"One more transfusion and I’ll be a full blooded Irishman."

There are a lot of horror movies that happen on islands. Especially in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. This one I believe is Ireland.

And of course there is a scientist, Dr. Phillips (Peter Forbes-Robertson), doing experiments. This time looking for a cure for cancer. Dr. Phillips had hoped to create living cells that would attack cancer cells. Something goes haywire with the doctor’s experiments and he creates a silicone based creature that liquefies and digests the bones of people and livestock. It gets away from them and kills the doctor and everyone who works for him. Then it escapes and starts heading toward the village. Dr. Stanley (Peter Cushing) and Dr. West (Edward Judd) gather the doctor’s notes to see if they can find out what is going on.

The monster is a plastic blob amoeba-like thing with a tentacle on top. (For some strange reason the tentacle-like head reminds me of the laser beam appendage that was part of the Martian death machine in “War of the Worlds”. I half expected it to go Throm Throm Throm Throm.) Anyway. The tentacle grabs on to people and pierces their skin. It then injects a substance that liquefies the bones and sucks everything out through the holes it made.

The silicates divide every 6 hours similar to what an amoeba would do, only not as often. Dr. Stanley, Dr. West and the leaders of the island move everyone and all the livestock to the center of the village to the meeting hall. Effectively setting up a buffet with a neon sign saying all you can eat. But they have a plan to kill the silicates that they hope will work.

"Island of Terror" was released in 1966 and was directed by Terence Fisher. Although not a Hammer film it was directed by Fisher and starred Peter Cushing so it might as well be. It also starred a dashing Edward Judd (from “First Men in the Moon”). It’s a small budget affair from an independent film studio. Despite the not so great looking creatures it’s still a good little monster movie.

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