Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

ferbs54 The 1957 Boris Karloff film "Voodoo Island" seems to have a widespread reputation as being one of the actor's all-time worst, so it was with a feeling of resignation and borderline cinematic masochism that I popped this DVD into the player the other night. "Voodoo Island" was Karloff's first horror picture in four years, his only release for 1957; he would rebound a bit the following year, with the releases of the fun shlockfest "Frankenstein 1970" and the even better (British) film "Grip of the Strangler." Filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on the cheap, the picture turns out to be a modest little B film that, despite its many flaws, still retains a certain strange charm.In it, Boris plays a character named Phillip Knight, who seems to be a professional debunker of popular myths. Knight, when we first encounter him, has already disproved the legends of the Loch Ness monster and a Nantucket sea creature, and now, the owner of an international hotel chain wants him to hightail it to the Pacific island that the company hopes to build on. It seems that a party of men has already been lost there, the only survivor being in an unqualified zombie state. So off Knight goes, accompanied by his beautiful but prim research assistant (played by Scranton-born Beverly Tyler), a tough blonde architect/designer (Jean Engstrom), the zombie and his doctor, and a hotel chain rep (Murvyn Vye). En route, they stop over at a nearby island, where they charter a boat from its greedy owner (the great character actor Elisha Cook, Jr., always a welcome presence in any film) and his hunky-dude right-hand man (played by Rhodes Reason, who my fellow Trekkers may recall as Flavius from the episode "Bread and Circuses"). And then...it is on to the eponymous Voodoo Island....So, you might be asking yourself at this point, just how bad IS "Voodoo Island"? Well, I'm not gonna lie to you: Objectively speaking, the film really IS pretty lame. Not the slightest bit scary and only occasionally suspenseful, the picture also suffers from a weak script and an ending that even the most forgiving viewer would categorize as a letdown...and an overly abrupt letdown, at that. Seemingly inevitable is the halfhearted romantic subplot that we must bear with, as Knight's lovely but repressed assistant and the Reason character (who I suppose suffers with what today is termed PTSD) squabble, make up and discover love. None of the characters are all that likable, and even Karloff's is something of a stuck-up know-it-all (or so he thinks). The direction by Reginald LeBorg (whose previous "psychotronic" credits include "Weird Woman," "The Mummy's Ghost" and "Dead Man's Eyes," all from 1944) is uninspired, the FX are weak, and the beautiful Hawaiian scenery...well, let's just say that it's a shame that this thing was not shot in color!Fortunately, though, there IS some good news, especially for Karloff's fans. For that special breed (of which I count myself a member), any opportunity to watch this fascinating actor, and to hear that wonderfully mellifluous voice, is a pleasurable one. Simply stated: Boris saves this movie from being a total loss just by his mere presence. Plus, once on Voodoo Island, the picture becomes very much a "safari film," a subgenre for which I have been a sucker ever since I was a little kid. And then there are those cobra-headed, carnivorous plants, easily the most horrific aspect of the film, and they DO make for some cheezy fun. The acting by one and all is better than this material would seem to demand, and...well, that's about it. I really cannot come up with any more pluses, no matter how hard I try. Truth to tell, this film really is for Uncle Boris completists only. I'm not sure if it's his worst, as I still have never experienced such supposed late-career stinkers as "Snake People" and "Cauldron of Blood," but of the 40 Karloff films that I have seen, this one is certainly right near the bottom. On the flip side of this MGM DVD can be found the 1959 chiller "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake," another film dealing with the subject of voodoo, and this is where the real horrors reside on this disc. "The public loves to be scared," Phillip Knight tells us at one point; too bad his picture just isn't up to the task!

Carolyn Paetow This odd little film is--oddly enough--good because it is so badly done. For starters, it concerns some sort of South Seas witchcraft instead of voodoo. And many viewers probably feel bewitched while trying to figure out all the confusing plot devices and glaring gaps in the storyline. One can easily get the impression that minimal direction has allowed the players to conjure their own magic in regard to their individual roles. Some ring as hollow as a dried-out gourd, like those of Boris Karloff and Elisha Cook, Jr., actors who certainly knew how to move the spirit in melodramas. Rhodes Reason, on the other hand, puts yeoman effort into his boat-captain portrayal, struggling at times to make schmaltzy lines sound serious. Beverly Tyler, as Karloff's all-business assistant, lays it on thick as a prissy prig, high-mindedly brushing off the attentions of Reason and Jean Engstrom, who, as elegant decorator Miss Winters, delivers a subtle but nonetheless obvious portrayal of a lesbian. In such a lightweight, run-of-the-mill script, Engstrom's character probably could have emerged as merely a sophisticate trying to glamorize Tyler's dowdy Sarah Adams and rebuff Reason's rough-hewn Matthew Gunn. But Engstrom intricately weaves a fascinating, on-the-QT characterization that steals every scene she is in. Both women have to contend with predatory phallic-looking plants as well as the macho ministrations of Reason. And there are threats posed by hexing island natives and their oddly Anglo chief. All in all, a fun flick to be marooned in for an hour or so!

Scarecrow-88 Scientist Phillip Knight(the always marvelous Boris Karloff, even in this) who debunks myths and superstitions as folly for the weak-minded, is sent by a major hotel industrialist to a specific island to see what has turned a man(Glenn Dixon)into a living zombie who appears healthy, but shows nothing on his face. Knight's secretary, Sarah(the simply stunning Beverly Tyler, who just looks fantastic from the moment she appears on screen to the close)and "designer" Claire Winter(Jean Engstrom)come along with Knight along with the industrialist's right hand man Barney(Murvyn Vye). Matthew Gunn(Rhodes Reason)is the skipper who will boat them to the mysterious island and Martin(Elisha Cook, Jr..who might..gasp..just die again in yet another movie)who stands to benefit financially from the success of a resort area if one is created on the supposed voodoo island. Upon once getting to the island, they encounter carnivorous plants(!), a voodoo cult who are shown often poking their heads slightly out of the forest leaves, and, gulp, possible death.It's corny, there's just no way around it, but fans of cheesy B-movie chillers might bask in it's lameness. The killer plants look like rubber inter-tubes, the hokey romance development between Sarah and Gunn is filled with horribly limp dialogue that might make you snicker, and could very well have the worst performance of Elisha Cook, Jr's career. His death scene towards the end is hilarious instead of frightening..the supposed impact of that scene elicits guffaws instead of fear. Karloff shows why he was such a wonderful actor and presence on screen when he can even make the flimsiest dialogue leap somewhat. He's damn good even when facing a dead body wrapped in killer leaves and stiff "Native Chief" Friedrich von Ledebur who looks bored out of his skull. The stench from this stinker can be smelled a mile away, but somehow Karloff still comes out of this unscathed. Known by many to feature an open lesbian seeking a relationship as Winters tries every way to convey her lust for Sarah.

bsmith5552 "Voodoo Island" was Boris Karloff's first American film in four years. Nearing his 70th birthday, good parts must have been hard to come by, given that the old Gothic style horror for which he became famous, was now not in vogue.Hotel entrepreneur Howard Carlton (Owen Cunningham) is planning a new hotel/resort on a distant Pacific Island. A survey team that had been sent out earlier disappeared except for Mitchell (Glenn Dixon) who returned in a zombie like state. Carlton hires Philip Knight (Karloff) an investigative reporter to investigate the remote island where the disappearances occurred.The expedition includes Knight, his assistant Sara Adams, Carlton's front man Barney Finch (Murvyn Vye), Claire Winter (Jean Engstrom), local resort manager Martin Schuler (Elisha Cook) and his assistant Matthew Gunn (Rhodes Reason). Knight also insists that Mitchell be brought along. Before they leave for the island, Mitchell mysteriously dies and a voodoo death warning is left.When the expedition arrives at the "voodoo" island, strange things start to happen. First their boat breaks down and later they discover their food supply spoiled trapping them on the island all the while under the watchful eyes of mysterious natives. Then, while enjoying a swim Claire is killed by a flesh eating plant. The rest are captured by the natives. Schuler refuses to leave and later becomes a zombie as does Finch while watching two children play. Will the others escape?Karloff is totally miscast as the fast talking "Gerardo" type investigative reporter. Although he does his best, he certainly deserved better. He would make two more films in 1958 and then disappear from the screen until 1963 when Roger Corman "rediscovered" him for "The Raven".The cast spends most of the film trudging across the jungle island. We never see any so-called black magic and are left to wonder how the zombies are created. We do get to see some cheap looking dolls with pins in them though. This was obviously a film on a low budget. Most of it was shot outdoors and the special effects are cheaply done.Strictly for the lower half of a double bill.