Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Uriah43 "General Nikolas Pherides" (Boris Karloff) is a commander of a Greek army in 1912 during the First Balkan War. Immediately after a battle he decides to visit his wife's grave on a nearby island and takes with him a war correspondent by the name of "Oliver Davis" (Marc Cramer). When they get there they find some people living in a nearby house and decide to spend the night with them. Unfortunately, in the morning they discover that one of the people has died during the night of the plague. Not wanting his soldiers to be exposed to this deadly contagion, General Pherides issues an order than nobody will leave the island until the plague has run its course. At the same time he is informed that the island also contains a Greek creature similar to a vampire and known as a "vorvolaka". At first he dismisses the suggestion as nothing more than superstitious nonsense but as time passes he eventually begins to accept it. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that, although this film had some slow parts here and there, it still remained moderately interesting until the very end--at which time it actually got quite horrific. As usual, Boris Karloff performed in an excellent manner as did the beautiful Ellen Drew (as "Thea") and the aforementioned Marc Cramer. In summation, this turned out to be a decent horror film and I recommend it for those who might enjoy a movie of this type. Slightly above average.

Rainey Dawn Isle of the Dead is a good classic psychological thriller that involves the vorvolaka (basically a Greek vampire).Karloff plays General Pherides, a man who's sole purpose in his life is to uphold the law and keep everyone protected/safe. He has shunned the old Greek Gods in favor of scientific method. As the story continues the general becomes heavily influenced by Madame Kyra and when things get very strange he finds himself once again believing that maybe the old Gods are real.Yes this film is worth watching if you like psychological thrillers. This is not really a vampire film but worth watching if you enjoy vampires since it surrounds the vorvolaka.7.5/10

TheRedDeath30 I am a big fan of classic horror cinema and I've been working through the entries in the magnificent book HIDDEN HORROR which spotlights "underappreciated" horror films from every era. This movie was one of those recommended in that book. I will admit, right off the bat, that I'm not as big a fan of Val Lewton's movies as other classic horror junkies. I would say my favorite of his work is I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, but in general I prefer just a little more action in my movies. I can enjoy a slow burn, or a movie built on atmosphere, certainly, but I prefer the action of a Universal monster movie over the understated chills of Lewton's work at RKO.I say all of that to confirm that this movie had much the same effect on me as many of the other Lewton works that I've seen, namely, it was okay. Nothing special and nothing that I would go out of my way to view again. It's relentlessly bleak. Almost like Lewton making a film version of a Camus novel. While many of Lewton's movies revolved around the specter of death, this one just brings death forth and makes it a central character. Death is everywhere in this movie as the plague invades a small Greek island.The real main character is Karloff as a brutal Greek general. The story revolves around him, mainly, and the war between science and superstition, created at a time when many of the old world superstitions still lingered around some.The movie definitely gets more chilling towards the end and utilizes some film techniques and camera angles that were well-done for the time the movie was created. They bring things to a satisfying conclusion, but by that point in the movie, I had already lost a good deal of my interest.The question you should ask yourself is how deep into classic horror cinema are you? If you've seen all of the most famous ones and you're looking for something new, this is worth the shot, but there are many classic films that would rank higher than this for the new initiate to classic horror or the Karloff filmography.

utgard14 During the Balkan war of 1912, Greek General Pherides (Boris Karloff) and American reporter Oliver Davis (Marc Cramer) visit the island where the General's wife is buried and are shocked to discover her crypt desecrated. Seeking answers, they go to the home of retired archaeologist Dr. Aubrecht (Jason Robards, Sr.) and find him with a houseful of guests. After staying the night, one of the guests is found dead of what is believed to be the plague and the house is quarantined. Aubrecht's superstitious housekeeper (Helen Thimig) has another explanation for the death, however. She believes it to be the work of a vampiric creature called the vorvolaka. She says the vorvolaka is one of the houseguests (Ellen Drew) and that they are all doomed. At first the General laughs at the idea but as more people die he begins to believe that the vorvolaka is real and it is his duty to protect the others from death at her hands. Add to this a woman (Katherine Emery) deathly afraid of premature burial and you have a powder keg of claustrophobic tensions and superstitious fears.The eighth of producer Val Lewton's nine psychological horror classics from the 1940s. Considered by many to be one of the lesser Lewton films, Isle of the Dead is perhaps my favorite of them all. It's a truly underrated film that typifies the Lewtonian approach to horror. The hauntingly shadowy atmosphere, the eerily ambiguous plot, fine acting, excellent writing, and moody direction are all trademarks of the Lewton horror films. Obviously I'm not alone in my admiration for this classic. Martin Scorsese placed it on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time. It's a truly great film that should be more widely appreciated. It's one of Boris Karloff's greatest performances and is a must-see for any of his fans.