TERROR IS A MAN (1959)

Sailor Richard Derr wakes up a desert island beach; his ship foundered and he's the only survivor. He is taken in by Francis Lederer, a doctor, and his wife (Greta Thyssen) and nursed back to health. Though Lederer seems pleasant enough, Derr soon realizes that something strange is going on: villagers make reference to an "it" that has escaped, two people are killed by a beast in the night, and the next morning, a horde of villagers leave the island in their canoes, leaving only Lederer's housekeeper and her little brother. Derr is effectively stranded on the island as it may be months before a boat arrives. Derr is treated amiably by the doctor and receives an even warmer reception by his wife—warm enough that she confides in him that she is frustrated with Lederer and the two begin an affair to which Lederer remains oblivious. The "it," apparently a panther, is captured, wrapped in bandages, seemingly in pain (the growling sound the creature makes is effective), and taken to Lederer's basement laboratory where Derr sees the doctor and his wife operating on it.

Of course, if you know any horror and sci-fi tropes, you've caught on to what's happening here—this is a version of H.G Wells' Island of Dr. Moreau, in which a mad scientist, tucked away on a mostly deserted island, is using science and surgery to turn animals into humans, or something close, ignoring the moral problems of tampering in God's domain. In the Moreau films (the best of which is still the 1932 ISLAND OF LOST SOULS with Charles Laughton) there are several pitiful creatures, confused and in pain and not fully human; here, there's only the one panther man, who remains mostly hidden, wrapped up like a mummy. What we see of his face (pictured) is impressive, but he rarely comes across as a true figure of menace, or even of pity. The other main difference between this movie and other Moreau versions is that the relationship between the mad doctor and the shipwrecked sailor is rather cordial. Make no mistake, Lederer has a few screws loose, and he has neglected his beautiful wife (as the stereotypical mad doctor does) but he has a rational demeanor and never actively threatens either the wife or the boyfriend. The most antagonistic relationship in the film is between Lederer and his assistant (Oscar Keesee), who tries to assault the wife and is the catalyst for the tragic ending. This is one of a number of horror films of the era that was shot in the Philippines; most of them are fairly junky Z-movies (see THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE and any movie with the words “Blood Island” in the title—this movie's alternate title was Creature from Blood Island) but this is nicely shot and generally well acted—both Lederer and Derr are a little lackluster but they're professionals, and Thyssen is good. Some critics praise this film, but mostly because it's not as bad as they were expecting it to be. Still, it's certainly worth watching on a Chiller Theater night. [TCM]