Horror Island (1941)

Starring: Dick Foran, Leo Carillo, Peggy Moran, Hobart Cavanaugh and Foy Van Dolsen
 
Director: George Waggner

 Story: 

A struggling businessman (Foran) organizes a "mystery weekend" excursion to an old, supposedly haunted pirate hideout as part of a new tourism venture. He and his customers are soon haunted by a very real killer.

 

The film cost $93,000 and was made between March 3, 1941 -March 15, 1941.

 The working title of this film was Terror of the South Seas. While Ralf Harolde's character is referred to as "Rod Grady" in the film, some reviewers listed the character as "Rod Hogan." A Hollywood Reporter news item from January 1941 states that writer Samuel J. Warshawsky was assigned by supervising producer Joseph Santley to work on the screenplay for this film, but it has not been determined if either man contributed to the released film. According to Universal press materials, this was the first picture that actor Leo Carrillo made as part of his new contract with the studio. Hollywood Reporter stated in March 1941 that Universal signed director George Waggner to a seven-year contract because of his work on this film and Man-Made Monster . Hollywood Reporter also reported that actor John Eldredge's scenes in the Universal film The Black Cat (see entry above) were rushed so that he could appear in the film. Modern sources list Walter Strenge as camera operator and include Eddie Parker, Dale Van Sickel and John Burton in the cast.

More at http://universalhorrorarchive.blogspot.gr/2010/03/horror-island-is-barely-worth-visiting.html , http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/78382/Horror-Island/ , http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/horror-island/