No, We Are NOT Men (Entirely) - We Are the Residents of the Original “Island of Lost Souls”!

Tonight on MeTV- it’s an early Paramount classic- the original screen version of an H.G.Wells science fiction tale, featuring some famed actors- one of which is barely recognizable! It’s the story of how a castaway becomes a prisoner in a bizarre island compound featuring monstrous mutations and a maniacal mad man-in the 1932 presentation of  "Island of Lost Souls"! This film was part of a major acquisition by Universal from Paramount, as part of a deal to form a package of films to run on TV.

We start off with the crew of a freighter spotting a shipwreck survivor and taking him on board. The castaway Parker is confused by the cargo of a load of various animals, being transported to one Dr. Moreau's South Sea island- not to mention some of the odd- looking crew members of the vessel. He gets on the captain’s bad side when he steps in to protect one of these crewmen from the captain’s mistreatment- but the Captain gets his revenge by tossing Parker over the rail of his ship, onto the boat that has come to get the animals and transport them to Moreau's island.

Upon his arrival, Moreau gives Parker a tour of his place- it’s a combination of zoo/medical facility/science lab, surrounded by strange plants and even stranger inhabitants. Parker notices a less disturbing inhabitant in the sultry young woman named Lota, who seems shy and of little experience with worldly things- or, even, with other people!

Meanwhile, Parker's fiancée, Ruth, who has been trying to determine his fate after his ship went down, finally discovers where Parker may be, and recruits a skipper and his ship to go find him!

Back on the island, Parker has become more suspicious of what goes on there- especially after hearing horrid screams, and learning from Lota that they emanate from the awful "House of Pain". When Parker gets a quick look at the facility, he decides he has no choice but to escape! However, once outside of the compound in the surrounding jungle with Lota, he stumbles upon a vast mob of animal-like men- who are barely deterred from attacking him and Lota by the arrival of Moreau, whom they obviously fear!

Moreau then reveals to Parker the shocking truth about what he has been up to-that these odd beast-men are his creation! He also has a hidden agenda- to keep Parker on the island to help with the "development" of Lota- another of his experiments!

The arrival of Ruth and her captain at the island proves to increase the danger factor for all of them- will Moreau be able to keep them prisoners, and keep control of his beastly subjects? And- which will survive?

This fantastic movie, made before the Motion Picture Code which would have demanded changes in it, has the amazing performance of Charles Laughton as Moreau, as well as the exotic Kathleen Burke (whose backstory is only semi-exotic) and a close to unrecognizable Bela Lugosi as a hirsute beast-man known as "the Sayer of the Law". It is also famous for that litany of "what is the Law?"  and the line later adapted into a musical phrase by the New Wave rock group Devo - "Are we not men?"  We'll have lots to tell you about the cast, the men under the make-up, and more- including the Sven version of a favorite classic sitcom, a game show, a quick cameo by a simian superstar of the internet, and even a couple vintage Sven favorite songs- one of which is the seasonal visit from a lurking leprechaun!

"Island of Lost Souls" receives visitors on MeTV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, or check your local listings (and/or at www.metv.com ) for channel and time in your area. Once again, you can live-Tweet along with the many other fans on Twitter during the show- make sure you add the hashtag #svengoolie to your Tweets. Sorry, Chicago viewers- due to high school basketball, our encore of last week’s MeTV movie on CW26 will be pre-empted!

Besides lost souls, we have lost another iconic horror personality-producer/director/visual effects specialist Bert I. Gordon. We always mentioned that his initials “B.I.G.” could easily stand for the huge creatures in his various films, including the “Amazing Colossal Man”, the “Beginning of the End” grasshoppers, and the arachnid of “Earth VS the Spider”. He and his wife Flora were often credited for the effects in his films. Mr. Gordon passed away this week at the age of 100.

Make sure to check out the appearances tab here on our website for some news about public appearances coming soon! And, for those this applies to- remember to turn your clocks forward ( spring ahead) late tonight or tomorrow!

But tonight-come island-hopping with us- just don't get too chummy with the locals unless you're bringing with a flea collar!