On a Greek island during the 1912 war, a few people are trapped by quarantine for the plague and an old lady believes the people are dying because the Greek girl among them is a vampire.
Well this was one real flat movie; it had little suspense, but nothing really captivating. Val Lewton films always have stunning atmospheres, settings and always-good acting, but that's all I can recommend about it.
Boris Karloff's performance is fairly good, but not one of his greatest. Marc Cramer as Oliver Davis the newspaperman and Ellen Drew as Thea the Geek girl seem to outshine Karloff. Also not forgetting the good performances from Ernest Dorian as Dr Drossos from the army unit and Helen Thimig as Madame Kyra.
The island that they're trapped on is quite atmospheric and chilling, but for me the story didn't take full advantage of it. The direction form Mark Robson is uneven, but it's the story that could've added some more depth and panic to the situation, as the scenes just seemed to limp along in this moody melodrama and yes the melodrama seems to take front-stage, with the horror in the backdrop. The ending just added more to the frustration with its bland and uninteresting conclusion.
It's not bad by any means, but I just found it rather disappointing. For me it was Val Lewton's weakest Horror film.
2/5
Well this was one real flat movie; it had little suspense, but nothing really captivating. Val Lewton films always have stunning atmospheres, settings and always-good acting, but that's all I can recommend about it.
Boris Karloff's performance is fairly good, but not one of his greatest. Marc Cramer as Oliver Davis the newspaperman and Ellen Drew as Thea the Geek girl seem to outshine Karloff. Also not forgetting the good performances from Ernest Dorian as Dr Drossos from the army unit and Helen Thimig as Madame Kyra.
The island that they're trapped on is quite atmospheric and chilling, but for me the story didn't take full advantage of it. The direction form Mark Robson is uneven, but it's the story that could've added some more depth and panic to the situation, as the scenes just seemed to limp along in this moody melodrama and yes the melodrama seems to take front-stage, with the horror in the backdrop. The ending just added more to the frustration with its bland and uninteresting conclusion.
It's not bad by any means, but I just found it rather disappointing. For me it was Val Lewton's weakest Horror film.
2/5