Movie Review: Fog Island (1945)
Synopsis: Recently released convict Leo Grainer invites a group of his former associates to the secluded home he shares with his stepdaughter, Gail. Before excusing himself and going to bed, Grainer gives each of his guests, Gail and his butler an individual clue, which they believe may lead to a hidden fortune. However, Grainer, bitter over the murder of his wife and believing one of his guests is the killer, has instead set up a series of deadly traps.
Who's in it? The movie stars George Zucco, Lionel Atwill, Sharon Douglas, Veda Ann Borg and Jerome Cowan.
Review: I came across Fog Island last night and, while it was a movie I had never heard about before, I am enough of a Lionel Atwill and George Zucco fan to add it to my list and watch it this morning. While it had an intriguing premise and the movie's two biggest stars held their own, the overall film fell a bit short of expectations.
My biggest problem with this film is one I have with a lot of movies in this genre. The main plot takes up only a short amount of time while the rest of the film is just build-up, exposition and a whole lot of talking. Heck, the 72-minute movie even had time for a seance scene.
This is also one of those movies that only happens because the intended victims are idiots. I'm sorry, but if I were invited to a secluded home and the host all but says he is seeking revenge for his murdered wife, I think I'd be taking a whole lot more precautions than Grainer's (Zucco) guests did. I certainly wouldn't be voluntarily entering secret passages he wants me to enter.
Plus, if that wasn't bad enough, they were pretty much warned they were going to die during the seance. What's the point in holding one if you aren't going to listen to the warnings?
When it did finally get to the main plot, the movie once again lacked something. This is mostly because the movie showed the main trap being set up by Grainer, eliminating any surprises about how he intended to kill his guests.
I was also more than a little undecided about the character, Jeff (John Whitney). I think he was supposed to be the movie's hero and a love interest for Gail (Douglas) but I thought he gave off a bit of a stalker vibe. Compared to the others, he probably wasn't that bad but if Gail were my daughter, I'd be doing my part to keep her away from him.
Final Opinion: It's an OK movie but the intriguing plot never gets a chance to be memorable because of how things are drawn out. I won't say it wasted two movie legends, but it also didn't do them favors.
My Grade: C-
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1945:
Movie Review: Fashion Model (1945)
Movie Review: Pillow of Death (1945)
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