Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Mikel3 This film can best be described as slow moving and depressing. On the plus side It does have decent acting, quirky characters and a curvaceous 1950s blonde. The story itself is about a skilled surgeon living on a lonely tropical Island. One of those deserted islands that some how manage to have a huge fortress like house built on them. He lives there with just his wife (the blonde), an assistant, and a few natives for servants (a young woman and her little brother). The other natives have left the island due to the doctors experiments, others have been killed. One day the lone survivor of a shipwreck washes up on their shore. He is told they have no contact with civilization. A ship comes only four times a year to deliver supplies. He will need to wait another two months for the ship. Since he is trapped there he eventually becomes the love interest for the wife. Her husband, the doctor, is to busy with his experiments to give her the attentions she craves. It seems that the Doc received his degree from the Dr. Moreau School of Mad Medicine. He has found a way to transform an animal into a creature resembling a man. In this case he has chosen an unfortunate panther for the subject of his experiments. Of course he makes it clear he's doing this not for his own sick reasons but, "for the benefit of all mankind". Yes, that standard mad Dr. excuse pops up once again. Evidently there are not enough of us humans on this earth arriving the old fashion way, this guy want's to turn animals into men too. Basically it's a rip off of H.G. Wells' 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'. here with just one animal being transformed, a slightly different story and a blonde adulteress wife. My guess is the story had just enough changes so the producers could not to be sued but the H.G. Wells estate.There is one 'William Castle like' fun gimmick in the film. At the beginning a warning from the management appears saying that one scene is so frightening that a bell will ring to warn the squeamish when to close there eyes. About three quarters of the way into the film I had forgotten this and heard a sound like an old phone ringing. I thought a phone was ringing in the movie and wondered why nobody answered it. A phone on a deserted island with no way to contact the outside world ? Then I realized this must be the warning signal ! I waited for the scary scene I was warned of. After about two minutes, I realized that a short close up of a surgical incision being made must have been what the warning was for. I hardly even noticed the scene ! In today's world you would see ten times worse on just about any crime show autopsy scene like on NCIS. How times have changed and how jaded we have become to this sort of thing since the innocence of the 1950s.I spent most of the movie rooting for the poor panther to get his revenge and not really caring about the rest of the characters. I almost dosed off a few times waiting for the predictable ending. My advice is to skip this one and use the time instead to watch the classic 1932 'Island of Lost Souls'.

MartinHafer "Terror is a Man" is a very, very low-budget film but despite this it's still a pretty good version of the classic H.G. Wells story "The Island of Lost Souls". So, despite being made in the Philippines, having a MOSTLY unknown cast and a relatively cheesy creature, the film was deftly made and featured a nice appearance by Francis Lederer as the mad doctor.The film begins with a man in a lifeboat washing up on the shores of a mostly deserted island in the Pacific. He soon learns that only about a half dozen people live there and they all work for a weirdo doctor who is doing weird experiments. What, exactly, this experiment is doesn't become apparent until later, when you learn the crazy guy is trying to 'evolve' creatures into human form. What this really means are 50 or more surgeries that cause excruciating pain for the poor creature--all in the name of 'science'.Unlike the original tale, there is only the one creature and there's a romance tossed in to boot. But, good suspense, acting and a credible explanation for why you don't see much of the creature all work to make a spooky and worthy horror film.By the way, I did have one question that I thought of while watching the film. If the folks have been on this island for two years, how does the Doctor's wife have a perm?!

lost-in-limbo Fitzgerald is the only survivor of a shipwreck and he finds himself washed up on an luscious Pacific island, which is inhabited by a close-minded doctor, his unsatisfied wife and edgy assistant. That night they found Fitzgerald, the doctor's experimental subject; a panther got loose and killed some natives. But they manage to get hold of it again. Not too long Fitzgerald learns what the doctor is trying to do, but he questions the ethical nature of his experiments. When Fitzgerald comes face to face with Dr. Girard's test subject it's something his eyes can't believe.Like other users have already mentioned, this cheap b-grade flick is influenced by H.G. Wells novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau." You might call it a poor man's version of the story. But to my surprise this feature was incredibly well-made and mildly effective, it's just too bad that the print of the film is all scratched up and jumpy in parts. The low-budget production is well set-up with fine execution in the direction, thunderously high-strung score and solid camera-work in achieving a very heavy mood in the jarringly, grim atmosphere. The isolated island (which was filmed in the Philippines) and the doctor's house (especially his laboratory) have a dauntingly, unsteady feel. Slow-building terror is squeezed tight by a snail-like opening hour involving many stoppages and meandering about. The third-act though, is where things really get going with some nice doses of suspense and plenty of interesting moments occurring with the mystery of the doctor's work coming out of the dark. These sparks are few and far between, but the sub-due plot is strong enough to carry the film, even though it does have its wishy-washy details and understated ending. The routine script is filled with a lot of mumbo jumbo, maybe a little too much of it and a bit forced. Thrown in are ponderous theories about evolution and morality about interfering with nature's course and so on. Also the dramatic interplay between the characters have a variety of frictions that plays on their slowly decaying mentality. Though, the token romance link between Fitzgerald and Frances Girard was unconvincing and it felt overly padded for me. The performances were exceptional enough, with some buoyant acting at times. Francis Lederer, as Dr. Girard, Richard Derr as Fitzgerald and Oscar Keesee Jr. as Perrera were terrific in their roles. The beautiful Greta Thyssen as Frances Girard; I was 50/50 on, sometimes she was rather leaden, but still she has an awe that's hard dismiss. The make-up effects for our feline (and there's only one) was way above-average, even though it was kept in bandages and looking more like a mummy. But when we see glimpses of its face it was rather well-done up, though I found the creature's growling unintentionally amusing.There's nothing great or particularly unfamiliar about it, but with what they had to work with, it's commendably done.Side-note: I'm just glad that I didn't have to sit through the warning bell gimmick, which would destroy the whole purpose in you wanting suspense and surprises from this film. The idea just escapes me, especially since you'll know what you're getting yourself into.

Eegah Guy This is the film that practically started the influx of Filipino exploitation that exploded in the 70s. It's a slow but mediocre version of THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU with a cat creature experiment that gets loose and kills a few secondary characters among scientific jabber about the experiment being for the benefit of mankind rather than personal vanity. This is lackluster stuff and is too Americanized. The Blood Island trilogy and women's prison flicks that would come ten years later is the kind of delirious entertainment that Filipino exploitation is remembered for. Worth a look but hardly memorable.