(1932)
Dir - Erle C. Kenton
Overall: GOOD
In the same year that they released the quintessential and fantastic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Paramount Pictures adapted another famous literary work in H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, here titled The Island of Lost Souls. Similarly again, this still stands as the strongest cinematic retelling of the source material and the one that ushered in the phrases "Are we not men?" and "What is the law?" into the pop culture lexicon. Speaking of said dialog, Béla Lugosi delivers them with his trademark, Hungarian accent as the Sayer of the Law, sadly a minor role yet one that he still sinks his thespian chops into. As Moreau, Charles Laughton is effortlessly menacing, bouncing between smug, effeminate charm and the type of megalomaniac posturing that only a man who makes humans out of animals would succumb to. The plot is condensed to accommodate the brisk running time, though the element of the panther woman, (played alluringly by Kathleen Burke), was introduced here as it was not included in Wells' original novel. Timid by today's standards of course, but the film also pushed various Pre-Code boundaries with its man playing god proclamations and both females appearing scantily clad at times.
(1935)
Dir - Denison Clift
Overall: MEH
One of the earliest Hammer productions to dip its toes into horror that was also released in shorter form by twenty minutes in the US, The Mystery of the Mary Celeste, (Phantom Ship), is also the only one to feature Béla Lugosi who made two back-to-back films that year in England. Based on the 1872 case of the merchant brigantine Mary Celeste which was found adrift in the Atlantic Ocean with all of its crew missing, the story is given the melodramatic treatment by screenwriter Charles Larkworthy and director Denison Clift, this serving as the latter's final effort from behind the lens. We are introduced to a ragtag group of weathered seaman who drink, sing, and argue with each other, as well as the Captain and his bride-to-be who all set sail on the ship of the title with an especially rough for ware, one-armed Lugosi joining the party as well. The horror icon is top-billed yet only has a minor part, be it a significant one when the mystery is finally solved as to who is offing everyone on their doomed voyage. Lugosi has the skill to elevate what is otherwise a cruddy and forgettable B-movie, but sadly, he can only do so much with his minimal amount of screen time and a story that fails to make any of its plot points or characters compelling.
(1939)
Dir - Ford Beebe/Saul A. Goodkind
Overall: MEH
The edited down, feature-length version of Universal's twelve part serial The Phantom Creeps arrived for television audiences ten years after it was originally made, trimming all of the fat and then some to condense its original four and a half hour running time down to a brisk seventy-eight minutes. With no seconds to lose, we are thrust right into Lugosi's mad scientist lab where he unveils his giant killer robot and various other weaponized experiments. Characters come and go without any proper introduction and a slew of camera swipes and the like help bulldoze things along, giving the whole thing a kinetic pace that is far from the usual for a talky B-movie. There are some primitive special effects involving Lugosi's invisibility belt, stock footage, few establishing shots, toy airplanes crashing, and an incessant musical score, but ultimately it all proves that this was better suited in its original form, meaning taken in at twenty-odd minute incriminates. Stretched out and strung together, it comes off as haphazard and mindlessly boring, despite the energetic presentation and Lugosi chewing the scenery in his revenge/taking over the world/whatever scheme. At least the robot monster has a memorable look to it and one that perpetual Lugosi fan Rob Zombie would utilize at various times throughout his career.
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