9. Dr Moreau - The Island Of Dr Moreau (1977)
Okay, he is a doctor of science and not a medical doctor, but you still wouldn't want him as a GP! Captain Braddock survives a ship going down and washes up on an unknown island where Dr Moreau rules the roost with help from his assistant Dr Montgomery, deformed assistant M'Ling and a beautiful young woman named Maria. Braddock is treated as a guest of honour but as he explores the island he finds monstrous hybrids of creatures. He violates the no kill policy Moreau has established on the island by putting a creature out of its misery when it is injured. Moreau gets a hold of Braddock and pumps him full of a concoction that turns him into an animal. When Montgomery opposes he is killed and Moreau's own creatures begin to turn on him. Burt Lancaster plays a much less bellicose and bombastic Moreau than Charles Laughton did in the 1933 version of H G Wells' novel. He is also considerably less hammy than Marlon Brando in the 1996 remake. In this version, Dr Moreau seems to be an alright, hospitable sort of guy until Braddock uncovers his man-beasts. Then his true maniacal, mad scientist kicks in as we discover the extent of his insane experimenting. The poor creatures live in a squalid cave governed by Moreau's hypocritical rules. It is quite cathartic watching the animals gang up on Moreau at the end. So if you ever see a signpost for Dr Moreau at your health centre, do not go there, lest you be turned into a weird man beast after he gives you a 'tetanus' shot...