Island of Lost Souls (The Island of Dr. Moreau) Reviews

What pushes it over the edge into the realm of actual genius... is Laughton's absurdly good performance as Moreau, one of the great pieces of horror movie acting.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10

An eerie, atmospheric pre-code horror tale, adapted from H.G. Wells classic book, The Island of Dr. Moreau.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10

a disturbing and provocative horror gem

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4

Laughton, as he managed to do in Devil and the Deep and The Sign of the Cross, gives the role of the villain a peculiarly horrifying quality by humanizing it far beyond the demands of the script.

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While the action is not designed to appeal to other than the credulous, there are undoubtedly some horror sequences which are unrivaled.

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This may have been made (and banned) in the 1930s, but it remains a neatly disturbing horror with a definitive ending.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5

It's a grand, hokey chiller, dripping with sex and sadism and photographed in dense, Sternbergian shadows by the great cinematographer Karl Struss.

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Laughton is great, but overall misses the mark.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4

Chilling, unforgettable Dr. Moreau telling with creeps supplied by Laughton and Lugosi.

| Original Score: 5/5

Not a great success at the time, probably because its horror is more intellectual than graphic, this adaptation of HG Wells' The Island of Dr Moreau is nevertheless a remarkably powerful film.

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Although the attempt to horrify is not accomplished with any marked degree of subtlety, there is no denying that some of the scenes are ingenously fashioned and are, therefore, interesting.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

This is a horror milestone, and, despite several attempts, a better adaptation of Wells's book has yet to be made.

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A horror classic featuring Laughton's hammy performance and Lugosi as the keeper of the law. Better than any of its remakes.

| Original Score: 3/5

There's not a wasted frame in this chilling horror film that was banned in England upon its first release.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5

It has not lost its power to shock.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5

Is this the greatest horror film ever made? Nah, probably not. But it could be.

Full Review | Original Score: A

| Original Score: 3/5

| Original Score: 4/5

| Original Score: 2/5

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