Review of Isle of the Dead (1945) by Scott R — 22 Dec 2014

One of Val Lewton's weakest works; it certainly pales in comparision to some of his other works: Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The Body Snatcher and Ghost Ship. There are, as usual for Lewton, some intriguing ideas at the core of this film, but it's weighed down by an overly wordy script and often shoddy direction, particularly in the brisk, confused pacing and jumpy editing that skips abruptly from scene to scene with a complete lack of nuance. The theme of science versus superstition - a Lewton trademark - is presented only in the most simplistic of terms without any nuance.

Boris Karloff provides a fine performance as the tortured general. Caught between the worlds of logic and superstition, in the end he is driven insane a victim of the island's gloomy death-obsession as anyone else. With the exception of Ellen Drew's conflicted young innocent and Helen Thimig's fiery-eyed old housekeeper, the rest of the cast is abysmal and the dialogue is flat and wooden.

The one thing this film gets right is the claustrophobic atmosphere which becomes more creepy until the moment of the film's memorable scene: the premature burial. As the camera pulls away from the wooden coffin with no sound other than that of dripping water, the suspense becomes almost unbearable. It is one of the most frightening moments in any Lewton film.