Terror Is a Man

I saw this a few times as a young child (thanks, KSTW in Washington!) and it always stayed in my mind and lo and behold, after recently watching it again (thanks, MOVIE MADNESS in Portland!) I must say that it holds up remarkably well; the things that stood out in my childhood memories are still pretty potent; for a film almost a half century old the monster make-up effects and the creature's attacks are surprisingly well handled. The performances, too, surprised me by their contemporary tone, especially good was Francis Lederer as the strangely sympathetic mad scientist. The creature is a well-drawn movie monster; more suffering animal than murdering beast, it always had my sympathy--at least this time around. The images of it skulking about in its mummy-like bandages remain pretty evocative. The one drawback is the films poky pace--i could have done with much less of the domestic dramas around the hut and more of the monster, but that is a small quibble; overall, Terror Is a Man is a forgotten gem.

This film, obviously inspired by H.G. Wells THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, takes a while to get going but does pick up near the end. The acting, production values and cinematography were superior than expectation for a low budget film made in the Philippines although it's difficult to find a good print throughout. There are some intense, suspenseful and disturbing moments in Dr. Girard's underground laboratory.

Fitzgerald is the only survivor of a shipwreck and he finds himself washed up on an luscious Pacific island, which is inhabited by a close-minded doctor, his unsatisfied wife and edgy assistant. That night they found Fitzgerald, the doctor's experimental subject; a panther got loose and killed some natives. But they manage to get hold of it again. Not too long Fitzgerald learns what the doctor is trying to do, but he questions the ethical nature of his experiments. When Fitzgerald comes face to face with Dr. Girard's test subject it's something his eyes can't believe.

Like other users have already mentioned, this cheap b-grade flick is influenced by H.G. Wells novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau." You might call it a poor man's version of the story. But to my surprise this feature was incredibly well-made and mildly effective, it's just too bad that the print of the film is all scratched up and jumpy in parts. The low-budget production is well set-up with fine execution in the direction, thunderously high-strung score and solid camera-work in achieving a very heavy mood in the jarringly, grim atmosphere. The isolated island (which was filmed in the Philippines) and the doctor's house (especially his laboratory) have a dauntingly, unsteady feel. Slow-building terror is squeezed tight by a snail-like opening hour involving many stoppages and meandering about. The third-act though, is where things really get going with some nice doses of suspense and plenty of interesting moments occurring with the mystery of the doctor's work coming out of the dark. These sparks are few and far between, but the sub-due plot is strong enough to carry the film, even though it does have its wishy-washy details and understated ending. The routine script is filled with a lot of mumbo jumbo, maybe a little too much of it and a bit forced. Thrown in are ponderous theories about evolution and morality about interfering with nature's course and so on. Also the dramatic interplay between the characters have a variety of frictions that plays on their slowly decaying mentality. Though, the token romance link between Fitzgerald and Frances Girard was unconvincing and it felt overly padded for me. The performances were exceptional enough, with some buoyant acting at times. Francis Lederer, as Dr. Girard, Richard Derr as Fitzgerald and Oscar Keesee Jr. as Perrera were terrific in their roles. The beautiful Greta Thyssen as Frances Girard; I was 50/50 on, sometimes she was rather leaden, but still she has an awe that's hard dismiss. The make-up effects for our feline (and there's only one) was way above-average, even though it was kept in bandages and looking more like a mummy. But when we see glimpses of its face it was rather well-done up, though I found the creature's growling unintentionally amusing.

There's nothing great or particularly unfamiliar about it, but with what they had to work with, it's commendably done.

Side-note: I'm just glad that I didn't have to sit through the warning bell gimmick, which would destroy the whole purpose in you wanting suspense and surprises from this film. The idea just escapes me, especially since you'll know what you're getting yourself into.

It's yet another version of H.G. Wells' THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU, shot as a Phillippine-American co-production. Francis Lederer is the mad doctor who is trying to evolve animals faster than nature can; Greta Thyssen is his hot blonde wife, because when a mad scientist marries, it's always a hot chick, so that the rugged hero, here Richard Derr, can tempt her. That is, I suppose, because people don't care what happens to animals unless it involves gene-splicing, but the hot wife considering cheating on her husband with a hunky stranger.... yowza!

Although the 'monster' here is a transmuted panther, who winds up looking like a buff furry in mummy wrappings, isn't given much screen time, but there is an air of humanism in the story, a sense that animals should be treated better, and that's a good thing. Also, the photography is excellent, barring a mismatched day-for-night sequence near the end. Credit Emmanuel I. Rojas, who worked in a lot of Phillippine co-productions from 1951 through his death at age 57 in 1968.

The castaway William Fitzgerald (Richard Derr) is rescued in an island by Dr. Charles Girard (Francis Lederer), his lonely wife Frances Girard (Greta Thyssen) and his assistant Walter Perrera (Oscar Keesee Jr.). A couple of days later, Fitzgerald has an affair with Frances and realizes that the unethical and insane Dr. Girard is developing sick experiments and transforming a panther into a man-like creature. Meanwhile, the monster escapes from the laboratory, killing Walter and the servant Celina and seizing and capturing Frances with him. Fitzgerald and Dr. Girard chase the being along the night.

"Terror is a Man" is a watchable rip-off of "The Island of Dr. Moreau", with a monster that behaves like The Creature in "Frankenstein" and with the appearance of The Mummy. The story is silly, but considering that it is a very low-budget and theatrical B-movie, entertains. Unfortunately, the shameful DVD released in Brazil by the distributor Fantasy shows a completely damaged copy, "jumping" many scenes and making parts of the story impossible to be understood. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Criatura Sangrenta" ("Blood Creature")