MOVIE REVIEWS

Day of the Silicates! The island of the title is under threat from silicate creatures who were born out of experiments to cure cancer. The creatures feed off of bones, animal or human, so this tiny island community is in grave danger. It's as bonkers as it sounds, a sci-fi horror of such ridiculous notions, it can't fail to entertain genre loving fans. Terence Fisher directs and Peter Cushing stars, in what was a break from Hammer Films for the both of them. The creatures are rubbery blobs with one deadly tentacle weaving their deadly damage, they also bleed noodle soup. They move at a snails pace, which makes you wonder why the humans holed up in one Rio Bravo type situation, actually don't just out-run the damn beasties. But wait! These things can somehow climb up buildings and trees, the scientific possibility is really too nutty to comprehend! But it's so much fun, and there's Cushing (was he ever bad in anything?) holding court whilst others around him act at a level befitting the material. It's no hidden gem or anything, but if you like the likes of Day of the Triffids and The Monster That Challenged the World, then this should punch your joy joy genre buttons. 6.5/10

_**Peter Cushing is stuck on an Island of Dull**_ Cancer experiments on a remote island off the coast of Ireland have unleashed something that is turning people into lifeless, boneless masses of flesh. “Island of Terror” (1966) was made by the same short-lived company that released the similar “Island of the Burning Damned” a year later (also known as “Night of the Big Heat”), both featuring Peter Cushing and directed by Terence Fisher. It walks the balance beam between sci-fi and horror and should be appreciated by fans of Cushing, Hammer, Amicus, Tigon and American International. Unfortunately, unlike that sister film, it lacks much human interest and the creatures are shown too early and too much in the light of day. I suppose it doesn’t help that Carole Gray isn’t on the level of Jane Merrow in the feminine department, but she’s a’right. Still, if you must see every Cushing flick, this one starts with a compelling first act and is solid mid-60’s Brit sci-fi/horror. It just gets dull by the second half. The film runs about 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot at Pinewood Studios, England, and other points nearby in Buckinghamshire. GRADE: C/C-

It has something of "Day of the Triffids" (1963) to it this, as Peter Cushing ("Dr. Stanley") is drafted onto a remote island to investigate some mysterious deaths. Bodies have been de-ossified and this presents quite a puzzle to himself and to his fellow scientists "David" (Edward Judd) and "Landers" (Eddie Byrne) until they stumble upon some rather dangerous woodlice-looking creatures with long spiny necks wandering in the woods. Might they be the cause, and if so what to do now? It's a pretty run of the mill sci-fi horror film this. It tries to beef up the plot by using a decent cast of familiar British actors to compensate for the very limited standard of the visual effects and the predictability of the denouement. It is annoyingly over-scored, which is a shame, and the dialogue is all pretty banal but Cushing delivers all that is required of him and I still quite enjoyed it.