Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Island of Terror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson October 10, 2022

Terence Fisher's forty-third feature Island of Terror (1966) boasts one of the more unique monster creations in cinema. Fisher and his collaborators wisely refrain from showing the creature's size, shape, and features for at least the first couple reels. Dr. Lawrence Phillips (Peter Forbes-Robertson) and his fellow scientists are developing a cure for cancer in a secluded laboratory on the east coast of Ireland. Dr. Phillips is typically mum about discussing his work around Petrie’s Island and doesn't even have telephone lines connected to the manor in which he operates in the basement. Something awry occurs during an experiment with the cancer cells, however. After this prologue, farmer Ian Bellows wanders into a cave where he's unexpectedly attacked. Mrs. Bellows (Joyce Hemson), Ian's wife, becomes concerned after he goes missing for hours. She pays an urgent visit to the abode of Police Constable John Harris (Sam Kydd). The constable ventures to the cave with his flashlight and discovers a shrunken, jelly-like figure on the ground. Bellows is virtually unrecognizable and doesn't have any of his bones left intact. Harris heads hurriedly over to the residence of Dr. Reginald Landers (Eddie Byrne), who performs a preliminary autopsy on Bellows. What happened to the poor farmer is something Landers has never seen before. He hopes pathologist Brian Stanley (Peter Cushing), a professor at the local university, will have some answers but Bellows's condition also completely bewilders him. Landers and Stanley then consult David West (Edward Judd), an expert on bone disease, but he's rather busy with his flame Toni Merrill (Carole Gray). When Landers says that Bellows was left bereft of any bones, that gets West's prompt attention. They perform a more detailed autopsy on Bellows and arrange to obtain a helicopter owned by Merrill so they can fly to Petrie’s Island and visit Dr. Phillips's lab.

For those who haven't seen Island of Terror, I won't say too much about the movie's creatures, who are known as the Silicates. They've been described in many different ways but they remind me of an octopus with long tentacles. When they shift into an amoeba, their interior cells show a resemblance to chicken noodle soup. The Silicates can multiply every six to twelve hours so it becomes a very grave situation for Mr. Campbell (Niall MacGinnis), the head of Petrie’s Island, and general store owner Peter Argyle (James Caffrey). It's up to the wits of Stanley, West, and Landers to stop them from spreading and festering on a human or animal body's calcium phosphate.

Peter Cushing, Edward Judd, and Eddie Byrne all act well together. Carole Gray's character not only wants to accompany the trio to Petrie’s Island, but she also wants to become an integral part of the action. Although the men let her enter in Phillips's manor with them, she unfortunately later becomes a victim who's not given any agency. W.T. Partleton's special make-up effects are the main reason to see Island of Terror.

Island of Terror didn't receive much critical attention in the UK or US when it screened theatrically in 1966-67. Reviews were mixed. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times considered it a genre imitator with a major plot hole: "[F]atal, however was the failure of writer Edward Andrew Mann, who seems to have been inspired by Hitchcock's The Birds, to suggest that this island has been actually cut off from the rest of the world—to pro­vide some reason for its population not notifying the government and the armed forces." The Oakland (CA) Tribune's Alan Ward was kinder to the picture but stated it inflicted corporeal harm: "[The film] causes a viewer’s stomach to do nipups because of its very goriness." Ted Mahar, drama editor for The Oregonian, found Island of Terror occasionally successful: "Surprisingly enough, the movie does generate a certain amount of nervousness in its first half hour or so...Unfortunately, the creatures that are doing it are not the most freightening [sic] devices to come out of the special effects department....but they are as durable as any other movie monster you can name." An unsigned review in the UK-based Pontypridd Observer and Glamorgan Free Press was by far the movie's biggest critical supporter, lauding it for having "extremely convincing acting on behalf of all concerned in this murderous adventure helps brings a realism to it that makes the plot a fascinating one." While Island of Terror is largely regarded a minor work in Fisher's career, Paul Leggett, author of a 2002 book on Fisher, thought the British auteur excelled in his pacing of the action: "What makes the film memorable is Fisher’s strong direction. He steadily builds an atmosphere of claustrophobic menace that leads to a tense conclusion...Fisher achieves one of his most frightening climaxes" (p. 152).

Island of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory's MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-25 is struck from a ca. 2017 HD transfer of the film, which originates from the 35mm interpositive. Island of Terror was originally filmed in either 1.66:1 or 1.85:1. Scream presents it in the 16x9-friendly 1.78:1. Cinematographer Reginald H. Wyer's Eastmancolor boasts bright hues that are accented by greens and burgundy (see especially Screenshot #14.). Skin tones look completely natural. Only the occasional presence of white speckles clutter a mostly clean image. They're most frequent during the trio of scientists' autopsy of Bellows. The most speckles appear during the shot of a scalpel incision into the body. In frame grab #19, you'll notice that the colors don't look as sharp. This was captured right before the main titles. Scream has encoded the feature at an average video bitrate of 28625 kbps.

The 89-minute film comes with the standard twelve scene selections.

Island of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1636 kbps, 24-bit) from the film's original Westrex recording. The British dialogue is fully comprehensible. Barry Gray's distinctive electronic sound effects for the Silicates is a highlight of this track. There is no audible hiss, pops, crackles, or dropouts.

Scream's optional English SDH contain a few typos but deliver an accurate transcription of the dialogue.

Island of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary with Film Historian Dr. Robert J. Kiss and Blogger/Actor Rick Pruitt - Scream Factory's titling for this feature-length commentary is a bit misleading since Pruitt doesn't come on till later and contributes a short section on this track. Kiss goes into mini-bios and backgrounds of some of the cast and crew members. His strength is giving a release and reception history of Island of Terror. He explains its release platforms, what it was paired with when it appeared on double bills, and how the advertising differed in the UK versus the US. He credits Tom Weaver for much of the material he cites. Kiss hands over around ten minutes of air time to Pruitt, who describes his drive-in experience of the double feature that consisted of The Projected Man (1966) and Island of Terror. Kiss then resumes the commentary for the remainder of the film. Both speak in English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:55, upconverted to 1080i) - an original trailer for Island of Terror presented in 1.33:1. The picture has been slightly pillarboxed. This is an unrestored trailer that's pretty rife with film artifacts and washed-out colors.

• Still Gallery (5:33, 1080p) - this gallery comprises fifty-nine distinct images. They're not presented as a slideshow, though. Scream has compiled a collage of photographic and advertising material as it pertains to Island of Terror and amalgamated those stills into a very large backdrop. Each image is presented individually but instead of transitioning into the next screen (with a black background), a picture appears and then gradually grows in size as it "pops in" closer to the screen. Displayed are color photos, studio publicity snapshots of Carole Gray, black-and-white stills from Universal's press kit, lobby cards, poster sheets (including The Projected Man when Island of Terror was on a double bill with it), and pages from a theatrical exhibitor's manual. These make up the singular images that enlarge. They're culled from not only the US and UK marketing materials, but also those from foreign markets.

Island of Terror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Island of Terror is an enjoyable vintage British sci-fi thriller that's actually not made by Hammer Films. (It was backed by the British production company Planet Film.) I hadn't seen Edward Judd in a picture before and he reminds me somewhat of Richard Burton. Scream Factory's video and audio presentations are both very good, although the image could be cleaner. Robert J. Kiss's commentary is worth a listen even if it doesn't feature much firsthand research. RECOMMENDED to the fans of Peter Cushing and Terence Fisher, who should add it to their collections.