I think I know why they paired “Isle of the Dead” with “Bedlam” on the same DVD in “The Val Lewton Horror Collection.” It wasn’t because Boris Karloff was in both movies, it’s because they’re both a drag.
In “Isle of the Dead” Karloff plays a Greek army general who is devoted to protecting his country, his army and anyone in his charge. He assumes an air of authority and sinister resolve that permeates the film. The movie is fraught with tension between science and religion, enemies seen and unseen, as the few residents and visitors to a small island are faced with possible infection by the plague.
That sounds like the premise to a potentially intense script. Unfortunately it just fell flat and the “willing suspension of disbelief” becomes the unwilling suspension of giving a damn. Sorry, but I was bored to ennui. (71 min.)
Unrated - 1945
Director:
Mark Robson
Starring:
Boris Karloff
Ellen Drew
Marc Cramer
Katherine Emery
Helene Thimig
Alan Napier
Jason Robards Sr.
Ernst Deutch
Writers:
Ardel Wray
Val Lewton, Josef Mischel (uncredited)
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