Horror Island (1941)

Filmed most efficiently by George Waggner on a small budget and in record time, this little movie was such an audience-pleaser that Waggner was immediately promoted to Universal's "A" unit, where he directed Maria Montez in "South of Tahiti" and Lon Chaney in "The Wolf Man" (both 1941).Although lensed on a piffling (for Universal) budget of only $93,000 on a tight twelve days' shooting schedule, there is no sense of rush or poverty on the screen. I'm told that many of the players were often ill-at-ease, but this of course adds rather than detracts from the movie's over-all atmosphere. In fact, the film can be enjoyed on several levels, thus enhancing its appeal to a wide spectrum of moviegoers from kids to adults, from sophisticated to uncultured, from cosmopolitan to backwoods, from know-alls to know-nothings. Whatever the audiences, Waggner delivers fun, thrills, suspense and above all, identification. Unless an audiences identifies with the actors on the screen, their interest in the proceedings is minimal. But when they do identify – as here – you have a blockbuster movie on your hands, no matter whether the budget was $93 thousand or $9.3 million!The movie wrapped on March 15, 1941 and was actually in theatres on March 28 – so fast that it was actually released before it was copyrighted!

This actually seems more like an episode of "Scooby Doo" than a movie made long before that animated series took Saturday children's programming to a new level. The opening shot (a peg-legged man walking along the docks) gives the impression that this is going to be a throw-back to the Gothic horror films of the early 30's but for the first half, all you get is the set-up with some comic relief long before the group of actors here get to the actual island home, abandoned they say for centuries and now filled with pigeons whom the guests initially assume are bats.Walter Catlett and Leo Carrillo provide the bulk of comedy relief, with Dick Foran and Peggy Moran the typical romantic interests, the young lady of course involved in some antics straight out of the original "Cat and the Canary". Universal always managed to hide the low budgets of these programmers with some fast-moving photography and sets that, even if recycled, make the movie appear better than it actually is.

A motley assortment of people go to Sir Henry Morgan's island for a treasure hunt. The group runs afoul of a creepy killer known as "The Phantom." Director George Waggner, working from an eventful and surprisingly witty script by Victor McLeod, relates the blithely dippy story at a constant snappy pace and maintains a breezy lighthearted tone throughout. Moreover, the cast have a ball with their colorful roles: Dick Doran as amiable down-on-his luck boat captain Bill Martin and Fuzzy Knight as Martin's oafish stuttering partner Stuff Oliver make for engaging leads, the pretty Peggy Moran brings a sweetly spunky charm to her role as the sassy Wendy Creighton, Leo Carrillo is a hale'n'hearty delight as jolly peg-legged skipper Tobias Clump, plus there are nice turns by John Eldridge as the shifty Cousin George, Lewis Howard as dour sourpuss Thurman Coldwater, Hobart Cavanaugh as the timid Professor Jasper Quinley, Walter Catlett as the pesky Sergeant McGoon, and Iris Adrian as brassy moll Arleen Grady. With his gaunt face, deep gravel voice, lean build, and flowing black cape, Foy Van Dolsen makes for a nifty villain as the Phantom. Elwood Bredell's crisp black and white cinematography makes inspired use of light and shadow. The lively film library score likewise does the trick. The revelation of the real bad guy's identity is a genuine surprise. Moreover, there's a good-natured sensibility evident throughout which makes this admittedly slight hour long quickie a lot of fun to watch. A pleasingly inane and immaterial diversion.

This film has a LOT of potential: a haunted castle with a cloaked "phantom" running about, secret panels, hidden treasure, etc.The only problem is that the crew seems to take FOREVER to get to the island, and once there, the "scarey business" happens much too fast. It would've been much better if they had added about 20 mins. to this film, that would've allowed them to slowly build up each "scare". As it is, things happens so fast, that you don't have time to "savor" them.A good film, none-the-less.