Are We Not Men? Bela and the Beast Men Serenade in “Island of Lost Souls” – Tonight!

We have the original version of a much-remade H G Wells story tonight on Svengoolie- in what was, for its time, one of the more shocking horror films- and it still delivers the chills- it's the  1932 version of the story of the cruel Dr. Moreau- "Island of Lost Souls"!

An island-bound freighter spots a shipwreck survivor - and takes him aboard, and sends word that he has been rescued. The poor traveler, Parker, is confused by the menagerie of animals being transported - and runs afoul of the freighter's captain when he interferes with  his mistreatment of a weird-looking servant. In an act of revenge, when the animals are being loaded onto the recipient's boat- the captain dumps Parker onto it, deserting him with one Dr. Moreau, who is bringing the beasts to his island compound.

Parker is astounded by the protected compound- and Moreau's strange, animal-like charges- and is charmed by a strange young woman Moreau introduces him to -Lota. Upon hearing agonized cries from a place Lota calls the "House of Pain"- Parker discovers Moreau conducting some horrid experiment on an unanesthetized  "patient", and tries to leave the compound- only to stumble upon a village of odd beast-like men - who cower in fear when confronted by Moreau, who takes Parker back to his compound- and reveals that these creatures are the result of his  mind-boggling experiments that jump-start and advance evolution! It seems Moreau has even more fiendish experimentation in mind- involving Parker and the girl Lota- whose true origin is shocking!

Meanwhile, Parker's fiancee, Ruth- who had gotten a message from the freighter indicating they had picked up her intended- is confused when he is not aboard when the ship docks- and learns that the nasty captain had him sent to Moreau's island. She arranges for  an itinerant captain to take her to find him on the island- not knowing the evil they will encounter among the beast men  - and the even more beastly Moreau!

This certainly was a major landmark in horror films- and the many bizarre types of beast men are among the memorable features of this movie, including one known as the "Sayer of the Law" -portrayed by Bela Lugosi in make-up that makes him fairly unrecognizable, with his often-quoted litany of "the law"- and his statement in the movie -"are we not men?" -that Devo later adopted. Also memorable is the sensuous Lota- but perhaps most memorable is Charles Laughton's  cold and edgy portrayal of Moreau!

We'll tell you about this production and its cast- and have plenty of Sven shtick to carry you through the program. I am already preparing myself for the uninformed cries of those who don't read (or, maybe just don't pay attention) to my blogs and postings, since the old retired coffin will be making an appearance in this previously-recorded show!

"Island of Lost Souls" will appear on the horizon on MeTV tonight at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 pm central, and please check for the time it runs in your local listings if you're unsure when it airs in your area! In Chicago, our viewers get a second look at "Black Castle" on WCIU- the U- at 11 am.

Go from the cold climate where many of us have been stuck this past week- to the tropical- and terrifying- "Island of Lost Souls" tonight!