I guess fate does exist, because i randomly picked up at a local flea market a DVD copy of “L’Isola Degli Uomini Pesce” (translating to “The Island Of The Fishmen”, literally) for less than 3 bucks, figured i’d review that for a lark, only to find out this movie is actually known among fans of B-movies as “Screamers”, in its edited and reworked version handled by Roger Corman that cuts some footage, inserts a new opening and adds extra gore.
While also using false advertising in marketing with text claimining it’s about “people turned inside out”. This is an utter lie, because it also implies this is a horror film…. yes but it’s also a fantasy adventure flick that also pinches ideas from Island Of Dr. Moreau (and also reminding one of the Corman’s Humanoids From The Deep, for example) and uses horror cliches like a mad scientist creating a humanoid hybrid race of people, but it also has heavy adventure movie elements like the natives and the sunken civilizations and stuff.
So if you have memories on seeing this as “Screamers” on TV or VHS, sorry, we’re talking about the original, untouched italian version of “The Island Of The Fishmen”.
Also, i promise there are no One Piece jokes here, tempting as they were to make.
The plot sees some a prison ship destroyed by a hurricane land on a remote island, with the surviving convicts (and the ship’s medical captain played by Claudio Cassinelli) only to find themselves prisoners of a mad scientist, living there with his daughter (played by Barbara Bach, an actress better known as Ringo Starr’s wife nowadays) and the island natives tribesmen, whom – since we’re fillingo the bingo card of genre clichès – are superstitious, reasonable enough since there’s a race of half-human half-fish creatures that the scientist’s partner uses for its sinister purposes.
There’s a bit more to it, including discussions about the lost continent of Atlantis, the sunken treasures of the Sun God, the nature of the fishmen, and a villain played by Richard Jonson that gives off major Lee Van Cliff vibes, despite this not being a western, but more of a jungle adventure (complete with what could classify as “italian cannibal movie soundtrack” despite being no cannibals at all in the film) harking back to the tropical island fantasy films of the late 50s and 60s, down to the tribal people that are really the “BillyWitchdoctor.com” character of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, minus the Ultra Mega Chicken and its legend.
Directed by one of the bigger names in Italian genre cinemas of the 70s, Sergio Martino, meaning he run the gamut from sci-fi post-apocalyptic movies like 2019: After The Fall Of New York, giallos like Your Vice Is a Locked Room And Only I Have The Key (damn pre-isekai isekai style titles), erotic thrillers with Edwig Fenech as the lead, horror movies like Assassinio Al Cimitero Etrusco (translating to “Murder at the Etruscan Cimitery” but internationally released as “The Scorpion With Two Tails”), obviously also dipping into the western with Arizona Colt or the cannibal boom with Mountain Of The Cannibal God.
Plus also comedies, among which there is the beloved italian cult soccer comedy Un’Allenatore Nel Pallone (“Trainer On The Beach” is its english international title), which he would eventually make a sequel for decades later, too.
As one would expect from the synapsis i gave (or the title cover for the DVD/the movie poster), this is far from original, just the old style of italian genre cinema stuffing its obvious “inspirations” in the same cauldron to make some entertaiment out of it, and the result it’s quite fun!
There is a good amount of gore, though not as much as one (including Roger Corman’s company and its “gore upping” treatment for its edited release known as Screamers) could expect, the special effects are quite good, especially the suit for the fishmen are pretty well crafted and convincing (plus numerous as we see many fishmen on screen in many occasions), there’s plenty of action, a breezy pace and plenty of stuff happening at all times, so it’s quite entertaining, good, beautifully shot and solid horror-adventure genre flick with big production values and a decent international cast.
Definitely good enough for “recycling”, as decades later Sergio Martino would crib footage (apparently loads of it too) from it for the 1995 TV film follow-up, “La Regina Degli Uomini Pesce” AKA “The Fishmen and Their Queen” which is apparently a big ass turd made up of other footage and scripts from previous Sergio Martino’s movie, all frankensteined together.
We’ll eventually get to that, but in the meantime i can only recommend checking out the original The Island Of The Fishmen (in its original italian release with subtitles, if such a version is available in any fashion), especially to fans of classic italian horror and tropical adventure films.
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