Nikolas "Watchdog" Pherides (Boris Karloff), a Greek general fighting in the Balkan wars, is known for the unbending vigilance with which he fights for what he believes in. His motivations seem sincere but his methods can be extreme. During a break in battle, he and a journalist cross to a small island to visit his wife's tomb. While there, he is convinced to spend the night in the relative luxury of the island's only household. In the morning, one of the guests is found dead from the plague. The general imposes a quarantine on the island and calls for the doctor. When a rational, scientific approach to attacking the plague seems to make no difference at all, myth and superstition take over, turning the island's residents against one another.
Although "Boris Karloff in Isle of the Dead" certainly sounds like a typical low-budget monster/horror film of the 30s and 40s, this turns out instead to be more of a suspense/mystery in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. As the movie progresses, it does begin to throw in a few contrived horror elements, particularly near the end. It isn't nearly enough to turn this into the typical horror film which some may have expected, but it is enough to damage an already weak script which fails to do justice to the story. Karloff is memorable in his roll and gets competent support from the direction and the rest of the cast, but the production itself does not appear to have ever set its sights very high. The result is an eerie and interesting film, but one which is not nearly as gripping and disturbing as it should be.
Although "Boris Karloff in Isle of the Dead" certainly sounds like a typical low-budget monster/horror film of the 30s and 40s, this turns out instead to be more of a suspense/mystery in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. As the movie progresses, it does begin to throw in a few contrived horror elements, particularly near the end. It isn't nearly enough to turn this into the typical horror film which some may have expected, but it is enough to damage an already weak script which fails to do justice to the story. Karloff is memorable in his roll and gets competent support from the direction and the rest of the cast, but the production itself does not appear to have ever set its sights very high. The result is an eerie and interesting film, but one which is not nearly as gripping and disturbing as it should be.