The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)

With the holiday season creeping in, I was scouring my available flicks for some tamer movies to watch with the daughters. That is when I stumbled onto the 1977 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau. While I know that I have to catch up on the Walking Dead reviews, I figured I would start the month off with this one.

Plot/ Written by H.G Wells in 1896, this is a chilling and thought-provoking tale about a ship-wrecked man who floats ashore on an island in the Pacific Ocean. The island is inhabited by a scientist, Dr. Moreau, who in an experiment has turned beasts into human beings.

To me, this interpretation of the H.G Wells story may be the best and most entertaining version I have seen ever filmed (The remake with Marlon Brando was awful). The direction is tremendous, with the location and soundtrack creating creepiness about the island that the film manages to sustain throughout. The acting is solid and the make-up is excellent making the beasts actually a bit frightening. It is not perfect with the flow of the movie definitely taking on the feel of two separate halves, with the plot development deteriorating throughout the movie. Overall, this is an interesting film and everything that the more modern version is not. A must see for horror, sci-fi and Wells fans.