Review #347: 'Island of Lost Souls' (1932)

After being shipwrecked, ocean traveller Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) is picked up by a drunken captain, whose next stop is a mysterious island owned by Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton). Parker gets into a fight with the captain after seeing him beat a strange, hair-covered servant. Upon arrival at the island, he unloads his cargo of various animals and fellow passenger Mr. Montgomery (Arthur Hohl), only to throw Parker overboard and abandoning him there. Unable to escape the island, Parker takes up residence with Moreau, only discover that his strange experiments have caused him to be seen as a God-like figure to the increasingly bizarre island natives, including the Panther Woman (Kathleen Burke), and the 'Sayer of the Law' (Bela Lugosi).

Refused a certificate three times between 1933 and 1957, Island of Lost Souls' blasphemous themes and scenes of vivisection caused wide controversy upon its initial release, and even author H.G. Welles voiced his dislike of it. It's not hard to see why, as although the film is extremely tame compared to the movies released these days, it is way ahead of its time in terms of underlying sexual and religious themes. Moreau's dream is to mate one of his creations, the Panther Woman, with Parker, and then he will truly be a creator. Moreau is obsessed to a psychopathic level of becoming God, and treats the island natives with disdain, cracking his whip and making them recite the laws that he has set for them.

When Parker's fiance Ruth (Leila Hyams) arrives at the island in a hope to save him, the focus on the sexual increases. The natives are stirred, as there is only one other woman on the island, the aforementioned Panther Woman, who Moreau keeps locked in his residence. One of the natives tears one of the bars from her window and sneaks in as Ruth lies in bed. The blend of horror and the threat of rape is used to startling effect, and is a bravely mature and controversial theme for a film produced in the 1930's. So, thankfully, the film is now widely available and ripe for a re-discovery, as it is a brilliant piece of B-movie horror. And the ever-great Charles Laughton, is wonderfully creepy in his role, even though he does look like Peter Kay.


Directed by: Erle C. Kenton
Starring: Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Kathleen Burke, Bela Lugosi
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie