sound too. The special electronic sound FX that swell out of the gloom adds a foreboding tone to the proceedings whenever the monstrous silicates are near. Are the monsters when finally revealed a bit silly looking? - maybe to modern eyes, but for this reviewer their slow progress and ever multiplying numbers rank up the tension nonetheless. And their method of reproduction is revolting in the best possible way. Highly recommended for fans of Cushing, Fisher and British horror.