Island of Terror

"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.

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.

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

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 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.