A Disappointing Continuation

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

" . . . than one carrying the Plague," two-star commander Pherides says about 22:05 into ISLE OF THE DEAD. "The horseman on the Pale Horse is Pestilence; he follow the wars," is another of Pherides' favorite sayings (6:10), which I guess is better for this equestrian killjoy than following the Patriots. Perhaps the primary takeaway for contemporary viewers from ISLE OF THE DEAD is: don't even think about visiting Greece. Greeks have so many superstitions about Gods and Monsters that even they cannot keep them all straight. Also, ISLE OF THE DEAD documents that these central European folks will use sleep apnea or any other flimsy excuse to nail foreign visitors tight inside cheap wooden coffins while they're still alive! In this story, "Mary" has long enough fingernails to claw herself out of such a predicament, but what if she had been a nail biter, or just gotten a manicure? When the difference between Life and Death is whether or not you've been consuming enough gelatin, it's probably best to wash one's hands of such a capricious tourist trap, and avoid ISLE OF THE DEAD at all costs!

In the absorbing and atmospheric Isle of the Dead, a callous, uncompromising military general and a reporter find themselves quarantined on an island, waiting for a change in the wind. Among their companions, a chronically ill woman, her young servant, and an old woman who believes the latter is a monster.Like many of Val Lewton's movies, Isle of the Dead is suspense-drama masquerading as a horror movie. Some of the negative reviews here are from people who wanted the horror movie they didn't get, but in spite of some thrills and chills in the last part, this, is in essence, a drama about the power of superstition.With solid performances that include a rigid Karloff, a creepy Helene Thimig, and a nervous Katherine Emery, the interplay of characters and events creates a compelling drama that, in typical Lewton style, opens the door to the supernatural.While the script is thoughtful and there are some memorable and chilling scenes, the movie does suffer from some lapses in logic, starting with the idea that somehow a bunch of people with the plague will be able to leave the island if the wind changes. But overall this is a very satisfying drama.

Mark Robson directed this Val Lewton production starring Boris Karloff as Gen. Nikolas Pherides. The time is the war of 1912, General Pherides goes to an isolated Greek isle to visit the grave of his wife. His is dismayed to find it disturbed, and discovers that because of the plague, all bodies had to be dug up and burned. In fact, the isle is in quarantine, and now the General(as well as the visiting journalist who was interviewing him) are as well. A superstitious old woman believes that a young woman staying at the Inn with them is responsible. Is she right, or is it something else? Eerie and well acted film has good atmosphere but is awfully slow and lacking in action. Karloff makes the difference though, as he is excellent as usual, and makes up for the faults of pacing and story.

If I had to review this film using just one word, I would select "tedious". Which says a lot when the whole film lasts on 71 minutes! By 1945, Karloff had left his previous studio because he felt they were milking the "Frankenstein" concept to death. I'm not sure that RKO did him any favors with this film, although at least he's a normal person in this film. The story takes place on a Greek island during a war in 1912. Karloff plays a Greek general, who -- along with a reporter and several other people -- are quarantined for the plague. Why did they go to the island? To visit the general's wife's tomb...which they find open and robbed. But, I couldn't quite figure out what that had to do with the rest of the story. Ata ny rate, one of the women in the inn may be a vampiric demon, although that too is never quite established. Perhaps the most interesting part of the plot is that one of the other, and older, women at the inn has always had a fear of being buried alive...which of course, is just what happens when they think she had succumbed to the plague. To be honest, it's all pretty murky.Not recommended, unless you just want to see Karloff in a non-monster role.