Horror Island

source: Horror Island

Horror Island

Con man Bill (Dick Foran) takes a bunch of people out to an island with a "haunted" castle and a supposed buried treasure. When they get there it seems there's a phantom lurking about who wants them out of the castle and isn't above murder to get rid of them. The film has great atmosphere and sets (left over from other Universal horror films) and has Peggy Moran giving a good performance--but otherwise this is WAY too quick (half the explanations at the end make little sense) and doesn't have one even remotely scary scene in it. The picture was rushed--and it shows. Characters appear and disappear at random and the script just doesn't make much sense. There are more plot holes in this than anything else. Even Dick Foran (usually a good actor) appears lifeless here. But, if you're in the mood for a very tame and mild horror film this might work. Perfect viewing for kids. I give it a 4.

This actually seems more like an episode of "Scooby Doo" than a movie made long before that animated series took Saturday children's programming to a new level. The opening shot (a peg-legged man walking along the docks) gives the impression that this is going to be a throw-back to the Gothic horror films of the early 30's but for the first half, all you get is the set-up with some comic relief long before the group of actors here get to the actual island home, abandoned they say for centuries and now filled with pigeons whom the guests initially assume are bats. Walter Catlett and Leo Carrillo provide the bulk of comedy relief, with Dick Foran and Peggy Moran the typical romantic interests, the young lady of course involved in some antics straight out of the original "Cat and the Canary". Universal always managed to hide the low budgets of these programmers with some fast-moving photography and sets that, even if recycled, make the movie appear better than it actually is.

Dick Foran plays Bill Martin, an unemployed man who lives on the waterfront who inherits an old castle on a remote island. He gets the idea of charging boat rides to the island for a ghost & treasure hunt excursion, helped by his best friend Stuff Oliver(played by Fuzzy Knight) Peggy Moran plays heiress(and love interest) Wendy Creighton who goes to the island along with several others, where they encounter a caped and mysterious figure known as "The Phantom", who has half of a pirate treasure map, while Bill's associate The Captain has the other. Who will find it first, and survive the night, since someone is also a killer? Fun movie is oddly little-known, but amusing to think how this may have influenced "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" since plot elements and characters are identical! A rushed production though, since this has a big goof: about 26 minutes in, as the group enters the library, a stage hand with portable spotlights can be clearly seen backing out of the scene!

This film has a LOT of potential: a haunted castle with a cloaked "phantom" running about, secret panels, hidden treasure, etc. The only problem is that the crew seems to take FOREVER to get to the island, and once there, the "scarey business" happens much too fast. It would've been much better if they had added about 20 mins. to this film, that would've allowed them to slowly build up each "scare". As it is, things happens so fast, that you don't have time to "savor" them. A good film, none-the-less.

Bill Martin (Dick Foran) is a man who is one step ahead of his creditors when he inherits something odd--a castle on a lonely island in the Caribbean. He decides to use this to his advantage and offers to take people on a treasure hunting expedition there...if they can afford the fare on his boat. However, once there it becomes obvious that there's already a treasure hunter there...and they seem willing to kill the boat load of people if necessary. As for the visitors, they are a motley crew...with everyone from a wanted man to a cousin wanting to buy the mansion to another crook! What's to come of all this? This is a slick little B-mystery film from Universal...and the studio was excellent at making these wonderful atmospheric cheap pictures. While never brilliant in any way, it is reasonably well made and entertaining. By the way, Foran's sidekick in the film is Fuzzy Knight...and fortunately Knight does NOT use his stuttering schtick at all in the movie...thank goodness!

The film starts out a little slow but once they get to the island (about 30 minutes into the film) the movie gets good - funny. There are some suspenseful moments, a neat mystery to solve and plenty of comedy to kept it interesting. Panama Pete (The Phantom)is played by Foy Van Dolsen but I could easily see John Carradine in this role for some reason. But The Phantom is not the only reason to watch this one - the rest of the cast/characters are likable in a neat plot - so this movie is worth watching if you like a pretty good comedy-mystery story. I would not say this is Universal's best film of the time era but it certainly is a joyful watch. 6.5/10

Horror Island (1941) *** (out of 4) Shockingly effective "B" thriller from Universal perfectly blends the mystery, horror and comedy genres. A con man (Dick Foran) takes a group of people to an island for a treasure hunt but soon a crazed madman starts killing them one by one. I was really shocked at how much I enjoyed this film considering how many of these types of films I've seen. The movie runs at lightening speed, which isn't the norm and all the jokes work wonderfully well. Foran makes for a good and charming leading man and the supporting cast does fine work as well. Unlike others in its genre, I didn't catch onto who the killer was either.

Old dark house comedy thriller from Universal with a nice cast of eclectic characters. Dick Foran plays a financially-strapped boat captain who comes up with a phony treasure hunt scam. He takes a group of suckers out to Morgan's Island to hunt for Sir Henry Morgan's treasure. They stay in an old castle and that night strange things start to happen. The group finds itself menaced by a mysterious man in a cape. In addition to Foran, there's Fuzzy Knight, Leo Carrillo, John Eldredge, Hobart Cavanaugh, and other faces familiar to classic film fans. Peggy Moran reunites with her Mummy's Hand love interest, Dick Foran. It's diverting, escapist fun. Quick little B movie that is a pleasant way to pass the time.