Island of Lost Souls

"TERROR! Stalked the Brush-Choked Island...Where Men Who Were Animals Sought the Girl Who Was All-Human!"

1932 1h 11m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

88%

FRESH

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 275🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes★7.4IMDB · 12,167

Science FictionHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

“TERROR! Stalked the Brush-Choked Island...Where Men Who Were Animals Sought the Girl Who Was All-Human!”

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Cast

Charles Laughton
Dr. Moreau
Richard Arlen
Edward Parker
Leila Hyams
Ruth Thomas
Bela Lugosi
The Sayer of the Law
Kathleen Burke
Lota the Panther Woman
Arthur Hohl
Montgomery
Stanley Fields
Capt. Davies
Paul Hurst
Capt. Donahue

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Erle C. Kenton
Writers: Philip Wylie, Waldemar Young
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 71-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

ERA

Did you know

94 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Erle C. Kenton, shot by Karl Struss. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Charles Laughton and Richard Arlen and Leila Hyams carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "TERROR! Stalked the Brush-Choked Island...Where Men Who Were Animals Sought the Girl Who Was All-Human!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0024188 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Erle C. Kenton directs. Karl Struss behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 71-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
394 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Erle C. Kenton, shot by Karl Struss. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Charles Laughton and Richard Arlen and Leila Hyams carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "TERROR! Stalked the Brush-Choked Island...Where Men Who Were Animals Sought the Girl Who Was All-Human!".
7IMDB entry: tt0024188 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 27 themes, including "exotic island", "based on novel or book", "mad scientist", "man beast".
9Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Karl Struss
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Sound: Loren L. Ryder
Runtime: 71 min · 1h 11m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $300,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 12,167 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

1 win total

Also by

Erle C. Kenton

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-07-24
★ 8/10
We are Devo! There's an island somewhere out there in the goddamn foggy laden deep blue sea. Here resides Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton), he has a God complex and he is conducting experiments, turning animals into humans. Unsurprisingly and terrifyingly the results are not exactly a success! Tod Browning's Freaks was released this same year, and when watching Erle C. Kenton's Island of Lost Souls, it makes for the perfect companion piece. Full of haunting imagery, aided no end by cinematographer Karl Struss' stunning photography, it's a film that stays with you long after the end credits have rolled. Berserker science marries up to human chaos to provoke and trouble in equal measure. Laughton gives top villainy, whilst Waldemar Young and and Philip Wylie adapt from the H.G. Wells novel with a cheeky glint in their eyes. The 1930s had some great horror movies, this is up with the best of them. 8/10
CinemaSerf2022-06-13
★ 7/10
There is something almost "Hitler-esque" about Charles Laughton's performance in this stunningly eerie adaptation of HG Wells' novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau". I have to admit to a certain bewilderment as to the name change - if anything, it rather detracts from the original - but hey, I'm nitpicking. Laughton is perfect as the charismatic genius who is experimenting to turn animals into human beings. Not for us here, is that typically maniacal lunatic-scientist style of characterisation; our protagonist here is cold, calculating and evil - but he also has a structured - if entirely flawed - scientific theory with a goal that aims to facilitate his return to London to prove those previously sceptical of his claims that he was right. Were it not for the arrival of "Edward Parker" (Richard Arlen) who had been unceremoniously dumped from a passing freighter; and whom he introduces to his most promising subject "The Panther Woman" he might well have succeeded. This external intervention, however, changes all the dynamics on the island and we head to the ultimate clash of personalities. Bela Lugosi features sparingly, and - to be honest - his part could have been played by any tall man in a beard (real, or otherwise) and Arthur Hohl as his rather too acquiescent sidekick "Montgomery" lacked any sort of screen presence. The lighting contributes hugely to the spookily haunting imagery; more than making up for the, well, make up! It's all about Laughton - his menacing, almost megalomanic performance is captivating.