1941's "Horror Island," double-billed with Lon Chaney's "Man Made Monster," was a quota quickie from Universal, shot and directed at breakneck speed by George Waggner, who graduated to "The Wolf Man" by the end of the year. A search for buried treasure at a remote island castle, which gives it a slightly different flavor than "The Cat and the Canary," punctuated by three murders adding to the fun. Reunited after "The Mummy's Hand" are likable Dick Foran and perky Peggy Moran, as vivacious and beautiful as one could expect (not unlike Paulette Goddard). Comic relief capably handled by old hands at the game Leo Carrillo and Fuzzy Knight, Ralf Harolde and Iris Adrian also cast to type as a gangster on the lam and his flirtatious wife. John Eldredge was becoming a fixture at Universal that year- "The Black Cat," "The Mad Doctor of Market Street," and Hitchcock's "Saboteur." Included in the popular SHOCK! television package from the late 50s, "Horror Island" made five appearances on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater.
Review of Horror Island
