This was a fun, very British horror movie about blob-like creatures that suck out your bones. Lots of tea time, scientific work, and stiff upper lip keep yourself together man Britishness. Effective tension despite the low budget and occasional bit of overacting. Nice to see Peter Cushing and the scene of him telling everyone that he feels fine after just having his hand cut off is pretty great.

This is a hugely enjoyable sci-fi horror film from the not terribly well remembered Planet Film Productions. Wonderfully directed by the great Terence Fisher, it reminds me of the "Quatermass" serials and some of the best American sci-fi films of the 1950s. It concerns a scientist who accidentally created a new lifeform, called a silicate, from a silicon atom in his attempt to cure cancer. As well as being a cool sci-fi plot, it's a nice commentary on well-intentioned scientists creating something with a peaceful application only for it to be subverted. The film takes place on the fictional Petrie's Island off the east coast of my native Ireland. According to Wikipedia, the film had a budget of only £70,000. If that is true, it's a testament to Fisher's great skill as a director since the film looks fantastic.The always superb Peter Cushing and the underrated Edward Judd lead a strong cast of predominantly Irish actors including Cushing's "The Mummy" and "Star Wars" co-star Eddie Byrne, Niall MacGinnis, Sam Kydd, James Caffrey and Liam Gaffney. The film's only major female cast member is Carole Gray, who is excellent as Toni Merrill, the love interest of Judd's character David West. She had a short acting career, which encompassed a mere eight films and three TV appearances, which is a shame as she would have made a great Bond girl or Hammer leading lady. The film is very well written with a strong plot which respects the audience's intelligence. The characters all seem like real people. I always get a little nervous when Irish people are depicted in British or American films but I need not have worried as no one said "Top o' the mornin' to ya" and the characters did not look like 19th Century farmers or IRA members. It's actually quite an accurate portrayal of rural Ireland in the 1960s, though the British number plates, lack of signs in Irish and one or two other things belie the fact that it was shot in Britain. When it came to the sci-fi and horror elements, the major threat posed by the silicates is emphasised by their excellent design, which is better than the design of most creatures in contemporaneous American sci-fi shows, and the distinctive noise that they make. There are many frightening visuals, particularly the remains of the various victims of the silicates whose bones have been liquefied. The film bears some superficial similarities to the lacklustre 1967 film "Night of the Big Heat", which likewise was made by Planet Film, was directed by Fisher, featured Cushing and concerned a crisis which took place on a remote island. It would seem to me that they were trying to recreate the success of this film but they failed, I'm afraid, as that one was nowhere near as good. Incidentally, Cushing's character Brian Stanley shares his name with one of my local TDs, which is what we call our MPs in Ireland. Sadly though, he's no Peter Cushing.

Sorry to disappoint anyone expecting silly cats. Sillicats are nothing more than the pizza-monsters in the "Star Trek" episode "The Devil In The Dark", plus a long elephant-like trunk glued in the middle, which flaps about somewhat when targeting a luckless islander.Not too much padding, as is usual in low-budget monster fare, but there is a hilariously drawn-out scene which shows nothing more than the two scientists putting on some large condoms (suits) in a lab. Perhaps the director was forced to show the entire sequence of putting on those goofy suits because if he'd cut straight to Cushing dressed as a condom the scene would have garnered some unintentional laughs. This way the audience at least has time to adjust to the fact that the two heroes will be dressing as condoms. Dramatic music accompanies this protracted scene, just in case we notice how irrelevant this scene is. This was a typical "trick" in the meager 50s/60s B-movie weapons arsenal: when you know the scene is lame, put on some mega-dramatic music on top of it.Fancy that, the young scientist putting his girlfriend in charge of controlling the villagers in the town hall (or village hut). And what exactly qualifies her to control the rabble? This is exactly how Mira Markovic and Elena Ceausescu got to where they were: spineless husbands pushing their ugly wives to power. (OK, fine, this actress is neither ugly nor evil, the comparison is slightly flawed, so shoot me.) A bit too silly how even an ax cannot even slightly damage the sillicats. If they're made out of silicon, they're not made out of steel.Watch for Cushing get all jovial and cracking jokes, mere hours after having had his hand amputated by an ax. So very English. So B-movie.IOT is a charming little monster-invasion flick, with little action and a lot of talking which is typical of its type, but very much watchable.

Director Terence Fisher who also created another classic flick, Dracula 1958 has created another gem in Island of Terror.Starring Peter Cushing who was also in Terrence Fisher's classic flick, Dracula 1958.Also starring Edward Judd.Also starring Carole Gray.I enjoyed the special effects.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic sci-fi flicks, Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984, The Chronicles of Riddick 2004, Dune 1984, Equilibrium 2002, The Island 2005, Knowing 2009, Light Blast 1985, Metropolis 1927, Pitch Black 2000, Rollerball 1975, Steel Frontier 1995, Tetsuo 1989, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer 1992, Things to Come 1936, THX 1138 1971, Dredd 2012, Annihilation 2018 and Videodrome 1983.