(United Kingdom 1966)
Reviewed By-Kit Gavin Directed by Terrence Fisher Starring: Peter Cushing, Edward Judd, Carole Gray and Eddie Byrne Source: DD Video [United Kingdom] DVD Region 2 PAL
Whilst seeking a cure for cancer, researchers on an island called Petrie Island, off the coast of Ireland, let loose artificially created monsters, called Silicates, the size of giant tortoises who resemble headless armadillos, armed with a retractable tentacle. Hungry and seeking nourishment, the Silicates start to attack the villagers and their cattle, on the isolated island, liquefying their bones and sucking the calcium phosphate to be found therein, leaving gooey remains of the deflated corpses, having drained the bones of this valuable ingredient.
Upon discovery of the first body, the local doctor, Reginald Landers [Byrne], seeks out the advice of the "eminent pathologist" Dr. Brian Stanley [Cushing]. Dr. Stanley brings with him his colleague and bone disease expert, Dr. David West [Judd]. Accompanying the three is Toni Merrill [Gray], West’s attractive girlfriend. Merill is also accompanying the three as she has loan of her wealthy father’s helicopter, so as to travel across the sea to the island, with all four unaware of the jeopardy which both they and the islanders are in. Upon arrival on Petrie Island, the four disembark, and the helicopter returns to the mainland, leaving them stranded and as vulnerable to attack by the Silicates as the Villagers.
Casting and direction of the film is truly one of the shining triumphs of this film which was shot on a very minimal budget and without the backing of a major studio. The presence of Peter Cushing alone adds a certain class and entertainment value extra to an already enjoyable relatively short little film. Other cast members fare well too and performances are uniformly good throughout. Likewise Fisher directs with gusto, imbuing the project with solid professionalism and mood. Working along side Fisher is the solid work of one of Britain’s best cinematographer’s of the period, and in this release on DVD, it can be fully appreciated by contemporary viewers.
As well as being still genuinely chilling and atmospheric, fast-paced and solid entertainment, another aspect of what makes the film under review such enjoyable entertainment is it’s campy dialogue and at times erring on ludicrous situation, prompting perhaps unintentional laughs from the audience. One scene finds Cushing and his companions in front of a heavy vault door with a very large warning against entering for danger of radiation poisoning. Undeterred by this, Cushing opens the heavy door, and casually steps inside despite radioactive steam billowing out. In addition to somewhat ridiculous scenarios like the one described above, the dialogue can be described as being dryly amusing, and more than likely was improvised from the original script by the stars whilst onset. This camping up of the film does not detract from the horror aspects of the plot. Some laudable lines are delivered with such deadpan understated seriousness, the viewer is not sure whether to snigger or not. Mixed in, however, are chilling moments of horror, such as the discovery of bodies of human beings and cattle alike being discovered without any bones in them, having been de-boned by the monster.
Without doubt, as is often the case with sci-fi horror films, especially in low budget productions from this period, suspension of disbelief is essential for the enjoyment of the film. The plot line is totally implausible but none the less it is still hugely enjoyable. The stars of the film wander around making the situation seem believable, whilst the accomplished director, working within a very tight constrained budget tries to imbue atmosphere and make the creatures as frightening as he possibly can. The monsters in the film, the "Silicates" are suitably disgusting and quite chilling given the meagre budget of the film. When the creatures divide and multiply, as much as the remains behind of their victims still leave an unpleasant feeling and mood.
Island of Terror, despite it’s low budget origins, having been shot for under a hundred thousand pounds, is a really enjoyable and still pretty creepy movie today, helped along by the presence of Peter Cushing and Edward Judd, as well as the solid professionalism of director Terrence Fisher, who was to direct some of the best horror films for the famed Hammer Studios [such as the original Dracula and the splendid The Devil Rides Out]. The film has a truly claustrophobic edge, seeing set on a secluded, isolated island, inhabited by monsters and lacking in any technology.
The movie has very much in common with 1958’s Fiend without a Face [directed by Arthur Crabtree and/or Marshall Thompson], also produced by Richard Gordon [who produced Radley Metzger’s The Cat and the Canary and Norman J. Warren’s Inseminoid], and utilizes numerous ideas and motifs to be found therein. The script by Edward Andrew Mann and Alan Ramsen seems to certainly heavily influenced by the plot points of the earlier feature, so much so that some have suggested that the film is really an uncredited remake.
Island of Terror has been presented in anamorphic widescreen, in it’s original aspect ratio, and allowing the quality and compositions of the exceptional cinematography to be fully appreciated. However, by the look of the presentation of the film, the original elements were not available, nor indeed were the negatives, and the DVD seems to have been struck from a positive i.e. an original theatrical print. The print is far from perfect and contains scratches, dirt, damage and some splices here and there, at times resembling one of the releases by the United States company Something Weird.
Some purists may enjoy to see films looking like they were shot yesterday with bright saturated colors and a perfect soundtrack. However here, in a case of a low budget film like this one, the lack of a perfect crisp pristine print actually adds to the viewing experience of this film rather than taking it away. Some releases need a bright glossy treatment to be fully appreciated, naturally it is a pleasure on the eye to see a film as "new" but owing to the scarceness of certain films, the lack of perfection can be forgiven. The film was shot on Eastmancolor and over the passage of time, the color on the reel has faded, most notable in the opening few minutes of the film, however afterwards it remains relatively sharp and bright throughout. Also, as this release has been sourced from a UK cinematic release of the film, it was initially slightly cut by the BBFC in February 1966 for a slightly gory moment with an axe, and the cut
remains in the print here. Other than that cut by the BBFC, the film seems to be pretty much intact with maybe a few frames missing. Likewise the audio has been presumably been taken from the same source print, as opposed to the original magnetic tapes, and has been presented in it’s original mono. Clearly DD Video have worked with the best possible materials which they were presented with in order to make this release possible, otherwise it might have languished in obscurity.
Starting off the Extras on this release is the original UK theatrical trailer, which, for once was relatively "spoiler-free" and quite restrained, in that it doesn’t capitalise on the movie’s major selling point, i.e. the monsters, presented in a matted full screen presentation. As well as the trailer, there is a brief gallery of stills. Owing to the fact that both the director, Fisher, and the real star of the film, Cushing, are both dead, DD Video have interestingly enough chosen to include a lengthy interview with Hammer star Christopher Lee on this disc (as he doesn’t appear at all in the film). However Lee is here to discuss Terrence Fisher and his still vivid memories of working with the director. As always with interviews with Lee, this recent interview (2004) is filled with interesting stories and anecdotes, proving that, despite his increasing years and repertoire of films, the erudite Lee’s memory for people and place has fared remarkably well. The interview has also been shot like a proper seated interview with both Lee and his interviewer present, much like a talk show as opposed to the featurette format which finds favor with many DVD companies.
Outside of the digital extras, as with all of their releases of horror and fantasy movies, DD Video have also included a 24 page booklet, presented in full color, about the film and it’s production, filled with fascinating information. In these days where liner notes are either sparse (such as in the dreadful ones accompanying The Amicus Collection) or non-existent, or to be found as part of the DVD in a CD-Rom format, it is nice to see them here and so well written. These well researched and written "Viewing Notes" have been written by two highly regarded UK writers on British horror, Marcus Hearn (who wrote the authorised history of Hammer Films) and Jonathan Rigby (who wrote Lee’s authorised screen biography).
Britain’s DD Video have been gradually releasing a series of enjoyable and respectable low budget horror films from the Golden Age of British Horror (ie. The Sixties and Seventies) usually starring Peter Cushing, and with this release of Island of Terror, they have come up with another winner. The film remains unreleased in North America on DVD. A sterling enjoyable release with extras and presentation comparable to Anchor Bay [US] releases of the Hammer titles. Rights in the United States are held by the giant Universal, there is a possibility of it’s release, however given the relative obscurity of the title, it seems unlikely. So, for now, this UK release is the one to go for.
Story: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS Audio: 3 BITCH SLAPS Video: 3 BITCH SLAPS Extras: 3 BITCH SLAPS Overall: 3 BITCH SLAPS
To purchase this DVD, visit X-Ploited Cinema.
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