Island of Death, 1976.
Directed by Nico Mastorakis.
Starring Bob Belling, Jane Lyle, Jessica Dublin, Gerard Gonalons and Janice McConnel.
SYNOPSIS:
A British couple on a Greek island embark on a perverted killing spree, targeting anybody they think deserves punishing.
Anybody who has ever taken an interest in the enduring legacy of the video nasty era would have come across the title Island of Death at some point, mainly because it is a film that is so notoriously sleazy and offensive that it would be impossible not to probe into the subject of banned films and not find it languishing somewhere near the top of every list going.
A film with not much of a narrative, Island of Death begins with a couple called Christopher (Bob Belling) and Celia (Jane Lyle) having sex in a telephone box while Christopher phones his mother so she can listen to what he’s doing. Not weird enough? How about the senseless killing of two gay men, just because of their sexuality? Not nasty enough? What about Christopher getting together with an older woman looking for a younger man and then urinating all over her, at first to her disgust and then to her excitement? Sound good?
Those are just three of the incidents in Island of Death and there are plenty more, including bestiality, rape, incest, drowning by paint and melting in a pit of lime. Why does all of this occur? Because Christopher and Celia are a pair of degenerate hypocrites, wiping out the things they see as wrong – homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, promiscuity – and yet indulging in their own strange behaviour as if it were the most natural thing in the world – you won’t forget the look on the face of a goat Christopher finds after Celia refuses him sex in a hurry!
With a budget so low the director gave himself a role in it as the production couldn’t afford the princely sum of $80 to pay an actor, Island of Death is remarkably well shot and competently put together. Arrow Video’s HD transfer does it justice and the vibrant colours of the Greek island really stand out amongst the blacks and reds of freshly scorched flesh and the lurid yellow duvet set that the couple have on their bed, not to mention the bright sunshine that gives all of the madness unfolding on the screen an even weirder edge because, as we all know from horror films, terrible things cannot happen to you when the sun is up… except they can and they do on this holiday resort. There is also a bright and breezy song that plays over and over throughout the film, giving it a similar vibe to David Hess’ soundtrack to The Last House on the Left and, just like that film, it is played to the point of annoyance and really doesn’t work in trying to overcome any of the wicked deeds playing out in the film.
It’s fair to say that Island of Death is the video nasty they warned you about, the movie that goes so far out there it does a loop and comes back on itself… twice. In truth it’s a load of exploitative trash that has little appeal apart from the immediate thrill of gratuitous nudity and brutal violence (although it is quite light on gore), but there is something quite pleasing about a film like this being readily available to buy. It’s not a ‘good’ film but it’s a film that should exist for no other reason than to satisfy the itch that comes to the surface whenever the latest “most gruesome/terrifying/depraved/disgusting/whatever” horror sensation inevitably fails to offer anything more frightening or intense than a CGI melty-face or an off-camera assault. Also, this Blu-ray disc comes loaded with extras that give the film some much-needed context, lots of details on director Nico Mastorakis, who has had quite a career considering where he started, and a very interesting interview with film historian and author Stephen Thrower about Mastorakis and Island of Death. As a film on its own, Island of Death is an acquired taste and a film you probably wouldn’t want to own up to liking when in company, but as an overall package for collectors this is a release worth owning and something of a deranged treat, if that sort of thing takes your fancy.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
https://youtu.be/8HTiU_hrLms?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published May 25, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
