MovieChat Forums > Isle of the Dead (1945) Discussion > Question about Mrs St Aubin at the end (...

Question about Mrs St Aubin at the end (spoiler).

posted 12 years ago by winonaforever2
11 replies | jump to latest

So why did the lady that suffered from catalepsy return as a killer and not as her true self? Maybe I didn't pay enough attention, but did something supernatural occur at all for this to happen? So she's buried alive, then she wakes up, gets out of the coffin and the first thing she does is get a sharp object and stab people. Was that the myth of the Vorvolaka? Was there a reason for her to turn crazy? Did the Vorvolaka possess her? I always thought that the fear was psychological and not real (yet at the end of Cat people we see a panther's body instead of Irena's).

[–] xnet95 12 years ago

First of all, NOTHING supernatural ever happens in a Lewton film. He just toys with the audience, making them think something supernatural might/will occur, but it never does.

When the woman came out of the coffin, she was in a "trance". That's the vehicle used to explain her behavior. This had happened to her in the past, and it happened again here. I think the young man talks about it a little near the end. They don't talk about it much, so it's easy to miss.

Also, if some people buried you alive, what would you do when you escaped? Would you run to them and give them a big hug? I doubt it. Her trance and revenge are what made her go TEMPORARILY crazy. Plus, there were scenes earlier where she was obviously unhappy with Karloff and the old woman for constantly harassing the young woman. She was probably trying to protect her from harm.

As far as the Vorvolaka is concerned, go back to paragraph one - NOTHING supernatural ever happens in these boring, disappointing Lewton films.

[–] lastmidnite2 11 years ago

and yet you keep watching them. If I hated a particular artist's films, I'd stop watching after 3 at the most.

[–] xnet95 11 years ago

I was just trying to be open-minded and give the guy a chance. Plus, with all the praise he gets here on IMDB, I thought he might be capable of at least one decent film, but I was wrong.

[–] lastmidnite2 11 years ago

And that's your opinion, not your fact. Others, like me, are of the opinion that his films are very good.

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 11 years ago

Lewton's films are stunningly good - I don't see them as boring at all, I just don't get that...but to each his own.

"I wrote a poem on a dog biscuit;
And your dog refused to look at it..."

[–] gearhart 11 years ago

This is my least favorite Lewton, because the plot didn't make a lot of sense, especially in the beginning. But fans don't watch Lewton movies for their plots.

If you can, watch on DVD with commentary. It'll help with your appreciation of what Lewton does.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] phillipsdan83 10 years ago

Actually, Irena clearly does turn into a panther in THE CAT PEOPLE...Lewton and Jacques Tourneur just wanted it hinted at. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE features at least one zombie and the seemingly ill wife is probably a second. CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE never makes it clear whether Irena is a ghost or a figment of the imagination. However, every other Lewton film, this one included, deal with psychological horror.

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 9 years ago

Have you ever read Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher? 

§« The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. »§

[–] cabbageboy316 9 years ago

I do kinda understand the criticism though. After a point with the Lewton movies I feel like "Okay, dude...can you give me a zombie? Or a cat transformation scene? Or the Vorvoloka?" I think that might be why I think The Seventh Victim is my favorite Lewton. The villains there are very much upfront, human satanists and it relies less on the ambiguous stuff that some might find tedious.

I do like Lewton and have the box set and everything, but I can certainly understand why someone would not.

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 8 years ago

I didn't read every post - only my own from long ago - but I think, now, that Mrs. St. Aubins was driven mad by the terror that she was buried alive ( for all she knew, she was underground, with no chance of escape), and (for purposes of the film) that madness drove her to murder.