Blood Capsule #367

TERROR IS A MAN (1959)

This was the first film in the Blood Island series, a loose string of b-movies shot in the Philippines.  I own the Blood Island Collection on Blu-ray, but I don't want to commit myself to the rest of the series yet.  At the very least, I wanted to review Terror is a Man.  This is an interesting little picture co-directed by cult maven Eddie Romero.  It's a loose (what a random word to use twice in one paragraph) adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau.  Most people - well, most horror fans - are only familiar with 1932's Island of Lost Souls and maybe the 1996 retread with Marlon Brando.  There are others, but I want to keep things as simple as possible.  Oddly, the first half of this film reminded me of the '96 version.  A shipwrecked man washes ashore on a remote strip of land seemingly populated by natives.  He is nursed back to health by a scientist (and by association, the scientist's wife).  Eventually, he learns that help is definitely not on the way.  What's more, the scientist is busy with disquieting experiments, curious surgeries that involve a panther and a bandaged figure.

Can I just say that I love 1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau?  God, it feels good to get that off my chest.  It's irrelevant here, but like I said, the story beats mirror each other to a point.  Terror is stylish and well-photographed.  It's actually better than it has any right to be.  The pace is methodical.  There is a payoff, and I dug how the creature is slowly revealed.  Because of the bandages, you can pretend that you're watching a mummy movie.  Who doesn't want to pretend to watch a mummy movie?  If it weren't for Hammer's The Mummy from the same year, you could call this the best mummy movie of the 50's.  Y'know, if it was about a mummy.  I need to abandon this line of thought, don't I?  Francis Lederer is strangely sympathetic as Dr. Girard.  It's almost as if the script doesn't want to portray him (or anyone, for that matter) as the villain.  Now, it should be noted that I'm picky, so I have to deduct points for a dull second act.  Still, I recommend checking out Terror is a Man.

Random trivia alert...during a scene where Dr. Not Moreau slices into his patient's larynx, we hear bells on the soundtrack.  A pre-title card tells us that the sound of bells denotes sickening imagery and we are cautioned to close our eyes if we are the least bit squeamish.  Consider me charmed!