FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Coventry It's always quite a painful and embarrassing establishment having to admit after watching a movie that the opening credits were, in fact, the best part. My mate and I got suckered into watching this Spanish/German co-production because of the appealing title in English – "Man Eater of Hydra" – and because we saw a little preview of the credits, which are animated and really look like a lot of fun. The film itself, unfortunately, never at one point surpasses the level of mediocrity, but it's still very endurable in case you're a tolerant fan of cheap 60's Euro-exploitation and/or an admirer of the charismatic B-movie villain Cameron Mitchell. I was quite intrigued to discover here on the IMDb that director Mel Welles also co-directed the Roger Corman vehicle "Little Shop of Horrors" (albeit unaccredited), as that particular no- budget classic actually has fairly many components in common with this "Man Eater of Hydra". With a slight bit of imagination, this film could even have been titled "Little Shop on Horror Island", because it likewise deals with murderous plants on a rampage. An assembly of stereotypical, and thus very dim-witted, tourists goes on an excursion to Baron Von Weser's island to visit the famous botanical gardens. Immediately upon their arrival, the witness the gruesome death of one of the Baron's servants, but he assures the group that this man was ill since a very long time already. Still, the cadavers start piling up and all the blood has been drained from their bodies. The stupider guests begin to believe in the old legend of a vampire living on the island, but the smarter ones gradually discover that the Baron is secretly experiencing with crossbreeding flesh-eating plants. "Man Eater of Hydra" is slow-paced and cheaply produced, but it could still be entertaining if you watch it with the right mindset. Instead of anticipating suspense and bloody carnage, please yourself with spotting all silly dialogs and obligatory horror clichés, like thunderstorms and grisly looking servants. The film could also be discovered as some sort of homage to those typical "Mad Scientist" horror movies of the 30's and 40's, in which the role of evil genius on his private island was standard played by either Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi. From that point of view, Cameron Mitchell was a terrific choice to play the Baron, as he always drags this sinister aura around with him. And hey, even if you end up hating the film, at least admit that the crazy animated opening credits were fantastic.

jim riecken (youroldpaljim) Back in seventies a lot of obscure European movies mostly from the sixties used turn up lot on late night television and then seemed to vanish, going back under the rocks they seemingly came out from under. However, recently many of these films have recently surfaced on small video labels. Often these film starred either European casts unknown in the U.S.A. with anglicized names in the credits and/or as in this case, American stars who had fallen on hard times. In this film Cameron Mitchell, whose voice appears to have been dubbed by another actor, plays Baron Van Wiser, an evil scientist who has been creating monstrous plant mutations. He invites an assorted group of characters to visit his island estate, where one by one the guests become meals for his creations.The film was shown on American television as MAN EATER OF HYDRA, although the plants really don't eat anyone, they suck their victims blood like a vampire. The murderous plant, which we really never get a good look at (perhaps we can be thankful) resembles a yew tree with weeping willow like branches. At the end of the branches are flowers whose stamens do the blood sucking. The killer trees are apparently able to walk, but we never see them walking. It's unclear why the baron invited the visitors, but apparently he wanted them as food for his creations. The baron tells a botanist visitor the he wants to keep his discoveries secret. The baron seems to think having a group of visitors to his island all end up dead isn't going arouse any suspicion, even though the island would be crawling with police once word got out the hapless visitors were reported missing. Why is it these mad scientists/crazed maniacs never lure people who go un-missed like tramps, cheap hookers, homeless bums for their evil purposes? MAN EATER OF HYDRA (or ISLAND OF THE DOOMED) is one of dozens of cheaply made 1960's shockers from Europe. This film is slightly more entertaining then most these films. The film tries to drum up some atmosphere, throws in a little sex, and provides a few good shocks, but like most of these cheap sixties European shockers, there is an air "lets get this thing over with" attitude prevailing over the film.

Geisterzug The heroine in the clutches of a vampire tree, the hero leaping to her aid with an axe - slashing at blood-sucking branches with his weapon - then being attacked by the mad scientist who created the tree, also with an axe!An axe battle between the two, under the writhing blood-sucking branches, in the middle of a rain-drenched thunderstorm. GREAT staging! What happens next is bloody (incredibly bloody, in fact), outrageous, melodramatic, over-the-top, and (dare I say?) EXCITING!Now come on - isn't that last ten minutes worth the previous hour and 20 minutes of bad dubbing and odd characterisation?And what the HELL is that old German woman gibbering on about?Fans of Man-Eating Plants should check out the Mel Welles site.

kikaidar In spite of one of the alternate release titles making this obscure little film sound as if it concerns the hungry amblings of a tiger, it's actually a taut little horror entry concerning a blood-drinking tree which preys on the unwary visitors to an isolated island.I caught this one on late night television in the early 1970s, and bits of it still stick with me, due to a certain nastiness in the effects work. Cameron Mitchell seems to be a researcher who is studying a bizarre tree which literally drains the life from anyone unwise enough to sleep within groping distance of its slim, mobile branches.Constructed like a willow, the creature is capable of extending whiplike branches and fastening a cuplike sucking "mouth" to a victim. From there on, things are strictly downhill.Not strictly a carbon copy of other "plants gone bad" films, such as THE WOMAN EATER or NAVY VS. THE NIGHT MONSTERS, ISLA reflects the stronger attempts many European producers were attempting in order to draw in the jaded horror film crowd. Over the years, this desire to punch up the graphic content resulted in such unique entries as the Blind Dead series and the deja-producing BLOOD AND BLACK LACE.Needless to say, though creepiness was evoked, the inclusion of stronger content or wilder plot tricks didn't necessarily ensure boxoffice success.Not Mitchell's worse, but miles below the early promise he showed in his film career.