The film has an unusual and very cool opening sequence,
with two scuba divers grabbing and tying up a third. He is hoisted out of the
water onto the boat like a large fish, upside down, his ankles tied together
with rope. The film establishes right away that this kidnaped man, Matt Farrell
(John Ashley), is a hunter, is intelligent, and is known as the last
Renaissance man, so he can probably handle himself. Steinman (Jan Merlin), the
villain in charge of the kidnaping operation, tells him, “I’m kind of a hunter myself.” I love the strangely playful nature
of Steinman, and the not-quite-friendly relationship between him and Neva (Pat
Woodell). Neva basically scolds him in this scene, “You’re talking too much.” She is intriguing and beautiful (and looks
fantastic in that blue sweater in the second half of the film).
They take him to a mansion on an island, where Dr. Gordon
(Charles Macauley) is conducting his own peculiar brand of scientific research.
Dr. Gordon tells Matt that he was chosen because of his mental and physical
capabilities. “You are to participate in
the single most important scientific event in the history of life on this
planet.” No ego there, eh? Dr. Gordon mentions that the world is changing,
but that humans are not adapting. “The
human race cannot survive unless it remakes itself.” Matt’s response is
perfect: “I’m a little skeptical about
building master races, maybe it’s the unsavory precedents.”
Though a fellow test subject tells Matt that escape is
hopeless, Matt doesn’t buy it, and manages to get out of his locked room fairly
easily. He sneaks through the rooms, finding files and weird scientific
equipment and a severed head in a jar. But that’s nothing compared to the real
experiment being conducted by Dr. Gordon and his daughter, with various test
subjects kept in cages in the dungeon below the house.
Steinman is probably the most interesting character, the
way he teases and taunts Matt, basically daring him to try to escape, wanting
him to, knowing that he’s been snooping around the house already and not really
caring. And it seems Neva has taken a shine to Matt, keeping his file on her
bedside table. Well, she’s spent her life on an island with her father, so she
must have some sexual longing and frustration, unless of course she’s into
beasts. Interestingly, when one of the half-beasts gets loose, Matt rescues the
daughter and forces the creature back into its cage, rather than freeing all of
them. After all, he’s quite aware that the good doctor has something similar
planned for him. He says as much to the daughter.
The film has some truly good moments, in part because of the capable
cast. I particularly love the look that Neva gives her father when he catches
her kissing Matt. It’s defiant, smug, and also childish, which is perfect
because even though she has been trained as a doctor, there is something
immature about her. She makes me think a bit of Miranda from The Tempest. And the scene between Neva
and is Steinman is excellent. The scenes in the house are, in general, more
interesting than the stuff in the forest, though at times it is interesting to
see how the half-beasts relate to each other (and there is at least one big –
and totally delightful – surprise with them). I like that the doctor really
believes he’s doing the right thing, trying to save life, not destroy it, as he
tells his daughter. And it’s difficult to argue with the doctor when he says, “The human race has always wallowed in
self-destruction.”
Special Features
A commentary track is included, with David Del Valle and
David Decoteau offering their thoughts on the film. They talk about seeing this
movie in the drive-in theatre. They talk about John Ashley, about films being
shot in the Philippines, and about other film versions of The Island Of Dr. Moreau.
The disc also contains an interview with filmmaker Eddie
Romero. He tells some wonderful stories, including starting his writing career
when still a child. He talks about what interests him in the films he makes, addressing
some of the criticism of his work: “I don’t
claim to be a master of cinema.” He jokes about how people like some of his
worst films. “I get letters. So there is
no accounting for people’s tastes.” He talks about working on Apocalypse Now, about meeting John
Ashley, and about Pam Grier.
The film’s trailer is also included (the narration for
this trailer is bloody great: “From the
cave of cruelty they came, test tube terrors evolved from evil”), as are three
television spots.
This special Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of The Twilight People was released on
March 13, 2018 through MVD Visual.
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