L'Isola degli
uomini pesce
No Shame Films
R2 DVD
Island of the Fishman is a very strange
Italian variation of the themes found in the Island of Dr.Moreau. Made in 1979
it combines a sort of Euro-Trash version of the classic science fiction tale
with some Giallo elements thrown in for good measure.
The movie is set in 1891 and a medical
transport called The Cayenne is sunk. Left floating in a lifeboat with little
food and water are the ship’s doctor Claude de Ross, six hardened criminals and
one member of the crew. They are inching closer and closer to death until an
ocean current crashes the boat into a mysterious island. However, they do not
all survive; one of the prisoners is attached by some sort of creature as they
scramble onto land.
As they search for water, they die one by
one by various nefarious means ranging from man traps to poisoned water and of
course by the watery creatures. The only survivors are the doctor and two
convicts. When they come across an ancient pagan graveyard they also meet
Amanda, a beautiful but strange woman. She advises them to leave the Island
quick smart as the territory belongs to Edmund Rackham, who does not permit
strangers on his land. As they have no means of escape, they follow her to
Rackham’s property and slowly a story of medical experiments, the lost city of
Atlantis, fish people and love and betrayal unfolds !
The film is filled to the brim with every
possible horror cliché from Voodoo to Atlantis, medical experimentation and mad
scientists, the vain pursuit of treasure
and love that is refused. It is also set on a rather lush island which offers a
superb background which is matched by some impressive underwater sequences.
The Fishman are actually fairly well done
and the film has enough strange plot changes that it keeps your interest, the
soundtrack is superb with lots of Voodoo drums .
L'Isola degli uomini pesce is the original
uncut release also known as Island of Mutations. It was released in the US cut
and dubbed as Something Waits in the Dark. This release from No Shame includes
an English mono track and an Italian Mono and DD 5.1 which has English
subtitles. It is rather a shame that the English track is only in Mono and is
dubbed, I would have much preferred the Italian with English subtitles, but for
a rare title it is simply good to have it available.
This review will appear in Volume 2:1
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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