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CRUD Challenge: Isle of the Dead (1945)
Oct. 4th, 2025 08:18 pmIsle of the Dead (1945) dir. Mark Robson
General Nikolas Pherides (Boris Karloff) is leading Greek forces in the first Balkan War of 1912. His troops have just won a hard-fought battle. But perhaps less of them would have died if one of his officers hadn't arrived too late. The officer tries to make excuses, but is stripped of his rank and General Pherides silently offers him a choice between a firing squad and honorable suicide. American reporter Oliver Davis (Marc Cramer) is shocked by this apparent cruelty.
We learn of the general's rigid adherence to what he sees as his duty to protect Greece, its laws, and his troops. He's not called "the Bulldog" for nothing. Outside, corpses litter the ground, and already exhausted soldiers are slaving to take them away. Army doctor Drossos (Ernst Deutsch) explains that disease is endemic on the battlefield, and the dead must be buried or destroyed immediately to prevent its spread. Sure, using horses would lighten the load, but unlike human beings they would not understand the need to keep working past exhaustion.
General Pherides also understands personal loss. His wife passed away many years ago, and as it happens is buried on a small island nearby, an Isle of the Dead. He has decided to pay his respects at her tomb tonight while he has the chance. Mr. Davis volunteers to come with him to see a more peaceful area of Greece.
When they reach the island (modeled on a famous painting) which is symbolically guarded by a statue of Cerberus, the three headed dog of Hades, they are shocked to discover that the tomb of the general's wife has been despoiled and her coffin opened and empty. In face, all the coffins are empty. What sacrilege is this? A haunting song draws them to a house nearby, the only living habitation on the island.
This turns out to be the dwelling place of Albrecht (Jason Robards Sr.), a Swiss archaeologist. He explains that he unwittingly set the destruction in motion some years before when he arrived in the area and began offering money for antiquities. The impoverished villagers were quick to realize that the only untapped source of antiquities in the area was the Isle of the Dead, and looted it to get money to eat and survive. Once Albrecht realized what had happened, he settled on the island in the hopes of preserving what was left.
As it happens, the house is full of people tonight. In addition to Albrecht and his elderly housekeeper Madame Kyra (Helene Thimig), there's British consul St. Aubyn (Alan Napier), his sickly wife Mrs. Mary St. Aubyn (Katherine Emery), Mrs. St. Aubyn's companion/servant Thea (Ellen Drew) and Cockney tinsmith Andrew Robbins (Skelton Knaggs). The British people (though Thea is also Greek) were forced to detour here due to the battle on the mainland. Mr. Robbins is behaving oddly, put down to drunkenness, and is shown to bed. Since it is very late, General Pherides and Mr. Davis are talked into sleeping at the villa until dawn.
Except that it turns out that Mr. Robbins was not drunk, but dying, and the general suspects he knows why. Dr. Drossos is summoned, and confirms that the cause of death was septicemic plague, and everyone present, including himself, must stay on the island until the plague is confirmed to have run its course.
One by one, the group begins to die. But is it actually plague, or is it something far darker? Madame Kyra fears that a vorvolaka (a malign spirit of Greek folklore) is on the Isle of the Dead and is using the plague as a cover for its sinister actions. The others scoff at first, but as the casualties mount, General Pherides begins to think there's some truth to this.
This film is one of three that producer Val Lewton was contractually obligated to make starring Boris Karloff. While initially displeased, Mr. Lewton found Karloff easy to work with and the partnership did well. The cold and somewhat cruel general is a far cry from Mr. Karloff's "type" of somewhat sympathetic doctors and scientists driven to evil. The curly-haired wig takes some getting used to, but the actor's inherent dignity manages to pull it off. An important bit of characterization happens early on when Thea admits she hates the general because he'd killed several of her neighbors for refusing to pay unfair taxes. "Anyone who refuses to follow the law of Greece is not a Greek."
Despite his coldness, we can see his reasoning and his strong discipline, so his descent into paranoia and madness is more striking.
Madame Kyra is the main villain here, allowing her superstition and dislike of Thea to fix accusations in her head, and poisoning the atmosphere. She's responsible for unnecessary tragedy.
The other standout character is Mrs. St. Aubyn. Her chronic illness sometimes leaves her in a cataleptic state, so she has a horror of being buried alive. Unfortunately, Dr. Drossos, the one person around who can tell the difference between catalepsy and death, dies before her.
Mr. Davis and Thea are more shallow characters, set up to be the romantic subplot.
There's some musing on deeper themes. Science vs. faith, law vs. compassion, meditations on mortality.
Content note: Murder, suicide and other deaths, no gore, though we see a lot of corpses. Someone is buried alive. Older teens on up should be fine.
This is not considered one of Lewton's top films, but is still pretty good, and is well above some of the crap Karloff got stuck with. It'd be a good choice if you want to see a horror movie that's more suspenseful than scary. Recommended to Boris Karloff fans.
General Nikolas Pherides (Boris Karloff) is leading Greek forces in the first Balkan War of 1912. His troops have just won a hard-fought battle. But perhaps less of them would have died if one of his officers hadn't arrived too late. The officer tries to make excuses, but is stripped of his rank and General Pherides silently offers him a choice between a firing squad and honorable suicide. American reporter Oliver Davis (Marc Cramer) is shocked by this apparent cruelty.
We learn of the general's rigid adherence to what he sees as his duty to protect Greece, its laws, and his troops. He's not called "the Bulldog" for nothing. Outside, corpses litter the ground, and already exhausted soldiers are slaving to take them away. Army doctor Drossos (Ernst Deutsch) explains that disease is endemic on the battlefield, and the dead must be buried or destroyed immediately to prevent its spread. Sure, using horses would lighten the load, but unlike human beings they would not understand the need to keep working past exhaustion.
General Pherides also understands personal loss. His wife passed away many years ago, and as it happens is buried on a small island nearby, an Isle of the Dead. He has decided to pay his respects at her tomb tonight while he has the chance. Mr. Davis volunteers to come with him to see a more peaceful area of Greece.
When they reach the island (modeled on a famous painting) which is symbolically guarded by a statue of Cerberus, the three headed dog of Hades, they are shocked to discover that the tomb of the general's wife has been despoiled and her coffin opened and empty. In face, all the coffins are empty. What sacrilege is this? A haunting song draws them to a house nearby, the only living habitation on the island.
This turns out to be the dwelling place of Albrecht (Jason Robards Sr.), a Swiss archaeologist. He explains that he unwittingly set the destruction in motion some years before when he arrived in the area and began offering money for antiquities. The impoverished villagers were quick to realize that the only untapped source of antiquities in the area was the Isle of the Dead, and looted it to get money to eat and survive. Once Albrecht realized what had happened, he settled on the island in the hopes of preserving what was left.
As it happens, the house is full of people tonight. In addition to Albrecht and his elderly housekeeper Madame Kyra (Helene Thimig), there's British consul St. Aubyn (Alan Napier), his sickly wife Mrs. Mary St. Aubyn (Katherine Emery), Mrs. St. Aubyn's companion/servant Thea (Ellen Drew) and Cockney tinsmith Andrew Robbins (Skelton Knaggs). The British people (though Thea is also Greek) were forced to detour here due to the battle on the mainland. Mr. Robbins is behaving oddly, put down to drunkenness, and is shown to bed. Since it is very late, General Pherides and Mr. Davis are talked into sleeping at the villa until dawn.
Except that it turns out that Mr. Robbins was not drunk, but dying, and the general suspects he knows why. Dr. Drossos is summoned, and confirms that the cause of death was septicemic plague, and everyone present, including himself, must stay on the island until the plague is confirmed to have run its course.
One by one, the group begins to die. But is it actually plague, or is it something far darker? Madame Kyra fears that a vorvolaka (a malign spirit of Greek folklore) is on the Isle of the Dead and is using the plague as a cover for its sinister actions. The others scoff at first, but as the casualties mount, General Pherides begins to think there's some truth to this.
This film is one of three that producer Val Lewton was contractually obligated to make starring Boris Karloff. While initially displeased, Mr. Lewton found Karloff easy to work with and the partnership did well. The cold and somewhat cruel general is a far cry from Mr. Karloff's "type" of somewhat sympathetic doctors and scientists driven to evil. The curly-haired wig takes some getting used to, but the actor's inherent dignity manages to pull it off. An important bit of characterization happens early on when Thea admits she hates the general because he'd killed several of her neighbors for refusing to pay unfair taxes. "Anyone who refuses to follow the law of Greece is not a Greek."
Despite his coldness, we can see his reasoning and his strong discipline, so his descent into paranoia and madness is more striking.
Madame Kyra is the main villain here, allowing her superstition and dislike of Thea to fix accusations in her head, and poisoning the atmosphere. She's responsible for unnecessary tragedy.
The other standout character is Mrs. St. Aubyn. Her chronic illness sometimes leaves her in a cataleptic state, so she has a horror of being buried alive. Unfortunately, Dr. Drossos, the one person around who can tell the difference between catalepsy and death, dies before her.
Mr. Davis and Thea are more shallow characters, set up to be the romantic subplot.
There's some musing on deeper themes. Science vs. faith, law vs. compassion, meditations on mortality.
Content note: Murder, suicide and other deaths, no gore, though we see a lot of corpses. Someone is buried alive. Older teens on up should be fine.
This is not considered one of Lewton's top films, but is still pretty good, and is well above some of the crap Karloff got stuck with. It'd be a good choice if you want to see a horror movie that's more suspenseful than scary. Recommended to Boris Karloff fans.
