Island of the Fishmen
A shipwrecked doctor faces fishmen and a mad scientist.
Island of the Fishmen (also known as Island of Mutations) is a 1979 action-horror film directed by Sergio Martino. It features Barbara Bach, Joseph Cotten, and Richard Johnson. The film is notable for having been substantially re-edited for international release, first as Something Waits in the Dark and later as Screamers.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Sergio Martino
- Producer
- Luciano Martino
- Screenplay
- Sergio Martino
- Sergio Donati
- Cesare Frugoni
- Story
- Luciano Martino; Cesare Frugoni
- Starring
- Barbara Bach
- Claudio Cassinelli
- Richard Johnson
- Joseph Cotten
- Music
- Luciano Michelini
- Cinematography
- Giancarlo Ferrando
- Editing
- Eugenio Alabiso
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In 1891, military doctor Lieutenant Claude de Ross survives two shipwrecks and washes ashore on an uncharted Caribbean island with several convicts. After fishmen kill some of the convicts, Claude and the others flee into the jungle, where they encounter the sadistic Edmond Rackham and his captive Amanda Marvin. Amanda's father, Professor Ernest Marvin, a former biologist, has developed a method to transform humans into amphibious creatures, which Rackham manipulates him into performing. Rackham uses the fishmen to plunder the lost city of Atlantis beneath the island's waters, while claiming his motives are scientific. Voodoo priestess Shakira foretells destruction. The film ends with Claude and Amanda fleeing Rackham, Shakira, uncontrolled fishmen, and an erupting volcano that threatens to destroy the remaining land.
Alternate versions
This footage included fishmen-inflicted wound effects by Chris Walas. The original Italian version had scenes abbreviated, and the new version added musical cues by Sandy Berman, a new English dub, and the title Something Waits in the Dark. After that release failed, Jim Wynorski oversaw a re-release titled Screamers, with a tagline about "men turned inside out. A scene intended for a trailer was spliced onto theatrical prints after customer complaints at drive-ins, but it was never included in the film's negative and is absent from video versions.
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