Isle of the Snake People (1971)

Evil scientist runs a veritable army of LSD crazed zombies.

Directors:

Juan Ibáñez (as Jhon Ibanez), Jack Hill

Writers:

Jack Hill (screenplay), Juan Ibáñez

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Julissa, Carlos East

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Carl van Molder / Damballah
Julissa	...	Anabella Vandenberg
Carlos East	...	Lt. Andrew Wilhelm (as Charles East)
Rafael Bertrand	...	Capt. Pierre Labesch (as Ralph Bertrand)
Tongolele	...	Kalea
Quintín Bulnes	...	Klinsor (as Quintin Bulnes)
Santanón	...	Dwarf (as Santanon)
Martinique
Julia Marichal	...	Mary Ann Vandenberg (as July Marichael)
Yol Duhalt

Storyline

The inhabitants of a small, remote island have been practicing voodoo rites and worshipping an evil priest named Damballah for years, but the local law officials generally turn a blind eye to this death cult's bizarre activities. Captain Labesch arrives from the mainland, determined to crack down on the island's lawlessness and clean up the ineffectual, hard-drinking police force. He appeals for assistance from wealthy plantation tycoon Carl Van Molder, who owns nearly half of the island and wields a great deal of influence over the population. Van Molder has made the study of parapsychology his life's work and believes in the secret powers of the mind. He warns Labesch not to interfere with this forgotten island's ancient ways. Also visiting is Van Molder's niece, Annabella, a temperance crusader who wants her uncle to help fund the International Anti-Saloon League. She falls in love with handsome police lieutenant Andrew Wilhelm, despite his fondness for rum. Meanwhile, beautiful ...

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | island | cult | voodoo | snake | 

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming, Karloff was approached by fans to record a sample of his voice onto their small tape recorders.

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Quotes

Anabella Vandenberg: Modern science has shown that alcohol is responsible for ninety-nine point two percent of all the world's sins.

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Crazy Credits

In the closing credits, Boris Karloff is billed twice, once as Damballa and then as Carl van Molder.

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Alternate Versions

For the DVD version entitled Cult of the Dead, the 2nd scene in the film, that of zombie revival, is abridged.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Targets (2016)

User Reviews

Slow Spanish Schlock Worth Seeing For Sexy Tongolele

I Bought this film on DVD a couple of days ago not expecting much, and my intuitions were correct. Very slow with dialog that goes all over the place. We never get a grasp of where the film is taking place, who are these people and why anyone is doing what they do. Master horror icon Boris Karloff is basically exploited for name recognition (something that would happen quite frequently in the later stages of his career)and has little if anything to do. His relationship to the cult and how it evolves is never explained. The only reason I finished this sleep enhancer is the sexy dancing of Mexican actress (and exotic dancer) Yolanda Montes billed here as Tongolele. Nearly forty years old at the time it was made, Tongolele still possessed a knockout figure and sexy aura. Her two dance sequences are the only thing that will keep you awake while trying to finish off this turkey.

Details

Country:

Mexico USA

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

March 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Isle of the Snake People

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Azteca Films, Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1