Island Of Terror (1966) Movie Review, Cast & Crew, Film Summary

Argh! It’s the attack of the mutant atomic vacuum cleaners! On an unidentifed island between Ireland and Britain a cancer researcher has holed up in a mansion researching into cancer cures, but instead – here’s one for the anti-cervical cancer vaccine activists – creates a race of sliding lumps of silicone armed with penile tentacles that like to suck the bones out of your body! They proceed to threaten various veteran actors like Peter Cushing, Edward Judd, Eddie Byrne, and Niall MacGinnis. I watched this first when I was about seven and the scene where one of the thus-far unseen monsters slides down the rear windscreen, thus perturbing the heroine, scared me witless. Now, well, you know. This film ought to be lousy, and the monsters really are silly, but director Terence Fisher, who was on the outs with Hammer at this point, manages to keep things solid and well-told, aided immeaurably by Cushing’s dry presence; his various cool, over the shoulder remarks (“Nasty little things…” he drones after almost getting sucked; “I’m not too keen on going down there again,” he moans upon descending to a basement where a friend’s already been sucked) give the film a wry vein that goes a long way. Perfect late-night fodder.