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L'île des morts

Original title: Isle of the Dead
  • 1945
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 11m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
L'île des morts (1945)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:22
1 Video
99+ Photos
DramaHorrorMysteryThriller

A Greek general takes leave from the 1912 Balkan War to visit a small island in Greece, where his wife is buried. A plague soon breaks out and he is forced to stay when quarantine is declare... Read allA Greek general takes leave from the 1912 Balkan War to visit a small island in Greece, where his wife is buried. A plague soon breaks out and he is forced to stay when quarantine is declared.A Greek general takes leave from the 1912 Balkan War to visit a small island in Greece, where his wife is buried. A plague soon breaks out and he is forced to stay when quarantine is declared.

  • Director
    • Mark Robson
  • Writers
    • Ardel Wray
    • Val Lewton
    • Josef Mischel
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Ellen Drew
    • Marc Cramer
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    5.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mark Robson
    • Writers
      • Ardel Wray
      • Val Lewton
      • Josef Mischel
    • Stars
      • Boris Karloff
      • Ellen Drew
      • Marc Cramer
    • 94User reviews
    • 65Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:22
    Official Trailer

    Photos106

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    Top cast12

    Edit
    Boris Karloff
    Boris Karloff
    • Gen. Nikolas Pherides
    Ellen Drew
    Ellen Drew
    • Thea
    Marc Cramer
    Marc Cramer
    • Oliver Davis
    Katherine Emery
    Katherine Emery
    • Mrs. Mary St. Aubyn
    Helene Thimig
    Helene Thimig
    • Madame Kyra
    Alan Napier
    Alan Napier
    • St. Aubyn
    Jason Robards Sr.
    Jason Robards Sr.
    • Albrecht
    • (as Jason Robards)
    Ernst Deutsch
    Ernst Deutsch
    • Dr. Drossos
    • (as Ernst Dorian)
    Sherry Hall
    • Col. Kobestes
    • (uncredited)
    Erick Hanson
    • Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Rose Hobart
    Rose Hobart
    • Mrs. Mary St. Aubyn (in long shot)
    • (uncredited)
    Skelton Knaggs
    Skelton Knaggs
    • Andrew Robbins
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Mark Robson
    • Writers
      • Ardel Wray
      • Val Lewton
      • Josef Mischel
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews94

    6.55.5K
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    Featured reviews

    bob the moo

    Not quite what the title etc suggests it would be but still enjoyable

    It is 1912 and Greece is deeply involved in the Balkan War. General Nikolas Pherides is in charge of a group of soldiers – driving them to breaking point in what some might call a cruel, twisted sense of patriotism. On a visit to the grave of his wife with visiting American Oliver Davis, Pherides finds the graves vandalised and demands answers from the local residents. He gets them but also accepts their offer of a bed for the night to save them making the long journey back to the troops. However during the night the plague is found on the small island and quarantine is declared to protect the troops. However they quickly find that the plague is not the only danger on the mysterious island.

    Although the plot is unnecessarily busy considering the short running time, this is an effective enough drama although I would have liked more of the atmospheric horror to it. The plot involves the plague, suspicious characters, a driven man and possibly the undead; it builds well on the air of mystery and atmosphere although it never really gets close to some of the better Val Lewton films. Likewise the plot, although easy to follow, is not as simple and effective as it could have been and the various threads tend to slow down the film rather than compliment the atmosphere. The atmosphere is still good, although Robson has given it more of a melodramatic use of shadow at times rather than a tense use. That said, some moments are quite chilling and it'll still work on that basis.

    Cramer is the main character despite the lower billing; he is a fairly standard, square jawed actor and he isn't that interesting as a result. Karloff is where the show is at and, although he is not playing a monster to the same degree as he often would, he is still very interesting and his performance is good. Support is so-so from the rest of the cast; Drew and Thimig are pretty good but Napier, Robards and Emery are not given the same chance to really shine.

    Overall this is an enjoyable film but not the one to come to if you want to see the best that Lewton had to offer. The plot is more drama than atmospheric horror but it does still do this well at points. The cast are mostly good but they do tend to get in the way of Karloff, who is missed every time he goes off the screen.
    6Doylenf

    Eerie drama of quarantined souls on a Greek island in 1912...

    BORIS KARLOFF is a Greek general whose wife's body has mysteriously vanished from its tomb at the start of ISLE OF THE DEAD. He's naturally suspicious that something more evil than the plague has crept over the island he decides must be quarantined--forbidding anyone from leaving it. ELLEN DREW is a young woman he suspects may have something to do with evil spirits--or even vampirism--and MARC CRAMER is a young soldier who wants to protect her.

    All the ingredients for a good chiller are here, but it's a story that gets its main strength, not from the plot, but from the sinister, shadowy B&W photography that sets up the moody atmosphere from the start, with an air of dread lingering over every scene.

    Aiding considerably are strong performances from KATHERINE EMERY as a sick woman who fears being buried alive, and HELEN THIMIG as a superstitious old woman. In fact, all of the supporting players do well under Mark Robson's taut direction.

    The tale itself is not one of my favorites but it's a credit to all concerned that they do a job of giving it a creepiness that should satisfy even the most jaded of Gothic horror fans.

    And yet, ultimately, there's a bit of a letdown as far as the story itself is concerned. The ingredients are all there, but something vital is missing and I'm sorry to say I don't know exactly what it is.

    Nevertheless, holds the interest throughout.
    7telegonus

    Plague Island

    Plague victims are dropping like flies in this somewhat sluggish, Mark Robson-directed entry in the Val Lewton horror cycle. This one isn't as well-written as the earlier films in the series, and the isolation, while nicely suggested psychologically, fails to cast the spell of hopelessness and despair it ought to. The movie is too genteel to be frightening, and lacks the fine tuning of a director like Jacques Tourneur, who surely would have made more of it. Boris Karloff is quite good in the "lead", however, and the supporting cast is competent if unexciting. By today's standards, there's not much to be scared of here, and though it works up a nice head of steam near the end, it succeeds more as a mood piece than a horror tale.
    7bkoganbing

    A Vorvola?

    I'm still not quite sure what I saw in Isle of the Dead. I do know it succeeded in giving me the willies.

    Several people gather on Greek Island during the Balkan Wars when a type of plague strikes and folks die one by one. One old peasant woman, Helene Thimig suspects young and pretty Ellen Drew of being a monster called a Vorvola which was part of the old Greek religion of Zeus and the rest of the folks from Olympus. The problem is that she gets old Greek general Boris Karloff, a brooding and suspicious man to start with, believing it as well.

    Imagine Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None laced with the atmosphere of a horror film and you've got Isle of the Dead. At the end of the film you're not even sure what's happened, but the mood created in you by producer Val Lewton will linger on.

    I'm not sure what a guy like Val Lewton would have done with a big budget in a studio like MGM or Paramount. Those recycled RKO sets with the proper sinister lighting were a signature with him.

    So was there a Vorvola? Watch and judge for yourself.
    8GKersh

    Under-appreciated gem

    Wonderfully atmospheric film with a unique sense of place and well-drawn characters. Karloff's performance here is excellent, yet very different from his work in other films. You may be disappointed if you go in expecting something like his horror classics for Universal. This one is suggestive rather than shocking, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the subtle horrors of Cat People, The Innocents, or even Rosemary's Baby. Because of its literate script and interesting character development, Isle of the Dead may also appeal to others who don't usually like horror.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Rose Hobart was cast in the film, but Boris Karloff became ill and the production had to be shut down until he recovered. By the time he returned, she was working on another film and was replaced. However, Hobart said in a 1984 interview that she can still recognize herself in long shots.
    • Goofs
      Albrecht refers to Hermes as the god of medicine. In Greek mythology, Asclepius was the god of medicine. In terms of medical support, Hermes' assistance was sought by runners or any athletes with injuries.
    • Quotes

      Thea: Laws can be wrong, and laws can be cruel, and the people who live only by the law are both wrong and cruel.

    • Crazy credits
      Intro: "Under conquest and oppression the people of Greece allowed their legends to degenerate into superstition; the Goddess Aphrodite giving way to the Vorvolaka. This nightmare figure was very much alive in the minds of the peasants when Greece fought the victorious war of 1912."
    • Connections
      Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: Isle of the Dead + I Walked with a Zombie (1978)

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    FAQ23

    • How long is Isle of the Dead?Powered by Alexa
    • What is 'Isle of the Dead' about?
    • Is 'Isle of the Dead' based on a book?
    • What is a vorvolaka?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 1, 1945 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La isla de los muertos
    • Filming locations
      • RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $246,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 11 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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