Isle of the Dead (1945)

Taking advantage of a lull in the fighting during the First Balkan War, Greek Gen. Nikolas Pherides (Boris Karloff) and American reporter Oliver Davis (Marc Cramer ) take a nighttime journey to visit the grave of the formers long dead wife on a small island. When the two arrive they find that the tomb has been desecrated and the late Mrs. Pherdies removed. They go to the house of the islands only full time residents, an ex-patriot Swiss art collector named Albretch (Jason Robards Sr) and his native housekeeper  Madame Kyra (Helen Thimig). They find Albretch hosting a number of refuges displaced by the fighting, the British diplomat St. Aubyn (Alan Napier), his sickly wife Mary (Katherine Emery), her native Greek servant Thea (Ellen Drew) and (for some reason) a cockney tin merchant (Skelton Knaggs). Albretch explains that the graves were desecrated 15 years earlier by locals in a rush to sell artifacts, something he regrets having inspired and an a reason why he has stayed on the island to make sure there are no further desecrations. The promise of a warm bed and bath inspires Davis to get convince Gen. Phreides to let them stay the night. The next morning when they are about to depart they find the Knaggs has expired during the night from what they suspect is Plague, there having been recent outbreaks nearby). Somehow a doctor is sent for (Ernest Deutsch) who confirms that Kaggs death was from Plague, and insists that they must all remain in quarantine on the island for the time being.

Later Mr. St. Aubyn and the doctor both die, and Madam Kyra becomes convinced that the deaths are the work of Thea, who she suspects of being a Vrykolaks, a vampire-like undead creature of Greek folklore. Davis, who is falling for Thea, and Albretch think this is ridicules, but Gen Pherides is becoming increasing convinced himself as he starts to succumb to the effects of the Plague. Then Mrs. St. Aubyn dies, and this is were I will end with the plot description.

Isle of the Dead is the first movie made (second released) of a trilogy of films that Boris Karloff made at RKO for famed horror producer Val Lewton. While the pairing of Karloff and horror is an obvious one, these films are significantly diffrent from he kind of movies that Karloff made his name doing over at Universal. You see while the classic Universal horror movies were all about showing you something, Lawton's subtler efforts were mostly about what you were not shown. This started as a kind of necessity owing to the small budgets Lewton was given for his films, but it grew into the producers signature stock and trade. That being said Isle of the Dead is one of Lawton's weaker films, there is not much of a story (the movie was in fact inspired by an Arnold Bo:cklin painting of the same name, which is used in a mat shot of the island). The film has a good little ensemble cast, and certainly Karloff gets to do more then he usually does, though it would be in his next two film's for Lewton that he would really get to shine. Isle of the Dead is a good enough programmer, chiefly notable for being the start of Lewtons successful paring with Karloff. **1/2