Isle of the Dead (1945)

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1. 

   Siskoid

   Isle of the Dead is based on Böcklin's painting of the same name (it's common of Val Lewton's productions to take inspiration from all sorts of sources) and can even be seen as the matte painting of the isolated Greek island. The plot, which isn't scream-inducing at all, regardless of what the poster says, concerns a group of people quarantined on the island during the Balkan War of 1912-13, and how, while some believe in the plague's scientific reasons, others superstitiously believe it is the work of a vorvolaka, a malevolent spirit of folklore which may be residing in one of their number. Most of the film is a set-up to somewhat supernatural revelations, using atmosphere to create paranoia and taking its time letting us get to know the cast. While it captures the needed atmosphere only unevenly, it's a nice finish and a good use of a folklore you rarely see in movies. 5 years 4 months ago
2. 

   essaywhu

   I was a little confused by the plot of this film. It is very talky and moves pretty slowly until the last 10 minutes where it picks up a little. Because it was on the IMDB Horror list as well as Scorsese's 11 Scariest Films list I think I expected too much and it couldn't live up to the hype for me. I have only seen one Val Lewton film before (The Leopard Man) and I think I enjoyed that one a bit more. I also enjoyed Boris Karloff in some of the other films I have seen more, such as Targets, for example. 8 years 6 months ago

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