Terror in Tropics 2006 Horror Movie Review

I like horror movies. I like old horror movies. I thought that a movie that uses clips from old horror movies edited with modern footage to make a new film sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately, if Terror in Tropics is any indication, it is a very bad idea.


I know that many old horror movies have plots that make almost no sense. This one goes one better (or maybe worse) and has a plot that makes absolutely no sense. There are mad scientists, murders, gorillas, deformed henchmen, dinosaurs, and spunky reporters. A guy dies and leaves all his money to twelve strangers, but they have to go to his private island to claim it. Meanwhile, some thieves have stolen the map that shows the true location of Skull Island (from King Kong). Everybody gets on an ocean liner. Then they find a survivor from the expedition to Skull Island. Then Several people are murdered. Then they all arrive on Fog Island for the reading of the will. Several other people are murdered. The reporters are locked in a closet. Then somehow everything turns out alright.


Besides a nonsensical plot, the acting sucks. I’ve seen high school plays with better acting. And, the old and new scenes don’t mesh well. They go through the trouble to make the new film look like old film, but it doesn’t look quite like actual old film, and the modern sound doesn’t have the same quality as the old sound.


I picked this one up for about $4. It was too expensive at that price. Really, the only reason I gave this thing as good a rating as I did is because I liked the one extra: Gregory Mank’s discussion of “Poverty Row” films.