1945·Horror·1h 12m
7.0
★
On a Greek island during the 1912 war, several people are trapped by quarantine for the plague. If that isn't enough worry, one of the people—a superstitious old peasant—suspects a young woman of being a vampiric demon.
Directed by Mark Robson
island
quarantine
superstition
val lewton
plague
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Boris Karloff
Gen. Nikolas Pherides
Ellen Drew
Thea
Marc Cramer
Oliver Davis
Katherine Emery
Mary St. Aubyn
Helene Thimig
Madame Kyra
Alan Napier
St. Aubyn
Jason Robards Sr.
Albrecht
Ernst Deutsch
Dr. Drossos
Skelton Knaggs
Andrew Robbins (uncredited)
Rose Hobart
Mary St. Aubyn (in long shot; uncredited)
Crew
Mark Robson
Director
Ardel Wray
Screenplay
Leigh Harline
Original Music Composer
Val Lewton
Producer
Albert S. D'Agostino
Art Direction
Popular Reviews
22 reviews
Salami
6.0★ · 12/22/25
A better description of this movie would be crazy old man and crazy old women tournament and harass a kind young women.
I was really looking forward to some vampire action. Heartbreaking
Also Mrs. St. Aubyn in that white dress was iconic
I was really looking forward to some vampire action. Heartbreaking
Also Mrs. St. Aubyn in that white dress was iconic
A better description of this movie would be crazy old man and crazy old women tournament and harass a kind young women.
I was really looking forward to some vampire action. Heartbreaking
Also Mrs. St. Aubyn in that white dress was iconic
I was really looking forward to some vampire action. Heartbreaking
Also Mrs. St. Aubyn in that white dress was iconic
Will Bray
8.0★ · 10/25/25
A very interesting and well-made film. I haven’t seen really any of the Lewton films, but upon watching this, I want to see more of them.
The parallels to Covid present in this film from 1945 caught me off guard, but it was very interesting to see how similar the characters in the film treat the plague to how people in the modern era treated/still treat Covid. The science vs. superstition debates, the rigorous hand washing and safety protocols, and the McCarthy-esque accusations against others reflect many events that have happened in the past few years quite well.
Boris Karloff is great as always, but this might be one of the more interesting roles I’ve seen him in. That being said, the other actors in the film are a bit lacking. This could be attributed to the script, but most of the dialogue seems quite forced, spare Karloff, Cramer, and Thimig. Along with this, the narrative isn’t the strongest either, but I still enjoyed it.
One of my favorite aspects of old horror is the set design and this film is no different. Even within the first 10 minutes, the set design is impeccable. The ancient ruins that they travel through on the mountainside is a great piece of set design and the house they end up in is just as good. The lighting plays a large role in the greatness of the set design as well, as the constant dim lighting and usage of shadows makes for some great tension and provides an unsettling atmosphere in nearly all scenes.
The last 10-15 minutes of the film must be spoken of as well. For 1945, the finale of the film was phenomenal. Truly unsettling for the time and still a bit unsettling today.
This film was actually quite good. I’ve heard a lot of talk about how good the Lewton films are and I can see why now. Overall, an excellent film that I really enjoyed.
The parallels to Covid present in this film from 1945 caught me off guard, but it was very interesting to see how similar the characters in the film treat the plague to how people in the modern era treated/still treat Covid. The science vs. superstition debates, the rigorous hand washing and safety protocols, and the McCarthy-esque accusations against others reflect many events that have happened in the past few years quite well.
Boris Karloff is great as always, but this might be one of the more interesting roles I’ve seen him in. That being said, the other actors in the film are a bit lacking. This could be attributed to the script, but most of the dialogue seems quite forced, spare Karloff, Cramer, and Thimig. Along with this, the narrative isn’t the strongest either, but I still enjoyed it.
One of my favorite aspects of old horror is the set design and this film is no different. Even within the first 10 minutes, the set design is impeccable. The ancient ruins that they travel through on the mountainside is a great piece of set design and the house they end up in is just as good. The lighting plays a large role in the greatness of the set design as well, as the constant dim lighting and usage of shadows makes for some great tension and provides an unsettling atmosphere in nearly all scenes.
The last 10-15 minutes of the film must be spoken of as well. For 1945, the finale of the film was phenomenal. Truly unsettling for the time and still a bit unsettling today.
This film was actually quite good. I’ve heard a lot of talk about how good the Lewton films are and I can see why now. Overall, an excellent film that I really enjoyed.
A very interesting and well-made film. I haven’t seen really any of the Lewton films, but upon watching this, I want to see more of them.
The parallels to Covid present in this film from 1945 caught me off guard, but it was very interesting to see how similar the characters in the film treat the plague to how people in the modern era treated/still treat Covid. The science vs. superstition debates, the rigorous hand washing and safety protocols, and the McCarthy-esque accusations against others reflect many events that have happened in the past few years quite well.
Boris Karloff is great as always, but this might be one of the more interesting roles I’ve seen him in. That being said, the other actors in the film are a bit lacking. This could be attributed to the script, but most of the dialogue seems quite forced, spare Karloff, Cramer, and Thimig. Along with this, the narrative isn’t the strongest either, but I still enjoyed it.
One of my favorite aspects of old horror is the set design and this film is no different. Even within the first 10 minutes, the set design is impeccable. The ancient ruins that they travel through on the mountainside is a great piece of set design and the house they end up in is just as good. The lighting plays a large role in the greatness of the set design as well, as the constant dim lighting and usage of shadows makes for some great tension and provides an unsettling atmosphere in nearly all scenes.
The last 10-15 minutes of the film must be spoken of as well. For 1945, the finale of the film was phenomenal. Truly unsettling for the time and still a bit unsettling today.
This film was actually quite good. I’ve heard a lot of talk about how good the Lewton films are and I can see why now. Overall, an excellent film that I really enjoyed.
The parallels to Covid present in this film from 1945 caught me off guard, but it was very interesting to see how similar the characters in the film treat the plague to how people in the modern era treated/still treat Covid. The science vs. superstition debates, the rigorous hand washing and safety protocols, and the McCarthy-esque accusations against others reflect many events that have happened in the past few years quite well.
Boris Karloff is great as always, but this might be one of the more interesting roles I’ve seen him in. That being said, the other actors in the film are a bit lacking. This could be attributed to the script, but most of the dialogue seems quite forced, spare Karloff, Cramer, and Thimig. Along with this, the narrative isn’t the strongest either, but I still enjoyed it.
One of my favorite aspects of old horror is the set design and this film is no different. Even within the first 10 minutes, the set design is impeccable. The ancient ruins that they travel through on the mountainside is a great piece of set design and the house they end up in is just as good. The lighting plays a large role in the greatness of the set design as well, as the constant dim lighting and usage of shadows makes for some great tension and provides an unsettling atmosphere in nearly all scenes.
The last 10-15 minutes of the film must be spoken of as well. For 1945, the finale of the film was phenomenal. Truly unsettling for the time and still a bit unsettling today.
This film was actually quite good. I’ve heard a lot of talk about how good the Lewton films are and I can see why now. Overall, an excellent film that I really enjoyed.
Bryce
5.0★ · 07/21/25
Very intriguing premise. Boris Karloff must've had back problems for how hard he carried this film. 71 minutes and the film barely had enough of story for that. The last 10-15 minutes were pretty cool I'll go more in depth later.
Very intriguing premise. Boris Karloff must've had back problems for how hard he carried this film. 71 minutes and the film barely had enough of story for that. The last 10-15 minutes were pretty cool I'll go more in depth later.
Cami
7.0★ · 09/20/21
Very interesting premise with some good jumpscares. Some things didn’t make sense but it was still enjoyable.
Very interesting premise with some good jumpscares. Some things didn’t make sense but it was still enjoyable.
Damien
6.0★ · 04/09/26