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IMDbPro

L'Île de la terreur

Original title: Island of Terror
  • 1966
  • 13
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
Peter Cushing and Carole Gray in L'Île de la terreur (1966)
Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:12
2 Videos
63 Photos
HorrorSci-Fi

An isolated remote island community is threatened by an attack by tentacled silicates which liquefy and digest bone and tissue.An isolated remote island community is threatened by an attack by tentacled silicates which liquefy and digest bone and tissue.An isolated remote island community is threatened by an attack by tentacled silicates which liquefy and digest bone and tissue.

  • Director
    • Terence Fisher
  • Writers
    • Edward Mann
    • Al Ramsen
  • Stars
    • Peter Cushing
    • Edward Judd
    • Carole Gray
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    4.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Terence Fisher
    • Writers
      • Edward Mann
      • Al Ramsen
    • Stars
      • Peter Cushing
      • Edward Judd
      • Carole Gray
    • 105User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Island of Terror
    Trailer 1:12
    Island of Terror
    Island Of Terror: The Monster
    Clip 2:15
    Island Of Terror: The Monster
    Island Of Terror: The Monster
    Clip 2:15
    Island Of Terror: The Monster

    Photos62

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    Top cast27

    Edit
    Peter Cushing
    Peter Cushing
    • Dr. Brian Stanley
    Edward Judd
    Edward Judd
    • Dr. David West
    Carole Gray
    Carole Gray
    • Toni Merrill
    Eddie Byrne
    Eddie Byrne
    • Dr. Reginald Landers
    Sam Kydd
    Sam Kydd
    • Constable John Harris
    Niall MacGinnis
    Niall MacGinnis
    • Mr. Roger Campbell
    James Caffrey
    James Caffrey
    • Peter Argyle
    Liam Gaffney
    • Ian Bellows
    Roger Heathcott
    • Dunley
    Keith Bell
    Keith Bell
    • Halsey
    Margaret Lacey
    • Old Woman
    • (as Margaret Lacy)
    Shay Gorman
    • Morton
    Peter Forbes-Robertson
    • Dr. Lawrence Phillips
    • (as Peter Forbes Robertson)
    Richard Bidlake
    • Carson
    Joyce Hemson
    Joyce Hemson
    • Mrs. Bellows
    Edward Ogden
    • Helicopter Pilot
    Tony Allen
    Tony Allen
    • Villager
    • (uncredited)
    Jim Brady
    Jim Brady
    • Villager
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Terence Fisher
    • Writers
      • Edward Mann
      • Al Ramsen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews105

    6.14.4K
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    Featured reviews

    bradkingsley

    The only horror movie that scared me when I was a teen.

    It was the early 70's when I first saw Island of Terror on a Saturday late night horror show called Shock Theatre. I've always been a fan of Peter Cushing and his films so when I read that he was in it that made it a must see. We were hearing more and more about cancer research so this movie had relevence to the times. Growing up as a youngster in a rural area surrounded by livestock, the opening scene with the dead horse spooked me. At the time I first saw the film, the idea of Cancer research going haywire was a possiblilty and having your bones sucked out of your body while you were alive sent chills through my body. As the creatures were shown more and more, took more victims in varying fashions, more and more lights were turned on in my living room where I was watching the movie. The ending put the icing on the cake and I slept with the lights on for about a week. I had seen many horror movies including The Blob, but this was the only one to really get me sacred and keep me scared. I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. It's got suspence, surprises, a bit of humor, some horror, is just an enjoyable movie to watch and is one of my favorites. It's been many years since I've seen the movie so I just ordered a copy to enjoy again and again. Definately a classic for anyone's movie library.

    I've noticed some reviews talking about how cheap the special effects were and the weak story/plot line, but these are all comparing the film to the standards of todays filmaking. As a child I didn't notice any of the effects simplistics. I was looking for some entertainment and a good late night scare, and Island of Terror delivered.
    6ma-cortes

    Terence Fisher's Monster movie in which bizarre creatures threaten an isolated remote community at an Irish island

    Science-fiction thriller with monster movie elements, set in Petrie's island off the east coast of Ireland, there happens strange deaths of villagers and scientists. As the island is overrun by weird shell-like creatures that suck the bones out their living preys. These fantastic monsters assault and attack citizens, and subsequently threatening to consume the world. Then, three doctors : Peter Cushing, Eddye Byrne, Edward Judd, go into action to investigate and discover the rare origin of the tentacled silicates which liquefy and digest tissue and bones . From an experiment in life..came a devastating death!.

    Moving picture contains good interpretations, chills, thrills, and astonishing attacks by amazing creatures. As well as a strong denounce about risks of science and the hazardous experiments. Here Peter Cushing and Edward Judd carry the flick, giving first-rate performances. Along with enjoyable secondaries as the beautiful Carolyn Gray, Eddye Byrne and the prestigious support actor Nial MacGinnis. The premise is the following : How can three scientific stop the devouring death that live by sucking in living human bones. "This Island of terror" bears certain resemblance to "Island of the burning doomed" 1967 also directed by Terence Fisher and stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, though here deals with a brute heat wave accompanied by invading aliens.

    It contains a stirring musical score by Malcolm Lockyer, adding electronic soundtrack as the fantastic beings appear. As well as colorful and glimmering cinematography by Reg Wyer. Shot on location in Wexham, St. Huberts, Buckinghamshire and Pinewood studios, as usual. This British-made outing was competently directed by Hammer maestro Terence Fisher. This fine director made a lot of films for Hammer productions, usually terror genre. Outstanding his Dracula saga : The horror of Dracula, The Brides of Dracula, Dracula prince of darkness . About Frankenstein : The curse of Frankenstein, The revenge of Frankenstein, Frankenstein created woman , Frankenstein must be destroyed, Frankenstein monster from hell. Furthermore, other terror films as The Gorgon, The mummy, The devil rides out, The two faces of Dr Jekyll, The curse of the werewolf. And other movies as Sherlock Holmes and the deadly necklace, Hound of The Baskervilles, Black glove, Robin Hood, Sword of Sherwood forest, Island of the burning doomed and Island of terror . Rating : 6/10, acceptable and passable. Interesting, thrilling scenes and suspenseful twists make for prickes up the spine.
    6planktonrules

    A decent film with utterly ridiculous monsters!

    "Island of Terror" is a good film....and I do recommend you see it. However, be forewarned that the monsters in the movies are among the silliest looking you can find in films.

    The story is set on an isolated Irish island. The local doctor is shocked when a corpse is discovered with all of its bones turned to liquid! This ain't normal and he soon goes off island to get help. Oddly, instead of getting LOTS of help, he secretly brings two doctors back with them. Soon, they discover a mass of horrid creatures that looked like the Horta from the original "Star Trek" but with a tentacle that could kill! Unfortunately, killing them is a serious problem as dynamite, guns and the like have no effect. Is there any prayer for this island and its inhabitants?

    You just have to see the creatures....and you'll know what I mean...and you'll realize just how silly it all is. But, despite that, Peter Cushing and the gang do a nice job of playing their parts...and the film creates a great mood. Worth watching but very flawed.
    6Muldwych

    Generally Enjoyable Sci-Fi Horror

    A reclusive scientist working on a cancer cure inadvertently unleashes deadly creatures onto the local population, turning it into an...Island Of Terror!

    'Island Of Terror' is an interesting midpoint between 50s sci-fi and 60s Hammer horror - too light for what Hammer and Amicus usually produced, but their gravitational pull is evident. There's something very Quatermass about science unleashing havoc, yet science also providing the solution. There's a nice element of mystery to set the scene, with people being brutally murdered off-screen and their corpses being discovered sans bones, but at the same time, you are left in no doubt that there must be some connection with the scientist up in the manor house and his secretive experiments. Soon enough, the horror he unleashes becomes apparent, and it's up to the three 'responsible' scientists, played by Edward Judd, Peter Cushing, and Eddie Byrne, for whom the film goes to great pains to show how responsible they are as they wisely spend a lot of time studying notes before taking action and applying science methodically, while the uneducated locals must wait patiently because science takes time and there's a process to things. Yes, there are monsters coming over the hill, but there's a procedure to everything and it has to be followed. One can't really disagree with any of this, but the way in which the film portrays the scientific method if anything, shows how long ago it was held in such high regard - it's just hard to imagine a film doing this today. The nature and form of the monsters themselves instantly brings to mind the classic Star Trek episode 'Devil In The Dark', although their appearance and design is more classic Doctor Who. Which is quite fitting, given that Quatermass inspired early Doctor Who, lead Peter Cushing had been playing him on the big screen for the last two years, and both 'Dr Who & The Daleks' and 'Island Of Terror' were scored by Malcolm Lockyer.

    Cushing, I have to say, is wonderful in this film. A far cry from the sombre puritans or mad scientists he would soon become well-known for, here, he is dashing, rounded, and somehow far more natural in his performance. This is more of the Peter Cushing the world used to see before horror films took over his life and it's great to see within the part of his filmography I'm more interested in. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast are extremely theatrical by comparison, with Edward Judd getting very declarative by the end - he reminds me of the way Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes would practically give speeches on the proper order of things before the closing credits. I'm almost expecting him to turn to the quivering frequently-Carole Gray and say 'Don't worry, my dear - science will save you!' Nonetheless, Judd is the archetypal square-jawed hero and fits the part.

    Director Terence Fisher was a firmly-established horror veteran by this point, with the Dracula series and one of my favorites, 'The Gorgon' his recent successes. Having seen the latter again fairly recently, I noticed the same approach to mood lighting, although this time around, the 'big reveal' happens earlier, and Fisher leaves the design team to breathe life into the antagonists of the piece. I think he would have gotten away with it for the most part, but for aspects of the design (read: appendages) that require puppetmasters more skilled than those on offer for them to stand a snowflake's chance in hell of convincing the viewer. They work fine when they're hovering menacingly around a door frame, but not so much when the dreaded miscreation they're attached to shuffles into view. The only reason it even half-works is because the cast face their foes with the same conviction the Doctor Who stars were so frequently seen to give down on the sound stages of Lime Grove.

    Less defensible, unfortunately, is Malcolm Lockyer's frequently light and fluffy score. His trademark cues and melodies worked wonders in 1965's 'Dr Who & The Daleks', where the words 'kids matinée' were practically stamped into Roy Castle's forehead, but it's hard to feel a sense of creeping foreboding in 'Island Of Terror' when the camera is panning through the eerie, deserted scientist's mansion accompanied by xylophone motifs. This is a film where the production values need every other department on board to help project a convincingly menacing atmosphere - not have the composer imagining cartoon bees dancing on toadstools. Again, this underscores for me how the film sits between two genres and no-one's fully made up their minds which way it should go.

    Putting all these elements together, I find myself giving 'Island Of Terror' a 6 out of 10. I'm frequently drawn to Peter Cushing like a magnet, and he's in fine form here. I love the idea behind the monsters of the piece, and the respect given to science as it triumphs over all when used properly. Alas, the creatures' design needed a slight revision on the drawing board under the title 'Let's be realistic about what we're able to do here', while James Bernard should have been placed in the conductor's chair. A pleasing effort, and worth a look especially if sci-fi of the period appeals.
    6Platypuschow

    Island of Terror: Passable 60's cheesefest

    Starring horror legend Peter Cushing Island of Terror tells the story of the discovery of a messy boneless corpse on a secluded British island.

    When an investigation is done they discover that the island is becoming infested with horrible creatures that put the towns population at threat!

    Created by many of the same people who brought us the original Hammer Horror classics this looks great for its age and even the rubber monsters are better than you'd imagine.

    Sure it's goofy, cheesy and even Cushing isn't exactly on form here but it's entertaining enough stuff for fans of the genre.

    If you can get past the silliness of it all and stomach the sight of Peter Cushing trying to get into a threesome then there is entertainment value to be had.

    The Good:

    Interesting beasties

    Ahead of its time

    The Bad:

    Leading lady poorly used

    Seven different types of cheese

    Things I Learnt From This Movie:

    Solitaire was Peter Cushings second choice

    Working lighters weren't in the budget

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Art director John St John Earl's final film and the only time he is credited for special effects.
    • Goofs
      When the townspeople attack the silicates in the woods with dynamite, the explosions reveal the wheels propelling the creatures along.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Brian Stanley: [sarcastically] One more transfusion and I'll be a full-blooded Irishman.

    • Alternate versions
      The UK cinema version was cut by a few seconds by the BBFC to remove a brief shot of blood-spurts after a hand is chopped off with an axe. The early UK and French DVDs retain this version though the German CCI DVD issue has the scene intact. The 2014 UK Odeon DVD release is fully uncut.
    • Connections
      Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: Island of Terror (1970)

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Island of Terror?Powered by Alexa
    • What are the differences between the British DVD and the Uncut version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 14, 1972 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Île de cauchemar
    • Filming locations
      • Black Park Country Park, Black Park Road, Wexham, Slough, Buckinghamshire, England, UK(car driving through woods, battle against silicates)
    • Production company
      • Planet Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 29m(89 min)
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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