Review – The Island of Lost Souls

Charles Laughton stars as the dastardly Doctor Moreau in this first screen adaptation of the famous sci-fi horror thriller by H.G. Wells. Oddly enough, all these years later this still surpasses the more high-tech, make-up intensive versions that came later. In part it’s the movie’s own early-talkies ineptness that makes it so startling, the extreme close-ups and melodramatic lighting all the more jarring to modern audiences. Sure, there’s a hefty dose of period racism, sexism and general mawkishness to go along with the good stuff. But if you’ve got a taste for vintage horror flicks you’ll probably find this one a relatively undiscovered treasure. Mildly amusing