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Island of Lost Souls

Island of Lost Souls

Science Fiction · Horror · 1932

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

Movie details

Island of Lost Souls

“TERROR! Stalked the Brush-Choked Island...Where Men Who Were Animals Sought the Girl Who Was All-Human!”

1932 Science Fiction · Horror 1h 11m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Island of Lost Souls?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Erle C. Kenton

Written by

Philip Wylie · Waldemar Young

Charles Laughton

Charles Laughton

Dr. Moreau

Richard Arlen

Richard Arlen

Edward Parker

Leila Hyams

Leila Hyams

Ruth Thomas

Bela Lugosi

Bela Lugosi

The Sayer of the Law

Kathleen Burke

Kathleen Burke

Lota the Panther Woman

Arthur Hohl

Arthur Hohl

Montgomery

Stanley Fields

Stanley Fields

Capt. Davies

Court is in session

Put Island of Lost Souls on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.