Review of Isle of the Dead

This slow, moody little film is more an interesting set of character studies than a horror movie. The script is thoughtful, and the players, especially Katherine Emery as the British consul's wife, Ernst Dorian as the military doctor, and Jason Robards, Sr. as the archaeologist, are all pretty good. Karloff tends to take the stage most of the time with a quiet, but riveting performance as a Greek general slowly crumbling into madness. An excellent performance by Helene Thimig as a sarcastic, bitter old peasant woman, is remarkable for the way she arouses intense dislike in the viewer, and yet is a believable, human sort of villain. The film's atmosphere is dark and filled with gloom, appropriately reflected in the foreboding cinematography. Practically all the action takes place at night, on the confined space of a small island. The sense of fear and hopeless dependence on fate to rescue the trapped people is extremely well portrayed. Not a true classic, perhaps, but well worth seeing.