Le baron vampire

In spite of one of the alternate release titles making this obscure little film sound as if it concerns the hungry amblings of a tiger, it's actually a taut little horror entry concerning a blood-drinking tree which preys on the unwary visitors to an isolated island.

I caught this one on late night television in the early 1970s, and bits of it still stick with me, due to a certain nastiness in the effects work. Cameron Mitchell seems to be a researcher who is studying a bizarre tree which literally drains the life from anyone unwise enough to sleep within groping distance of its slim, mobile branches.

Constructed like a willow, the creature is capable of extending whiplike branches and fastening a cuplike sucking "mouth" to a victim. From there on, things are strictly downhill.

Not strictly a carbon copy of other "plants gone bad" films, such as THE WOMAN EATER or NAVY VS. THE NIGHT MONSTERS, ISLA reflects the stronger attempts many European producers were attempting in order to draw in the jaded horror film crowd. Over the years, this desire to punch up the graphic content resulted in such unique entries as the Blind Dead series and the deja-producing BLOOD AND BLACK LACE.

Needless to say, though creepiness was evoked, the inclusion of stronger content or wilder plot tricks didn't necessarily ensure boxoffice success.

Not Mitchell's worse, but miles below the early promise he showed in his film career.

"La isla de la muerte" (alternately called "Island of the Doomed" and "Maneater of Hydra" in English) is the sort of movie that only three people could present: Elvira, Joe Bob Briggs, or at least one of the guys on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". I saw it on Elvira's show. It's basically a "Day of the Triffids" ripoff. A bunch of tourists go to an island where a man is breeding carnivorous plants. Naturally, the whole thing is an unintentional laugh riot. To be certain, the character Myrtle reminded me of Kyle's mom on "South Park", while the character David looked how Tony Randall would look if left in the microwave too long.

Anyway, it's the sort of thing that you watch for pure entertainment. When the Mistress of the Dark presented it, she naturally added no shortage of campy commentary (namely that a plant-themed movie has a character whose last name is Moss).

PS: director Mel Welles played the flower shop owner in the original "Little Shop of Horrors".

Mysterious and ghastly movie dealing with the suspicious Baron von Wesser : Cameron Mitchell who lives at a island with exotic botanics and he owns strange plants with special penchant for a peculiar specimen . A group of tourists : Jorge Martín, Elisa Montes , Ricardo Valle , Kai Fisher .... arrive in the island , discovering bizarre secrets . Then the unfortunate tourists start dying one by one , as an obscure being is draining the blood the killed people through a small hole in the face cheek . What was the terrifying secret if the vampire tree .? You'll never forget ! .. The clutching horror ! Made to kill or love on command !!!. Death stalking vegetation devours human blood !

This is an offbeat , spine-chilling terror film , including supernatural events , packing tension, suspenseful, exploitation, shocking scenes and lots of blood , gore and guts with primitive but functional FX . This Island of the Doomed takes parts here and there of the classic "The Day of the Triffids" 1963 by Steve Sekely in which some survivors face off walking , carnivorous plants . Resulting to be an eerie and bizarre film with thrills , chills and rousing finale with plenty of blood , gore and shocks. Stars Cameron Mitchell experimenting with bizarre horticulture and crossbreeding dangerous varieties of plants , he plays competently as as a mad doctor whose practises leading to fateful consequences . He is well accompanied by a good Spanish cast, such as : Jorge or George Martín as the hero who takes on the ominous enemy , the beautiful Elisa Montes , the veteran Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Ricardo Valle as Alfredo , and German actors as gorgeous Kai Fisher , Hermann Nehlsen , among others.

It displays a moving and chilling musical score by compose Anton García Abril . As well as colorful cinematography by Cecilio Paniagua and Juan Marine. Although photography needs a perfect remastering , being it really necessary because of the film copy is washed-out . Shot on location in Arenys de Mar, Sant Feliu de Codines, Barcelona, Catalonia , Spain. The motion picture was regularly directed by Mel Welles and Ernst Ritter von Theuner , though the final part turns out to be really breathtaking and thrilling . This B-actor and director Mel Welles was a second-class craftsman who made some films in all kinds of genres such as : "Joyride to nowhere , Lady Frankenstein, , The Last Mercenary , Hellow Glen Ward House Dick, A quiet Business and Code of Silence" . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable . The flick will appeal to 60s terror fans .

I hadn't watched this film for about 15 years, but after watching it again I must say that it works quite well. There is an excellent sense of atmosphere created, and Cameron Mitchell underplays his part more in the manner of a Karloff than of a Lugosi (as this is really an update of the old "mad doctor" films of the 30s and 40s). We take six diverse people--an unhappy married couple with a younger wife, a scientist, an older eccentric lady who is voiced in a Fran Drescher manner, a heroic young man (George Martin), and a desirable young woman for him to be interested in--who choose to vacation at the estate of a Count who is engaged in odd scientific research, and watch them deal with the gradual sense of doom...and the gradually more aggressive killer plants developed by Cameron Mitchell. The film is well-paced, and it leads to an exciting climax. MANEATER OF HYDRA/ISLAND OF THE DOOMED must have looked great on a massive drive-in screen back in 1967--it's still worth seeing today for the fan of 60's Euro-horror and for fans of the great Cameron Mitchell (although Mitchell does not dub his own voice).

Maneater of Hydra was a regular part of the Creature Double Feature program rotation, which aired in New England during the 70s-80s showing monster/sci-fi movies. I remembered this one vividly, for it features a vampiric tree killing the visitors to a mad baron's island. Z-grade movie regular Cameron Mitchell played the Baron. Memories of the film were better than the actual movie, which I managed to hunt down 20 years after last seeing it, but I still find in enjoyable and there is a great B-monster payoff in the last 15 minutes. The animated opening credits with orchestrated music is worth the price of admission alone.

Maneater is a great bit of nostalgia, bringing back childhood memories of rushing home every Saturday to catch Creature Double Feature, spending 3 hours of the afternoon watching the cheesiest movies ever made, and having a blast doing it. This film isn't as bad as people would have you believe.