H.G. Wells’ disturbing tale of vivisectionist horror
has been adapted for film several times, but the 1932 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau, titled Island of Lost of Souls, stands out for
its chillingly effective performances and its sexually charged subtext.
Directed by Erle C. Kenton, this Paramount production is not as well known today
as contemporary Universal classics like Dracula
(1931) or Frankenstein (1932), but
the three movies have much in common, and Kenton’s picture holds its own against
both of those iconic peers. In fact, Island
of Lost Souls surpasses many other horror movies of the 1930s by retaining
its ability to shock, frighten, and unnerve a modern audience, especially if
they are paying attention that what is really going on.
The story follows the perpetually unlucky Edward
Parker (Richard Arlen), who survives a shipwreck only to be cast ashore on a
mysterious island by the unscrupulous captain whose ship picked him up. The ship has delivered a cargo of exotic
animals to the island, along with Mr. Montgomery (Arthur Hohl), who turns out
to be the right hand man of the island’s master, Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton).
Parker soon discovers the inhuman nature of Moreau’s secret research, which
puts his life in danger, but the arrival of his fiancée (Leila Hyams) at the
head of a rescue party brings even more peril as Moreau sets his beast men
loose upon the intruders.
The monsters, of course, are the characters to
watch. They are a fascinating menagerie of horrors, with teeth, fangs, and
crooked limbs that suggest their weird origins as creatures very different from
men. As Lota, the loveliest of the lot, Kathleen Burke convincingly inhabits
the liminal space between predatory panther and island Eve, with beautiful but
wild, unnatural eyes that watch Parker’s every move. Horror icon Bela Lugosi
grins madly as the leader of the island’s bestial man; you might not even
recognize him beneath all that hair. Charles Laughton, however, is the scariest
monster of them all as the sadistic, obsessed Dr. Moreau, a man who wants
nothing more than to mate his creatures with real human beings and see what
results. Laughton plays the role with surprising restraint, but watch his eyes
and the way they light up madly when he talks about his obscene work.
The humans can be a bit dense at times. Do they
really think that the locals are just ugly, hairy natives of the island? They
are, however, necessary to the plot, both as spectators who provide an outsider’s
view of events and as potential victims for Moreau’s most ambitiously horrific
plans. Parker’s fiancée, Ruth, is particularly important, since her arrival
makes Lota’s wooing of Parker himself unnecessary. Moreau realizes that his
beast men, already torn by a storm of unstable urges, will abduct and rape Ruth
with only the slightest encouragement. Moreau cares only for the results of
such an experiment; can his creations procreate with a human being? Astute
viewers will shudder in horror and disgust at this prospect, which invests the
whole story with a deeper and more lingering sense of menace. Even more
terrible is the final scene, in which Moreau’s miserable creations exact a just
but awful vengeance on their maker.
Rejected by more than a dozen US censor boards and
banned outright in Great Britain, Island
of Lost Souls also displeased H.G. Wells, but it remains the best
adaptation of his story more than 75 years later. The 1977 and 1996 versions of
The Island of Dr. Moreau both fail to
live up to its standard. For more from
director Erle C. Kenton, try The Ghost of
Frankenstein (1942), House of
Frankenstein (1944), and House of
Dracula (1945). The great Charles Laughton also stars in Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). Look
for Leila Hyams in another shocking horror classic from the same year, Tod
Browning’s Freaks (1932).
You can rent or buy Island of Lost Souls on DVD from the Criterion Collection. Their version also includes some great interviews with Rick Baker and other genre notables about the making and legacy of the film.
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