Isle of the Dead

Set on a desolate Greek island during WWI, Isle of the Dead follows a group of characters who find themselves trapped together after a sudden outbreak of a deadly plague. Boris Karloff stars as General Nikolas Pherides, a stern military man who arrives on the island to visit the grave of his wife. Pherides becomes the de facto leader of the group after it becomes clear that the locals are too frightened to intervene.

Ellen Drew plays Thea, a governess who is accompanying a young girl to meet her father on the island. Marc Cramer is Dr. Aubrecht, a scientist who has been studying the plague but seems to have little success in finding a cure. Other characters include the superstitious Madame Kyra, the tough-minded Andrew Robbins, and the level-headed Mr. St. Aubyn.

The tension in Isle of the Dead is palpable from the beginning. The travelers arrive on the island to find nearly everyone gone, and there is a sense of unease that pervades the island. The characters are all isolated from one another, and when the plague begins to take hold, the sense of desperation only increases.

Karloff is excellent as Pherides, his commanding presence and dramatic line delivery elevating every scene he is in. The character is initially aloof, but as the situation on the island grows more dire, he becomes more empathetic.

Drew is also quite good as Thea, conveying both strength and vulnerability. The relationship between Thea and Pherides is interesting to watch, as the two initially clash but gradually come to understand each other.

Cramer's Dr. Aubrecht is a bit one-note, but he functions well as both an antagonist (in his initial dismissal of Thea's fears) and a tragic figure (as the implications of his failed research dawn on him). The supporting cast is solid, with each actor contributing a distinct personality to the ensemble.

Director Mark Robson does an excellent job of creating an oppressive atmosphere, using shadowy lighting and claustrophobic camera angles to emphasize the isolation of the characters. The film's setting on a small, sparsely populated island also adds to the sense of dread as the characters become increasingly cut off from the outside world.

Isle of the Dead is not a typical horror movie in the sense that there are few overt scares or shocks. Instead, the film's horror comes from its slow build-up of tension and the inexorable nature of the plague. There is a sense of inevitability to the film that makes it all the more unsettling.

The script, by Ardel Wray and Josef Mischel, is a bit heavy-handed at times with its themes of superstition vs. science and the nature of death, but it gives the actors plenty of material to work with. The dialogue is often dramatic and soliloquy-like, but it suits the film's Gothic sensibilities.

Isle of the Dead is an atmospheric and well-made horror film that showcases Karloff's talent as an actor. It's not the most thrilling or exciting horror movie out there, but it's an effective chiller that will leave you feeling uneasy long after the credits roll.