Starring: Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Bela Lugosi, Kathleen Burke, Arthur Hohl, Stanley Fields, Paul Hurst, Tetsu Komai, George Irving
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Year: 1932
Studio: Criterion
Length: 70 minutes
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Rating: NR
Format: DVD
Misc: NTSC, Full Screen, Black & White
Language: English(Original Language)
SYNOPSIS:
A twisted treasure from Hollywood’s pre-Code horror heyday, Island of Lost Souls is a cautionary tale of science run amok adapted from H. G. Wells’s novel The Island of Dr. Moreau.
In one of his first major movie roles, Charles Laughton is a mad doctor conducting ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked sailor (Richard Arlen) who finds himself trapped there. Erle C. Kenton’s touchstone of movie terror is elegantly shot by Karl Struss, features groundbreaking makeup effects that inspired generations of monster-movie artists, and costars Bela Lugosi in one his most gruesome roles.
BONUS FEATURES:
Audio commentary by film historian Gregory Mank, author of Bela Lugosi and Boris
Karloff and Hollywood’s Maddest Doctors
New video conversation among filmmaker John Landis (An American Werewolf in
London), Oscar-winning makeup artist Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London,
Videodrome), and genre expert Bob Burns
New interviews with horror film historian David J. Skal (The Monster Show: A Cultural
History of Horror); filmmaker Richard Stanley (Hardware, original director of the ill-fated
1996 remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau)
New interviews with Devo founding members Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh,
whose manifesto is rooted in themes from Island of Lost Souls
Theatrical trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Christine Smallwood
