Do you want to see ‘Isle of the Dead’?

Isle of the Dead (1945)

tomatometer

All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 13
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 2

No consensus yet.

No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 0

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 1,661

My Rating

Added to your Facebook Timeline. — undo

Movie Info

Inspired by Swiss artist Arnold B�cklin's famous painting, this seminal horror film marked the first of three collaborations between RKO producer Val Lewton and British genre star Boris Karloff. Set during the 1912 Balkan Wars, Isle of the Death featured Karloff as Greek general Pherides who, along with an American journalist (Marc Cramer), visits the gravesite of his late wife on a deserted island. They find the grave desecrated and a group of travelers held hostage by the superstitious beliefs

Unrated, 1 hr. 12 min.

Drama, Horror, Musical & Performing Arts, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Mark Robson

In Theaters: Sep 1, 1945 Wide

On DVD: Oct 31, 2006

Cast

Boris Karloff
Gen. Nikolas Pherides
Ellen Drew
Thea
Marc Cramer
Oliver Davis
Katherine Emery
Mrs. St. Aubyn
Alan Napier
Mr. St. Aubyn
Jason Robards Sr.
Albrecht
Helene Thimig
Kyra
Ernst Dorian
Dr. Drosses
Skelton Knaggs
Henry Robbins
Sherry Hall
Greek Colonel
Ernst Deutsch
Dr. Drossos
Erick Hanson
Officer

Critic Reviews for Isle of the Dead

All Critics (13) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (2) | DVD (2)

It's better handled and directed than most though thriller fans will still find its lack of action a drag.

November 14, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

quite bad

October 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central

| Comment

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

Mark Robson's direction here reduces a country's political/spiritual unrest to pronouncements by pinned-down actors about "uneasy conscience" and "fool's courage"

September 6, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion

| Comment

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Claustrophobic and nightmarishly atmospheric.

November 14, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Its poetical finale comes a little too late to save it from its general dullness.

October 31, 2006 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

One of the few truly scary films of the 1940s.

September 15, 2006 Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies

| Comment

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

Goatdog's Movies Source: Goatdog's Movies

The film comes magnificently alive with the burial sequence, and with the zombie-like, white-robed woman roaming through shadowy galleries and shuttered rooms.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Time Out

Zombies and Karloff...chills and thrills.

January 2, 2005 Comment

Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan Source: Kansas City Kansan

Full of expertly handled shocks.

May 24, 2003 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

One of the better post-Tourneur Lewton films

October 16, 2002 Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

"memorably moody"

July 29, 2002 Comment

James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Isle of the Dead

View All

Confused. Some nice plot kernels and plenty of great Lewton atmospherics but ... no. Too much going on here.

February 18, 2011

Bob Stinson

Super Reviewer

This one came as a complete surprise to me. Here I was expecting a schlock horror film and what do I get? A very suspenseful and thought-provoking thriller. Fantastic I say! Like most thrillers, it takes it a bit to get going, but if you perservere with a bit of patience, you'll discover your heart racing while the

February 10, 2011

Tim Salmons

Super Reviewer

Isle of the Dead Quotes

View All

No quotes approved yet for Isle of the Dead. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Character	Quote
	Enter quote here...	Delete

DVD

Top Rentals

35%	The Hangover Part II
25%	Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Par...
81%	Kung Fu Panda 2
44%	Cowboys & Aliens
83%	Rise of the Planet of the Apes

More…

New On DVD This Week

25%	Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Par...
88%	Lady and the Tramp
69%	A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
21%	Fireflies in the Garden
45%	The Rebound

More…

Latest News for Isle of the Dead

August 17, 2007:

The Weekly Ketchup: First look at The Dark Knight, Jurassic Park IV details, hope for The Hobbit
In this week's Ketchup, we get a special first look at The Dark Knight, a rather unfortunate look at...

View All