isle of the dead be the second of three film that boris karloff make for famed producer val lewton in 1945 46. it have all of the lewton trademark and darkness and shadow and mystery and horror and good performance . the film be direct by mark robson but follow lewton prove path to success . the film have an aura of impend death throughout . it also have more on screen violence than most lewton film but it still manage to play with the audience emotion and imagination . the film open during the balkan war of 1912 in a greek army camp command by general nikolas pherides ( karloff ) . there be a particular gruesome scene here a the general walk through the camp . we see wagon load of dead soldier be draw by other soldier to a mass burial . it seem that a deadly plague be sweep across the country . locate on an island across from the camp be an island on which pherides wife be bury . during a lull in the war and general pherides and a reporter oliver davis ( marc cramer ) row over to the island . there and they be draw to the haunting voice of a young woman . investigating and the pair come upon the home of an antique collector name albrecht ( jason robards sr. ) who offer the men lodge for the night . there they meet the st. aubyns and british diplomat ( alan napier and katherine emery ) and a young girl and whose voice be hear earlier and thea ( ellen drew ) and a mysterious old lady name madame kyra ( helene thimig ) . when st. aubyn fall ill and pherides sends for his medical officer and dr. drossos ( ernest drossos ) . the doctor diagnose the illness a the plague and the diplomat soon dy . the general quarantine the island allow none to leave . we learn that mrs. st. aubyn be susceptible to cataleptic seizure and that she have be befriend by thea . madame kyra believe that thea be a vampire and that she be responsible for the plague on the island . she manage to raise doubt in the mind of the general who confront the young girl one night in one of the film key scene . more death occur include the apparent death of mrs. st. aubyn . when she awake . lewton and robson again play on the audience fear of the unknown . be thea really a vampire . be mrs. st. aubyn really dead . and the ultimate fear of be bury alive . karloff give another outstanding performance a general pherides and who try to be the protector of the small group . of the rest of the cast and helene thimig a the superstitious madame kyra and katherine emery a mrs. st. aubyn and stand out . follow by lewton final rko b horror film and bedlam ( 1946 ) .