The Island of the Fishmen

It's time for some old school horror with;

The Island of the Fishmen (1979).

Fishmen is directed by Sergio Martino who's work has been featured on this blog before, most recently Torso (1973). It stars Barbara Bach, Claudio Cassinelli and Richard Johnson amongst others.

First off I need to point out the oddity of the US release which is the one I watched. It is called Screamers and was released under Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Corman added a new fifteen minute long beginning that has a hard time meshing with the rest of the movie.

So in the beginning we learn that the year is 1891 and a couple has come to the island to look for a legendary treasure. Soon the fishmen arrive and kill everyone in extremely gory ways. That's it.

Then the real movie begins. A small group of prisoners have survived a shipwreck together with the ship doctor. They wash up on the unnamed island where most die off quickly. The doctor and two prisoners soon meet the master of the island, Edmond Rackham (Johnson) who is very clearly the villain of the movie. He lives in a mansion tended to by a group of natives. We also meet Amanda Marvin (Bach) who takes a bit of a shine to the doctor. The relationship between Amanda and Rackham is a mystery at first but all is eventually explained. The eponymous fishmen lurk everywhere, killing where they can, and it is here we get the biggest disconnect between the new intro and the actual movie. I mentioned the heavy gore in the intro and that is nowhere to be found anywhere else. No one gets their head ripped off anymore, instead a light scratch across the face is enough to kill. I don't need the gore, but why add it in such a large amount if the movie isn't that bloody? Makes no sense to me.

Over all, The Island of the Fishmen is much more adventure than horror. Once you get to know more about what is going on, the horror essentially disappears and you are left with an old school adventure movie, and that is pretty awesome!

Unfortunately I can't explain anything more about the plot without ruining it, but this is an underrated gem of a movie. Yes, the effects are a bit cheesy, and the dialogue is a bit cheesy, in fact, it could be called The Island of the Cheesemen, but that is also the movie's biggest charm. It is a kind of innocent adventure movie with some pretty decent horror elements, sprinkled with a little bit of romance.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes I do. It works well within its budget, the effects are decent enough and the acting is fine. I found the movie on a list of Lovecraftian horror, and superficially it fits, but The Island of the Fishmen is its own thing and oozes with silly pulp action charm. If that is your cup of tea, then watch this movie.

That is that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great and safe week!