Terror Is A Man (1959)

Starring Francis Lederer, Greta Thyssen, Richard Derr, Oscar Keesee, Lilia Duran
Directed by Gerry de Leon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A shipwreck survivor lands on an island where a doctor is engaged in experiments on a panther, but he soon discovers the doctor has made the panther into something almost human.

A small-scale version of H.G. Wells' The Island Of Dr. Moreau, with only one "manimal," the picture doesn't break new ground, but is well-directed by de Leon, who makes good use of the black and white photography and its jungle like setting on a Philippine island to create some genuine terror and suspense.  Ariston Avelino's score, with its bold and dramatic themes, and Flory Carlos' savage performance as the panther-man, are also strong attributes.  Thyssen, surely cast for her va-va-va-voom figure, showcased in tight outfits and ever-present gleaming lipstick, nonetheless impresses with some intelligent dialogue well delivered.  I found the screenplay's love triangle between her, Lederer, and Derr, the weakest part of the film, and was more intrigued by the echoes of Frankenstein in the story.  The movie is perhaps best known today for a marketing gimmick in which a bell sounds to warn the audience to shield their eyes during a gruesome scene.  The opening titles identify the film's location as "Blood Island," a locale producer Eddie Romero as well as director de Leon would return multiple times to for a series of horror shockers in the late 1960s.