Island of Lost Souls

General Information:

Year Released: 1933 Country: US Director: Erle Kenton IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0024188 Literary Source: H. G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau

Island of Lost Souls is the story of a man who is forced to stay on an island inhabited by the mad scientist Dr. Moreau and a slew of natives. He discovers that most of the people there have been surgically manufactured from animals by Moreau, including the native girl Lota (formerly a leopard) that he is attracted to. A very dark film, aimed to be horror -- supposedly the scariest thing yet released. Dr. Moreau is the perfect mad scientist, always cackling over his evil plans and abusing the monsters he has created.

The Promise of Science: Man Made Life

Island of Lost Souls also emphasized the wrongness of meddling with life. Instead of one creature made in the image of man, this film features a whole island full of man-like creatures created from animals. Dr. Moreau is a renegade scientist whose life's work involves surgically changing animals into animal-like humans. He has enslaved them on his island, and in typical mad scientist style, is ruthless and hurtful to his creations. A man lands on the island, and discovers what has been happening there. Sick of being mistreated and upset about their questionable origins, the enslaved creatures rebel against their master.

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