A master of science fiction literature, he mixes his craft with influences from the horror and adventure genres: “War of the Worlds”, author HG Wells created “The Island of Dr. Moreau” a timelessly popular classic novel. The story of a domineering mad scientist who conducts grotesque experiments has been filmed several times, including one starring a legendary disinterested Marlon Brando in the title role.
But it’s the first sound film adaptation of the material that caused the biggest stir: “The Island of Lost Souls‘ caused protests from Christian organizations and was even banned in many countries. The film was only released uncut in German home theaters in 2019 – but only in a small edition, which quickly sold out. If you didn’t buy it then and don’t want to pay extra for used ones, there’s good news: Now “The Island of Lost Souls” is finally back for home theater – in the form of a strictly limited new edition:
The Blu-ray remake of the horror classic is limited to 500 copies. So if you’re interested in the scandalous 1932 movie, maybe you shouldn’t hesitate too long.
“The Island of Lost Souls”: animal-human beings, sexuality and great protests
When Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) is shipwrecked, he is rescued by a freighter – and with that he falls from one evil to another. Because the captain of the freighter is on his way to a remote, exotic tropical island, where the unscrupulous doctor Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton) deals with his unholy ways. In his clinic he conducts dark experiments in which he wants to create animal-human hybrids. He rules this clinic and the rest of the island with an iron fist – and if you don’t feel like it, you should go to the “House of Pain”!
The horror classic directed by Erle C. Kenton had a very prominent opponent: HG Wells himself! The writer felt that the film adaptation of his story would rely too heavily on horror elements instead of doing justice to the quieter tones of his novel. However, Wells’s criticism was tame compared to how religious protest groups reacted to the film: They felt Dr. Moreau as a profane and a subplot where the protagonist is seduced by the mysterious island beauty Lota (Leila Hyams) as a sexually explosive and lewd.
These protests didn’t just come from a vocal, influential minority: the film was censored in several US states, and “The Island of Lost Souls” was even banned in others. In addition to the Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand and Germany, Great Britain was also one of the markets that did not even allow the film.
Even in the post-war period, the film took some time to be rehabilitated – in Britain, for example, it premiered in 1958, and that was only in a censored state. In Germany, “The Island of Lost Souls” came on television at least in the 1970s. As previously mentioned, the new adaptation’s local home theater premiere was a long time coming.
Although “The Island of Lost Souls” has a well-known opponent in Wells, the classic scandal also has prominent fans. These include, for example, Robert Bloch, the author of the novel based on Hitchcock’s thriller masterpiece “Psycho”, and cult director Joe Dante (“Gremlins”).