User reviews

Starring horror legend Peter Cushing Island of Terror tells the story of the discovery of a messy boneless corpse on a secluded British island.

When an investigation is done they discover that the island is becoming infested with horrible creatures that put the towns population at threat!

Created by many of the same people who brought us the original Hammer Horror classics this looks great for its age and even the rubber monsters are better than you'd imagine.

Sure it's goofy, cheesy and even Cushing isn't exactly on form here but it's entertaining enough stuff for fans of the genre.

If you can get past the silliness of it all and stomach the sight of Peter Cushing trying to get into a threesome then there is entertainment value to be had.

The Good:

Interesting beasties

Ahead of its time

The Bad:

Leading lady poorly used

Seven different types of cheese

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Solitaire was Peter Cushings second choice

Working lighters weren't in the budget

While researching a possible cure for cancer on an island off the coast of Ireland, the renowned scientist in charge of the project accidentally creates a living organism that feeds off of all other living creatures. Since the island isn't very big, three doctors named "Brian Stanley" (Peter Cushing), "David West" (Edward Judd) and "Reginald Landers" (Eddie Byrne) desperately look for a way to kill these organisms before it's too late. Helping them is David West's girlfriend, "Toni Merrill" (Carole Gray). Anyway, filmed in the mid-60's, this movie has good suspense and keeps the tension going pretty much from start to finish. The acting was okay but I imagine most people will find the special effects to be quite primitive compared to the computer enhanced graphics used today. Even so, the movie managed to maintain my interest and I believe most people will find it relatively enjoyable all the same. Slightly above average.

A reclusive scientist working on a cancer cure inadvertently unleashes deadly creatures onto the local population, turning it into an...Island Of Terror!

'Island Of Terror' is an interesting midpoint between 50s sci-fi and 60s Hammer horror - too light for what Hammer and Amicus usually produced, but their gravitational pull is evident. There's something very Quatermass about science unleashing havoc, yet science also providing the solution. There's a nice element of mystery to set the scene, with people being brutally murdered off-screen and their corpses being discovered sans bones, but at the same time, you are left in no doubt that there must be some connection with the scientist up in the manor house and his secretive experiments. Soon enough, the horror he unleashes becomes apparent, and it's up to the three 'responsible' scientists, played by Edward Judd, Peter Cushing, and Eddie Byrne, for whom the film goes to great pains to show how responsible they are as they wisely spend a lot of time studying notes before taking action and applying science methodically, while the uneducated locals must wait patiently because science takes time and there's a process to things. Yes, there are monsters coming over the hill, but there's a procedure to everything and it has to be followed. One can't really disagree with any of this, but the way in which the film portrays the scientific method if anything, shows how long ago it was held in such high regard - it's just hard to imagine a film doing this today. The nature and form of the monsters themselves instantly brings to mind the classic Star Trek episode 'Devil In The Dark', although their appearance and design is more classic Doctor Who. Which is quite fitting, given that Quatermass inspired early Doctor Who, lead Peter Cushing had been playing him on the big screen for the last two years, and both 'Dr Who & The Daleks' and 'Island Of Terror' were scored by Malcolm Lockyer.

Cushing, I have to say, is wonderful in this film. A far cry from the sombre puritans or mad scientists he would soon become well-known for, here, he is dashing, rounded, and somehow far more natural in his performance. This is more of the Peter Cushing the world used to see before horror films took over his life and it's great to see within the part of his filmography I'm more interested in. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast are extremely theatrical by comparison, with Edward Judd getting very declarative by the end - he reminds me of the way Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes would practically give speeches on the proper order of things before the closing credits. I'm almost expecting him to turn to the quivering frequently-Carole Gray and say 'Don't worry, my dear - science will save you!' Nonetheless, Judd is the archetypal square-jawed hero and fits the part.

Director Terence Fisher was a firmly-established horror veteran by this point, with the Dracula series and one of my favorites, 'The Gorgon' his recent successes. Having seen the latter again fairly recently, I noticed the same approach to mood lighting, although this time around, the 'big reveal' happens earlier, and Fisher leaves the design team to breathe life into the antagonists of the piece. I think he would have gotten away with it for the most part, but for aspects of the design (read: appendages) that require puppetmasters more skilled than those on offer for them to stand a snowflake's chance in hell of convincing the viewer. They work fine when they're hovering menacingly around a door frame, but not so much when the dreaded miscreation they're attached to shuffles into view. The only reason it even half-works is because the cast face their foes with the same conviction the Doctor Who stars were so frequently seen to give down on the sound stages of Lime Grove.

Less defensible, unfortunately, is Malcolm Lockyer's frequently light and fluffy score. His trademark cues and melodies worked wonders in 1965's 'Dr Who & The Daleks', where the words 'kids matinée' were practically stamped into Roy Castle's forehead, but it's hard to feel a sense of creeping foreboding in 'Island Of Terror' when the camera is panning through the eerie, deserted scientist's mansion accompanied by xylophone motifs. This is a film where the production values need every other department on board to help project a convincingly menacing atmosphere - not have the composer imagining cartoon bees dancing on toadstools. Again, this underscores for me how the film sits between two genres and no-one's fully made up their minds which way it should go.

Putting all these elements together, I find myself giving 'Island Of Terror' a 6 out of 10. I'm frequently drawn to Peter Cushing like a magnet, and he's in fine form here. I love the idea behind the monsters of the piece, and the respect given to science as it triumphs over all when used properly. Alas, the creatures' design needed a slight revision on the drawing board under the title 'Let's be realistic about what we're able to do here', while James Bernard should have been placed in the conductor's chair. A pleasing effort, and worth a look especially if sci-fi of the period appeals.

It was the early 70's when I first saw Island of Terror on a Saturday late night horror show called Shock Theatre. I've always been a fan of Peter Cushing and his films so when I read that he was in it that made it a must see. We were hearing more and more about cancer research so this movie had relevence to the times. Growing up as a youngster in a rural area surrounded by livestock, the opening scene with the dead horse spooked me. At the time I first saw the film, the idea of Cancer research going haywire was a possiblilty and having your bones sucked out of your body while you were alive sent chills through my body. As the creatures were shown more and more, took more victims in varying fashions, more and more lights were turned on in my living room where I was watching the movie. The ending put the icing on the cake and I slept with the lights on for about a week. I had seen many horror movies including The Blob, but this was the only one to really get me sacred and keep me scared. I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. It's got suspence, surprises, a bit of humor, some horror, is just an enjoyable movie to watch and is one of my favorites. It's been many years since I've seen the movie so I just ordered a copy to enjoy again and again. Definately a classic for anyone's movie library.

I've noticed some reviews talking about how cheap the special effects were and the weak story/plot line, but these are all comparing the film to the standards of todays filmaking. As a child I didn't notice any of the effects simplistics. I was looking for some entertainment and a good late night scare, and Island of Terror delivered.

"Island of Terror" is a modest, little workmanlike British sci-fi-chiller. Director Terence Fisher and genre stalwart Peter Cushing added class to proceedings. Throw in a creative concept involving bone-sucking organisms, who leave some icky effects behind. Cup of chick noodle soup anyone? These nasty creatures (silicates) looked less than threatening in appearance and let out one eerie slurping noise (straw sound fx?), even though some of the attack scenes were in slow-motion (they move real slowly) and daftly pitched (tree dropping). However sometimes it manages to be uncanny, other times silly developments occur, but the danger is always felt. This leads to a couple of intense and surprisingly brutal moments. The choice of location (island) adds to the atmosphere and isolation. At best, a fun low-budget fare.

A very long way after 'Quatermass', this was the second of three sci-fi quickies Terence Fisher made away from Hammer for a modest little outfit called Planet; set in Ireland, but obviously shot in bitingly cold weather in the countryside around Pinewood.

A competent cast give earnest performances in the face of stupid-looking monsters - described by Peter Cushing as "nasty little creatures" - that leave their victims looking like Dorian Gray's portrait in the 1945 movie, accidentally created in a lab trying to find a cure for cancer.

Edward Judd makes a truly shocking intervention at one point on behalf of Peter Cushing; and the film has a memorable sting in the tale.

Scientists on an island just off Ireland are close to finding a cure for cancer but accidentally produce 'silicates': tentacled creatures that suck the bone marrow from their victims.

This is a British film directed by Terence Fisher who made a lot of films for Hammer. The version that I saw had been restored by Pinewood Studios where the film was produced and it looks gorgeous. The cinematography and colour palate of the film have been brought out beautifully.

This is a fantastic invasion movie from a bygone era and feels like something John Wyndham might have written. The creatures are like giant flattened slugs but with a single antennae which in reality are so unthreatening that it's hilarious. But it adds to the charm of the movie- and it's still better than some CGI modern multiplex borefest.

But don't think that this film is a just a cheesy film to merely laugh off. The version I saw had reinstated a sequence in which Peter Cushing's character has his hand chopped off with an axe. This scene was taken out of prints after the BBFC said that it was too strong for audiences. With the restoration of the film for release on Blu-ray this scene is available to be seen in all it's bloody glory.

The Odeon UK Blu-ray release of this film looks great. The US Scream Factory release is meant to be even better. I look forward to seeing it.

Hero scientists, working in reclusive isolation on a small island (that unfortunately has a fairly substantial native population.) attempt to create a cure for cancer but instead threaten to put all bone and skeletal experts out of work via crawling, a-sexually reproducting, bone sucking monsters; which causes a rapid response to "put things right" by two such doctors facing a serious threat to their profession.

Excellent film of the entirely un-serious school of horror/sci fi film making.

My review is in keeping with the spirit in which the film was made.

I thought that there were effective moments and a very interesting main cast playing in a film that was so underwritten and under financed that not a single actor has a real character to portray and not a single pound Stirling appears on screen except in the fees provided to recruit a fairly heavyweight leading cast of period British players.

Plot establishment and development are cooky. Characters are "thin" and dialogue is used to replace events that the scrip and the finances can't show adequately, or sometimes, at all.

If you like low budget genre films of any era then this film will probably suit you and serve to provide 90 odd minutes of enjoyment as it did for me. Alternatively if you saw the film decades ago, when young, it's probably a great watch in the nostalgia memory banks.

For other viewers I would offer the opinion that it fails to develop or deliver in most aspects of film making that a viewer might be hoping to appreciate in a movie.

I vote a nicely complementary 5/10 for a film no better than it ought to be and no worse than it should be. I had fun watching it. Un-seriously.

Island of Terror is a great little flick produced by Richard Gordon who also gave us the cult favourite "Fiend Without a Face". Directed with the expertise Hammer director Terence Fisher offers, Gordon has produced a similarly obscure "herd" of creatures to terrorize a high-class cast. The 'Silicates' looks rather silly, like huge turtles with a trunk instead of a head with which they grab their victims, and moves around with the speed of a snail. Like zombies, they are not really a threat when spotted coming, but make up for it with their ability to be anywhere you least expect them. (like up in trees, waiting for passers-by, or underneath cars waiting for someone to enter it). This does get a bit, if not more than a bit, corny, but the ever deadly presence of these creatures, and the nasty way of killing (dissolving the bones, and sucking them out of the body) keeps the fun-bad aspect at bay. There are some great attack sequences at different cast members, and some disgusting slurping when they are "devoured".

The cast is in top form with Cushing in particular giving us a delightful turn as the pathologist with a welcome streak of gentle humour. It's a role that only Cushing could play with this amount of laid back ease and he is a joy to watch. Edward Judd is nicely stoic and handles his scenes with Cushing well, showing he was a much underused actor. Carole Grays character is the only weak link, as she is strictly the cliché woman in peril sort who is given little to do. Thankfully her love interest scenes with Judd are few and short.

The island atmosphere is captured well and Fisher makes what would normally be a tranquil setting a place of lurking menace. He also takes the viewer by surprise with his treatment of some of the characters, never letting his audience get too complacent in the expectations.

Add to all this a lean and never wasted running time, a suitably manic and funky soundtrack composition plus a typically cynical '60s epilogue and you have a film that should be much more widely known and available.

Although the science is somewhat suspect Island Of Terror still is one of the better products from Hammer Studios in Great Britain. The creatures on the island are soulless and scary. They would be as they are just large one cell creatures who subdivide like an amoeba.

Working on one of the Channel Islands on a cure for cancer Dr. Peter Forbes-Robertson has created these silicon based big size amoeba who eat animal bone and leave the carcasses like the deflated balloons after the Thanksgiving Day Parade. They are out of the laboratory now and wreaking havoc on the island.

Fortunately other scientists like Peter Cushing and Edward Judd are frantically working on a way to kill these creatures who are not just soulless but also impervious to just about everything they try. And it isn't like there's a stockpile of weapons on this peaceful Channel island.

Carole Gray is also around to bolster morale for the scientists, especially Judd and to scream when these creatures approach. She does well on both counts.

I'm flippant, but Island Of Terror is not a bad horror film and the coda to the ending gives us all reason for concern.

When on a remote island community a corpse is discovered completely devoid of bone, the local police constable (Sam Kydd) calls in Dr. Landers (Eddie Bryne) who is at a loss to explain. He goes to the mainland to see Dr. Stanley (Peter Cushing) a pathologist. Stanley and Landers go to David West (Edward Judd) who is an expert on bone disease. Intrigued by the bizarre symptoms, West's girlfriend Toni Merril (Carole Gray) follow Landers back to the island.

They discover that well-known cancer specialist Dr. Philips has been doing experiments on the island. They discover Philips and his colleagues' dead, the bodies boneless.

As the Doctors search through Philip's notes they discover he was trying to create a living organism to attack cancer cells, but something went wrong and he ended up creating a silicone based creature that lives off animal bone. These creatures, which Stanley names 'Silicates', are roaming the island......

Made by obscure British company 'Planet Productions' this great little flick was produced by Richard Gordon who also gave us the cult favourite `Fiend Without a Face'. With the expert hand of Hammer Director Terence Fisher at the helm, Gordon has produced a similarly grotesque set of creatures to terrorize his high-class cast. True the 'Silicates' are rather funny looking, like huge rubber cow pats with a vacuum cleaner attachments that they use to grab their victims with, and suffer from the old zombie problem of moving very slowly, but they make for a wonderful sight gliding along in search of food and the manner of death they deal out is so horrible (having your bones dissolved and sucked out while alive) that damaging humour is kept at bay. There are some great attack sequences as various cast members are digested with nicely disgusting slurping sounds by the creatures whom during one sequence even drop out of the trees! More fun is had when they divide and what looks like a gallon of watery tinned spaghetti flows out! They are a bizarre and wonderfully entertaining creation.

The cast is in top form with Peter Cushing in particular giving us a delightful turn as the pathologist with a welcome streak of gentle humour. It's a role that only Cushing could play with this amount of laid back ease and he is a joy to watch. Edward Judd is nicely stoic and handles his scenes with Cushing well, showing he was a much under-used actor. Carole Grays character is the only weak link, as she is strictly the cliché woman in peril sort who is given little to do. Thankfully her love interest scenes with Judd are few and short.

The island atmosphere is captured well and Fisher makes what would normally be a tranquil setting a place of lurking menace. He also takes the viewer by surprise with his treatment of some of the characters, never letting his audience get too complacent in the expectations.

Add to all this a lean and never wasted running time, a suitably manic and funky soundtrack composition plus a typically cynical '60s epilogue and you have a film that should be much more widely known and available.

Planet Productions' also made `Night of the Big Heat', once again with Cushing and Directed by Fisher but this time throwing Christopher Lee into the mix as well and both these films, although `Island of Terror' is very much superior, both are worth tracking down. In these days where the UK only makes small scale independent, and normally U.S influenced horror films this movie reminds us that Britain once produced some unique and delightfully entertaining genre pieces.

Great fun!

Science-fiction thriller with monster movie elements, set in Petrie's island off the east coast of Ireland, there happens strange deaths of villagers and scientists. As the island is overrun by weird shell-like creatures that suck the bones out their living preys. These fantastic monsters assault and attack citizens, and subsequently threatening to consume the world. Then, three doctors : Peter Cushing, Eddye Byrne, Edward Judd, go into action to investigate and discover the rare origin of the tentacled silicates which liquefy and digest tissue and bones . From an experiment in life..came a devastating death!.

Moving picture contains good interpretations, chills, thrills, and astonishing attacks by amazing creatures. As well as a strong denounce about risks of science and the hazardous experiments. Here Peter Cushing and Edward Judd carry the flick, giving first-rate performances. Along with enjoyable secondaries as the beautiful Carolyn Gray, Eddye Byrne and the prestigious support actor Nial MacGinnis. The premise is the following : How can three scientific stop the devouring death that live by sucking in living human bones. "This Island of terror" bears certain resemblance to "Island of the burning doomed" 1967 also directed by Terence Fisher and stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, though here deals with a brute heat wave accompanied by invading aliens.

It contains a stirring musical score by Malcolm Lockyer, adding electronic soundtrack as the fantastic beings appear. As well as colorful and glimmering cinematography by Reg Wyer. Shot on location in Wexham, St. Huberts, Buckinghamshire and Pinewood studios, as usual. This British-made outing was competently directed by Hammer maestro Terence Fisher. This fine director made a lot of films for Hammer productions, usually terror genre. Outstanding his Dracula saga : The horror of Dracula, The Brides of Dracula, Dracula prince of darkness . About Frankenstein : The curse of Frankenstein, The revenge of Frankenstein, Frankenstein created woman , Frankenstein must be destroyed, Frankenstein monster from hell. Furthermore, other terror films as The Gorgon, The mummy, The devil rides out, The two faces of Dr Jekyll, The curse of the werewolf. And other movies as Sherlock Holmes and the deadly necklace, Hound of The Baskervilles, Black glove, Robin Hood, Sword of Sherwood forest, Island of the burning doomed and Island of terror . Rating : 6/10, acceptable and passable. Interesting, thrilling scenes and suspenseful twists make for prickes up the spine.

Like most Peter Cushing vehicles, this one makes a nice rest for the brain. We almost prefer the horror-effects to be amateurish - plastic dungeons, baffled police, cod-scientific arguments - and we are not disappointed.

A top cancer researcher has set-up his laboratory on a small island off the Irish coast, and feels he is close to finding a cure. But he has accidentally let loose a genome that mutates into an entirely new kind of creature that feeds on bone-marrow. When a human body is found, literally filleted, a mighty alarm is raised. It turns out that the tentacled and bullet-proof creatures (oddly named 'silicates') keep dividing into two, and at that rate, they will soon dominate the island.

This is more-or-less H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds' all over again, and the methods by which the silicates are eventually killed-off need not detain us. The film has more to do with atmosphere, and there is always something Dracula-like about a small remote community coping with the supernatural.

The cast do not get many opportunities to excel, which is bad luck on the only significant female, Carole Gray, clearly capable of better. But the dialogue is depressingly poor - literally not one notable line. ("Nasty little creatures, aren't they?" is a fair specimen.)

The surprise ending, not to be revealed, is easily recognisable as a little slice of 1966, echoing the irreverent humour of the Bonds.

I remember watching this movie numerous times as a child(I'm 37 years old and I believe I was around 8 or so when I first saw this movie). I've read all the IMDb reviews of the cheesy special effects but I didn't really notice these faults when I was a youngster. I haven't seen this movie for many years but can remember really enjoying this Peter Cushing movie and seriously being scared of those weird creatures. I'm sure as an adult the faults would be glaring but kids(at least back in the early 70's) didn't seem to care or notice if the effects were flawed. Hopefully I can find this movie on rental or on TV so I can get a refreshed look at this movie.

"Island of Terror" is a good film....and I do recommend you see it. However, be forewarned that the monsters in the movies are among the silliest looking you can find in films.

The story is set on an isolated Irish island. The local doctor is shocked when a corpse is discovered with all of its bones turned to liquid! This ain't normal and he soon goes off island to get help. Oddly, instead of getting LOTS of help, he secretly brings two doctors back with them. Soon, they discover a mass of horrid creatures that looked like the Horta from the original "Star Trek" but with a tentacle that could kill! Unfortunately, killing them is a serious problem as dynamite, guns and the like have no effect. Is there any prayer for this island and its inhabitants?

You just have to see the creatures....and you'll know what I mean...and you'll realize just how silly it all is. But, despite that, Peter Cushing and the gang do a nice job of playing their parts...and the film creates a great mood. Worth watching but very flawed.

When on a remote island community a corpse is discovered completely devoid of bone, the local police constable (Sam Kydd) calls in Dr. Landers (Eddie Bryne) who is at a loss to explain, but he knows someone who might help, and travels to the mainland to see Dr. Stanley (Peter Cushing) a pathologist. Stanley and Landers go to David West (Edward Judd) who is an expert on bone disease. Intrigued by the bizarre symptoms, West's girlfriend Toni Merril (Carole Gray) follow Landers back to the island. They discover that a tentacled blobbed fiends are the culprit, and they are multiplying fast! Can our hapless heroes save the day? Watch this fast-paced Sci-Fi chiller to find out.

The monster - a greenish blob with a tentacle - is rubbery and cheesy, just what you would expect from a 1966 film, however, there's a naive charm around it and they do appear menacing, but that's due to the music, the atmosphere and the acting that lends credibility to what's happening, no matter how bizarre. Watch Cushing's terrified expression when he sees those monsters; he just convinces you that it's lethal. The sound effects are quite sinister.

A really enjoyable sci-fi yarn that is full of atmosphere and a rising dread.

In the Pitkeys Island, located northeast of England close to Ireland, while Dr. Lawrence Phillips (Peter Forbes-Robertson) is researching a cure for the cancer in his laboratory, he accidentally creates a "silicate" creature that sucks human and animal bones. The local police officer finds the "boneless" body of a local and Dr. Reginald Landers (Eddie Byrne) calls Dr. Brian Stanley (Peter Cushing), a specialist in bones, who also invites Dr. David West (Edward Judd) to travel to the island to investigate the event. The girlfriend of Dr. West, Toni Merrill (Carole Gray), borrows his father's helicopter to bring the team to the island, and imposes the condition of staying with them. Together, they try to find a way of destroying the weird monsters with the support of the locals. "Island of Terror" is a silly and funny sci-fi / horror movie of the 60's, having very funny situations, such as when Dr. West puts his hysterical girlfriend in charge of calming down the local citizens; or when he amputates the hand of Dr. Stanley, who does not faint. The creatures are very creepy, considering that it is a 1966 movie, and in the end it is a good entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Ilha do Terror" ("The Island of Terror")

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.

Terence Fisher and Peter Cushing have made some great horror films together, most of them for the brilliant Hammer studios. This film wasn't produced by the studio, but it could well have been as it has all the makings of a Hammer Horror film. Silly monsters, daft dialogue, a campy style and, as mentioned, Peter Cushing all feature; all of which were favourites of Hammer films. Island of Terror follows the story of a doctor who unwittingly creates a barrage of seemingly indestructible monsters while trying to find a cure for cancer. Enter Peter Cushing and co. - a team of scientists that are on hand to fight back against the monsters and uncover the mystery behind them. Island of Terror is a monster film made very much within the common monster movie mould. One could maybe even go as far as to say that this is the quintessential classic monster B-movie from the sixties as all the clichés and staples of the style of film are featured heavily.

Some of the dialogue in this film is ridiculous to such a high standard that I would call it 'priceless'. See, for example, the instance when Peter Cushing is told about the discovery of a boneless corpse, to which he replies, "that's unbelievable". It's moments like these that make B-movie so much fun, and nobody delivers silly lines like Peter Cushing - Hammer Horror has made him a master at it, and he shows us that in this film. Cushing's performance on the whole in this movie isn't up there with his best - but it's hard to keep up to the high standard that Cushing had set for himself with performances the likes of Baron Frankenstein and Van Helsing, so as his character in this movie has much less depth, you cant expect as great a performance. The real stars of the show are the creatures, which are as fascinating as they are ridiculously silly. The creatures look quite a lot like those old vacuum cleaners you used to (and probably still do) get before Dyson took over. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually ARE just painted vacuum cleaners. The moments when these things fall out of the trees makes watching the whole thing worthwhile, and if it's a silly monster movie you're after - you've just found it.

I read another review of this film here that wonders if the special effects came from Doctor Who. Well, like that program's big enemy, the Daleks, the monsters in this exciting, scary, silly, fantastic film are SO EASY to imitate. Just as kids would run around playgrounds, arms outstretched, yelling "exterminate!" I remember being at lunch in elementary school sucking our straws at the bottom of our milks, imitating the sound of the evil bone-sucking creatures, and screaming in "agony" as our bones dissolved. Every Friday night, when a show called "Friday Fright Night" aired, in the 80s, this was the one movie we always PRAYED would be on...Brilliant