ISLAND OF TERROR (1966) directed by Terence Fisher

When the body of a villager turns up sans bones on remote Petrie’s Island off the coast of Ireland, local physician Dr. Landers travels to the mainland to enlist the help of pathologist Dr. Stanley (the always reliable Peter Cushing). Stymied by the situation, the pair draft Dr. David West, an expert on bone diseases, to assist them. West’s girlfriend Toni tags along, and they use her father’s helicopter to return to Petrie’s Island. 

It isn’t long before Landers, Stanley and West stumble upon the castle laboratory of Dr. Phillips, who has been researching a cure for cancer with his team of scientists. There, they find the boneless corpses of Phillips and Co. and grab the team’s notes in order to get to the bottom of the mystery. Turns out that Phillips had a breakthrough in his research and created a life form that would attack the cancer.

Unfortunately, the resulting “silicates” inject a bone-dissolving enzyme into their victims and replicate by dividing every few hours. The scientists soon realize that the creatures will take over the island in a few days if they don’t figure out a way to kill them. 

There’s a decent movie at the core of ISLAND OF TERROR, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. Director Terence Fisher (who also directed the same year’s DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS) keeps things tense, and Cushing acts his bony ass off, making you believe that the slow moving, ridiculous looking creatures (who ooze Lipton chicken noodle soup when dividing) are the height of terror. I’m sure this would have played great had I seen it in my formative years, but at this point it feels pretty by the numbers. 

GRADE: B (which feels generous)