While Island Of The Fishmen may have served as decent matinee fodder across the rest of the globe (I said “may have,” people—damned if I know), the movie did fuck-all for American distributors—originally. Famed B-Movie guru Roger Corman picked up the rights for this one, hiring Miller Drake to shoot some new footage and planned on releasing the new version as Island Of Mutations. Most of the dialogue was re-dubbed. A new intro with Mel Ferrer, Cameron Mitchell and Eunice Bolt was filmed in the remote region of Bronson Cavern in Los Angeles, with some new (gory) special effects by Chris Walas (the original movie’s violence level is rather minor). Additional footage of another survivor and some different fishmen creatures were spliced in here and there.
Island Of Mutations soon mutated into Something Waits In The Dark, and possibly back to a translation of the original Italian title (aka L‘Isola Degli Uomini Pesce) as well. It 
doesn’t matter though: the film still bombed regardless. And so, later, Jim Wynorski sold Corman on the idea of hiring Dick Smith to create an impressive special effects sequence wherein a man is turned inside-out. This shot was used in the trailer for what would eventually come to pass as Screamers—and later inserted into the re-release prints of the movie itself when one drive-in audience reportedly rioted over not seeing a man turned inside-out like the movie’s advertising claimed (those were the days, kids: when people actually expressed their anger and revolted, instead of sitting back idly or suing—you hear me, America?).
But enough of the history lesson. The original Italian version of Island Of The Fishmen finally makes its debut in America on DVD thanks to the demented souls as Mya Communications. The phony Screamers opening—as well as the other American-shot footage—is nowhere to be seen in this version (but it was on YouTube last I knew, should you really want to see it), so don’t feel apprehensive about sitting through any really extraneous moments. Actually, that’s a bit of a lie, kids—the whole movie is rather extraneous when you think about it.
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