Isle of The Dead / Bedlam

Starring: Boris Karloff Director: Mark Robson

Description by OLDIES.com:

The most celebrated star in the history of screen horror headlines these two atmospheric works filled with producer Val Lewton's trademark mix of mood, madness and premeditated dread. Boris Karloff shares a quarantined house with other strangers on a plague-infested - perhaps spirit-haunted Isle of the Dead. St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum in 1761 London is the setting for Bedlam. Karloff gives an uncanny performance as the doomed overseer who fawns on high-society benefactors while ruling the mentally disturbed inmates with an iron fist. Mark Robson, who edited three films for Lewton and directed five, guides both films.

Product Description:

This set contains two classic horror films from producer Val Lewton.

While rarely considered to be one of Val Lewton's best films, ISLE OF THE DEAD does contain the producer's typically effective use of atmosphere. Set during the 1912 war on a Greek Island, the film focuses on six people who are staying on a remote island in order to escape the plague. Boris Karloff gives his typically strong performance as General Pherides, while Ellen Drew plays a Greek girl suspected of being a vampire. Constant winds and creepy sets illustrate each character's general anxiety as disease and suspicions build to a chilling climax.

An intriguing change of pace from chillmaster Val Lewton, BEDLAM tells the story of an innocent girl imprisoned in a ghastly 18th-century insane asylum. Nell, an aspiring young actress, rejects the patronage of a London nobleman after learning of the aristocrat's indifference to sadistic practices at the local insane asylum. When word of Nell's accusations reach Master Sims (Boris Karloff), the villainous director of the madhouse, the brutal "doctor" attempts to protect his own reputation by casting doubt on the young woman's sanity.

Plot Keywords:

Horror | Horror Classic | Vampires

Cast and Crew: