Horror Island (1941)
Treasure hunters discover an old castle on an island where there is reputedly a pirates hidden horde.
This Universal quickie is one of those films that treads the fine line between horror and comedy yet excells at neither.
Coming across as a live action Scooby Doo mystery minus the dog, and featuring a feeble phantom who seems desperate to exclaim "I would have got away with it if it weren't for those pesky kids", whilst swishing his cape and twiddling with his moustache.
The film fails to achieve the Gothic atmosphere so prevalent in the majority of Hollywood's output at the time, despite it being set in a spooky castle with a creepy torture chamber, the film never creates any tension or thrills due to the laborious scripting, lacklustre acting and limp direction, making it one for Universal completists only.
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