Waste of time

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

1941's "Horror Island," double-billed with Lon Chaney's "Man Made Monster," was a quota quickie from Universal, shot and directed at breakneck speed by George Waggner, who graduated to "The Wolf Man" by the end of the year. A search for buried treasure at a remote island castle, which gives it a slightly different flavor than "The Cat and the Canary," punctuated by three murders adding to the fun. Reunited after "The Mummy's Hand" are likable Dick Foran and perky Peggy Moran, as vivacious and beautiful as one could expect (not unlike Paulette Goddard). Comic relief in capable hands, Leo Carrillo and Fuzzy Knight old hands at the game, Ralf Harolde and Iris Adrian also cast to type as a gangster on the lam and his flirtatious moll. John Eldredge was becoming a fixture at Universal that year- "The Black Cat," "The Mad Doctor of Market Street," and Hitchcock's "Saboteur." Included in the popular SHOCK! television package from the late 50s, "Horror Island" made five appearances on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater- June 25 1966 (following 1958's "House on Haunted Hill"), May 31 1969 (followed by 1943's "The Mad Ghoul"), Mar 22 1975 (following 1942's "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and second feature 1939's "The House of Fear"), Aug 6 1977 (following 1963's "Castle of Blood"), and May 21 1983 (solo).

Dick Foran plays Bill Martin, an unemployed man who lives on the waterfront who inherits an old castle on a remote island. He gets the idea of charging boat rides to the island for a ghost & treasure hunt excursion, helped by his best friend Stuff Oliver(played by Fuzzy Knight) Peggy Moran plays heiress(and love interest) Wendy Creighton who goes to the island along with several others, where they encounter a caped and mysterious figure known as "The Phantom", who has half of a pirate treasure map, while Bill's associate The Captain has the other. Who will find it first, and survive the night, since someone is also a killer? Fun movie is oddly little-known, but amusing to think how this may have influenced "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" since plot elements and characters are identical! A rushed production though, since this has a big goof: about 26 minutes in, as the group enters the library, a stage hand with portable spotlights can be clearly seen backing out of the scene!

A motley assortment of people go to Sir Henry Morgan's island for a treasure hunt. The group runs afoul of a creepy killer known as "The Phantom." Director George Waggner, working from an eventful and surprisingly witty script by Victor McLeod, relates the blithely dippy story at a constant snappy pace and maintains a breezy lighthearted tone throughout. Moreover, the cast have a ball with their colorful roles: Dick Doran as amiable down-on-his luck boat captain Bill Martin and Fuzzy Knight as Martin's oafish stuttering partner Stuff Oliver make for engaging leads, the pretty Peggy Moran brings a sweetly spunky charm to her role as the sassy Wendy Creighton, Leo Carrillo is a hale'n'hearty delight as jolly peg-legged skipper Tobias Clump, plus there are nice turns by John Eldridge as the shifty Cousin George, Lewis Howard as dour sourpuss Thurman Coldwater, Hobart Cavanaugh as the timid Professor Jasper Quinley, Walter Catlett as the pesky Sergeant McGoon, and Iris Adrian as brassy moll Arleen Grady. With his gaunt face, deep gravel voice, lean build, and flowing black cape, Foy Van Dolsen makes for a nifty villain as the Phantom. Elwood Bredell's crisp black and white cinematography makes inspired use of light and shadow. The lively film library score likewise does the trick. The revelation of the real bad guy's identity is a genuine surprise. Moreover, there's a good-natured sensibility evident throughout which makes this admittedly slight hour long quickie a lot of fun to watch. A pleasingly inane and immaterial diversion.

Horror Island (1941) *** (out of 4) Shockingly effective "B" thriller from Universal perfectly blends the mystery, horror and comedy genres. A con man (Dick Foran) takes a group of people to an island for a treasure hunt but soon a crazed madman starts killing them one by one. I was really shocked at how much I enjoyed this film considering how many of these types of films I've seen. The movie runs at lightening speed, which isn't the norm and all the jokes work wonderfully well. Foran makes for a good and charming leading man and the supporting cast does fine work as well. Unlike others in its genre, I didn't catch onto who the killer was either.