Island of Lost Souls (1932)

The conception of pre-code movies is that almost anything goes.  It is true that in some cases there was some nudity and violence, sometimes getting into what would earn an R-rating today; D. W. Griffith's Intolerance always comes to mind on that front.  Although certainly more violent than films after the Hays Code went into effect, and a bit steamier, it was rare that many of these movies ventured into territory that outright violated the norms of the time.  That means, despite the lurid poster art, Island of Lost Souls is less about topless nymphettes and more about the horrors of unrestrained scientific experimentation. 

Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) is a survivor of a shipwreck who is picked up by a merchant ship in the South Pacific and nursed back to health by a man named Montgomery (Arthur Hohl).  The ship is bound for Apia, the capitol of Samoa, where Parker's fiancée Ruth (Leila Hyams) awaits him.  However, Parker runs afoul of the ship's drunken captain (Stanley Fields) and is thrown off the ship at Montgomery's stop - an uncharted island run by a scientist named Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton).

Moreau's house is the only major structure on the island, with the inside filled with strange plant life and most of the natives taking on an animalistic nature.  Parker soon finds out why; Moreau is experimenting with genetics and evolution, advancing the creatures he brings to the island to the point where they almost resemble human beings.  Most of his experiments have rudimentary intelligence and he keeps them in fear of himself and Montgomery but his prize result, Lota (Kathleen Burke), is the most human of all.  With Parker an unwitting guest on the island Moreau hopes to see if Lota will find herself attracted to a human man despite her origins.  Meanwhile, Ruth finds out where Parker is, and hires a ship captained by a man named Donahue (Paul Hurst) to come to Parker's rescue. 

Island of Lost Souls was banned in the UK until the 1950s for being "against nature" and H. G. Wells, who wrote the novel upon which it was based, hated the movie.  Despite that it was a moderate hit in the United States and has become a cult favorite over the years, inspiring two remakes, a number of spiritual successors and, with its frequent showing on Saturday afternoon and late-night television, an influence on a number of artists and musicians as well.  Though made by Paramount it ended up under the ownership of Universal, falling under its umbrella of classic horror films.

Despite its popularity it is still not considered on the level of Dracula or Frankenstein, which is a sad mistake.  It's still an early talking picture so it only has music during the titles, but where that is a detriment to Dracula it allows for some great audio design in Island of Lost Souls, as there are always ambient sounds throughout.  It also emphasizes the pain that Moreau's creatures are going through.  Typically, music in a movie helps enhance the emotions, but here it is done through acting and atmosphere.  Also, though not bloody by any standards, just hearing the screams of a near-human creature being operated on by Moreau and Montgomery, sans sedation, is enough to put chills down one's spine. 

Richard Arlen plays a square-jawed hero so there isn't too much for him to do other than observe and fight.  In that way he's much like many of the narrators in Wells's novels, as the events they see mean more than who is taking it down.  The real star is Charles Laughton as the villain, bringing a disquieting amorality to the proceedings that anticipate such real-life monsters and Josef Mengele.  The hints of sexual deviance in both Moreau and Montgomery certainly would not have been allowed a few years later but, like most pre-code movies, it's hinted rather than outright shown.  There is also Bela Lugosi under quite a bit of makeup in a small, but pivotal, role as the Sayer of the Law. 

The makeup on all the creatures is quite well-done and Erle C. Kenton did a great job directing this, featuring a fair bit of location filming on Catalina to lend an authentic island feel.  The movie has an inevitable conclusion, a few unpredictable deaths and some of the most memorable and disturbing creatures of early sound cinema and, to my surprise, managed to pull most of it off quite well considering the limitations of the time.  Also, despite what H. G. Wells might have thought, Island of Lost Souls managed to be the movie it wanted to be even if it wasn't a faithful adaptation of the book.  It is also the best adaptation of the story despite advances in makeup and effects.  No other attempt at the story has managed to equal it in over 90 years.

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Time: 70 minutes

Starring: Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Arthur Hohl, Kathleen Burke, Charles Laughton

Director: Erle C. Kenton