SYNOPSIS: A twisted treasure from Hollywood’s pre-Code horror heyday, Island of Lost Souls is a cautionary tale of science run amok, adapted from H. G. Wells’s novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. In one of his first major movie roles, Charles Laughton is a mad doctor conducting ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked man (Richard Arlen) who finds himself trapped there. This touchstone of movie terror, directed by Erle C. Kenton, features expressionistic photography by Karl Struss, groundbreaking makeup effects that have inspired generations of monster-movie artists, and the legendary Bela Lugosi in one of his most gruesome roles.
| Dr. Moreau | Charles Laughton |
| Edward Parker | Richard Arlen |
| Ruth Thomas | Leila Hyams |
| Sayer of the Law | Bela Lugosi |
| Lota, the Panther Woman | Kathleen Burke |
| Montgomery | Arthur Hohl |
| Captain Davies | Stanley Fields |
| Captain Donahue | Paul Hurst |
| Ouran | Hans Steinke |
| M'ling | Tetsu Komai |
| Consul | George Irving |
| First Mate Hogan | Bob Kortman |
| Gola | Harry Ekezian |
| Pig man | Buster Brodie |
| Samoan girl | Rosemary Grimes |
| Gorilla | Charles Gemora |
| Beast-men | Jack Bardette |
| Joe Bonomo | |
| Jules Cowles | |
| John George | |
| Julius Graubart | |
| Otto Lederer | |
| Robert Milasch | |
| Constantine Romanoff | |
| Duke York |
| Director | Erle C. Kenton |
| Associate producer | E. Lloyd Sheldon |
| Adaptation | Philip Wylie |
| Based on The Island of Dr. Moreau by | H. G. Wells |
| Screenplay | Waldemar Young |
| Cinematographer | Karl Struss |
| Makeup | Wally Westmore |
| Art director | Hans Dreier |
| Special photographic effects | Gordon Jennings |
| Sound | M. M. Poggi and Loren L. Ryder |
| Assistant director | Russell Matthews |
| Assistant cameramen | Paul Cable, Cliff Shirpser and Fleet Southcott |
| Camera operators | George T. Clemens and Otto Pierce |
| Music | Arthur Johnston and Sigmund Krumgold |
By October 25, 2011
An Erle C. Kenton–directed Paramount feature based on the 1896 H. G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau, Island of Lost Souls (1932) is the story of a mad scientist’s attempts to convert wild animals into human beings by way of vicious medical procedures.
October 13, 2011
Our own Kim Hendrickson and Susan Arosteguy will be in Columbus, Ohio, tonight to discuss movies—and monsters—at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
January 13, 2012
It’s the time of year when the list makers do their heavy lifting, looking back over the preceding twelve months and deciding what was best and brightest. We’re happy to report that some of our Read more »
November 09, 2011
“Most of the classic horror films of the early 1930s have been released and rereleased on home video to the point of surfeit and beyond. But one, in many ways the most disturbing, has remained elusive,” writes Dave Kehr
