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Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Dr. Moreau's "House of Pain", his twisted laboratory where he conducts sadistic quasi-scientific procedures, his toothbrush mustache, his slicked down side-parted hair, his flight from authorities in Europe, the trademark round black Nazi-esque sunglasses worn by his assistant, might make the viewer think this was inspired by Dr Mengele but of course 'Island of Lost Souls' was made 10-years earlier. There is also a touch of Col. Kurtz's compound about Moreau's island. The way Charles Laughton plays Dr. Moreau is really creepy, giddy with power and not showing a shred of remorse. The makeup prosthetics are still pretty startling, we see glimpses of hair covered ears, creatures with one human foot and one trotter and distorted facial features, just enough so our imaginations fill in the rest. The queasy atmosphere that these FX create is occasionally shattered by hilariously rubbish dummies being tossed around. This came out in the same year as Tod Browning's 'Freaks' and shares some DNA with that controversial film. 'Island of Lost Souls' was banned in the UK for 25-years, only securing an X-Certificate after cuts were made (it's uncut and PG now ).
Dr. Moreau's "House of Pain", his twisted laboratory where he conducts sadistic quasi-scientific procedures, his toothbrush mustache, his slicked down side-parted hair, his flight from authorities in Europe, the trademark round black Nazi-esque sunglasses worn by his assistant, might make the viewer think this was inspired by Dr Mengele but of course 'Island of Lost Souls' was made 10-years earlier. There is also a touch of Col. Kurtz's compound about Moreau's island. The way Charles Laughton plays Dr. Moreau is really creepy, giddy with power and not showing a shred of remorse. The makeup prosthetics are still pretty startling, we see glimpses of hair covered ears, creatures with one human foot and one trotter and distorted facial features, just enough so our imaginations fill in the rest. The queasy atmosphere that these FX create is occasionally shattered by hilariously rubbish dummies being tossed around. This came out in the same year as Tod Browning's 'Freaks' and shares some DNA with that controversial film. 'Island of Lost Souls' was banned in the UK for 25-years, only securing an X-Certificate after cuts were made (it's uncut and PG now ).