Le démon dans l'île

Gabrielle (Anny Duperey), a young doctor, accepts a job on an isolated island. When she arrives, she finds out there is already a doctor there, Dr. Marsahll (Jean-Claude Brialy), but no one trusts him. Soon the islands inhabitants find themselves the recipients of freak accidents involving everyday household items. The only connecting factor is all of the offending items (razor, electric carving knife, pressure cooker, coffee maker) came from the same store in town. Naturally, it is up to the curious new doc to investigate. This is certainly a change of pace for director Francis Leroi as he spent most of his cinematic career doing the softcore stuff (and later the EMMANUELLE sequels of the 1990s). The setting is nice and atmospheric and the plot will make you think someone spent some time watching Cronenberg's THE BROOD and SCANNERS. Lead Duperey is good. Make sure to marvel at how much she smokes (giving Elliot Gould in THE LONG GOODBYE a run for his money.)

This brought back memories, I had obviously seen the film when I was younger. A rather rare film today, currently only available as a TV rip. The French flair is as obvious as the attempt to cover as many genres as possible. Mystery, crime thriller, drama, mad scientist and even a little splatter. It succeeds harmoniously and both the suspense and the entertainment level are maintained throughout. There are many bloody interludes, which stylistically anticipate the 'Final Destination' series, for example, but are more amusing than convincingly realised. The atmosphere is generally best described as grubby. Knowing how, the director was usually more into soft erotica. Emmanuelle here, Emmanuelle there. Here, however, it stays with covered skin. The main cast performs convincingly, but the smaller roles fall well short. A nice journey through time, but personally not a film for the collection.

"Demon of the Island" is a moody and somewhat forgotten horror flick which features a young female doctor,who arrives on a remote island to escape her painful past.Once there strange and macabre accidents begin happening to the townsfolk.Investigating these phenomena leads the doctor to a strange conclusion as it seems that household appliances or objects are becoming deadly.The people are wounded or killed by an oven,a boiler pot and a fuel can.Heck,there is even wind-up teddy bear that pokes out a child's eye with a drumstick."Demon of the Island" offers some genuine suspense and macabre mood.The ordinary setting of the island makes it even more unsettling and memorable.If you like bizarre horror movies in the vein of Jeff Lieberman's "Blue Sunshine" you can't miss "Demon of the Island".

Only one comment and a very negative one.It's not that much bad.It will never be a horror classic but it's original,it has a screenplay (95% of horror movies rely on special effects today),and two very good leads:Anny Duperey -some users will remember she was Al Pacino's co-star in "Bobby Deerfield" - is a very attractive woman who never had on the silver screen the parts she deserved and had to content herself with mediocre telly series.She plays a doctor who arrives on an island to be confronted with mystery and a disturbing colleague,doctor Marshall (Jean-Claude Brialy ,whose mischievous performance verges on camp).Domestic appliances go crazy and people are disfigured,maimed,burned ,you name it.And they are unplugged at that! Leroi creates fear in the kitchens and I'm not sure that,after watching "le demon dans l'ile" ,you will use a razor,a stove ,a coffee-maker and even a glass without a reservation.

One can deplore the ending,which is borrowed from De Palma's "Carrie" .But all that remains is entertaining,and Duperey displays resilience and authority all along the way.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Demon Is On The Island; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.50 out of 10.00.

Welcome to the island. If you weren't born and bred on the isle, you are a foreigner and a person to be distrusted. The insulate's council has deemed their doctor to be such a person and has organised his replacement. Sadly, it won't be a simple matter for Dr Martin to usurp her predecessor, Dr Marshall. He's a controlling egotist with a God complex and a notion that he's indispensable. But Dr Marshall is the least of her problems. There appear to be some strange accidents happening all too frequently to the island's populace. The only common factor that Dr Martin uncovers is that the residents' misfortunes have one focal point; the domestic appliances department at the island's only supermarket. Is somebody tampering with the goods and causing them to become hazardous and, in a couple of incidents, deadly?

The writers Francis Leroi (who also directed) and Owen T Rozmann do a superb job of slowly disclosing the mysterious occurrences whilst building up the main characters' personas and individualities. They create credible and realistic characters and situations. I especially like the relationship between the two medical practitioners. Drs Marshall and Martin are chalk and cheese. They grate on each other's nerves, though Marshall handles his dislike better and employs it whilst attempting to manipulate his successor. As we progress through the story, Leroi and Rozmann inject the odd clue or three as to the cause of the strange accidents. Will you come to the same illogical conclusion that the new general practitioner has trouble accepting? One good element of the story is the islanders' insulated opinions and approaches towards newcomers. It was a shame the writers didn't expand on this a tad more, as in the original Wicker Man. It could've provided a few red herrings. Luckily, the story didn't require any, as there were enough secrets and glamour to keep the viewers enthralled. But it wouldn't have hurt any. The one feature that didn't work so well was the deadly occurrences solution. The reveal should have come a little earlier, or they should've developed the reveal and aftermath more. No sooner do we realise what's happening on the isle, it's over and done. For a narrative that burns slowly, the flare-up at the finale is too fast. I needed more.

Leroi's direction isn't as structurally sound as his writing. Though some scenes are well-thought-out, others come across sloppy - shakey cameras, poor composition, inadequate lighting, etc. Luckily for the viewer, the story and its characters carry you through these segments and shouldn't deplete your enjoyment or engagement. One of the best components of the filmmaking is the effects. The woman's hand trapped inside the oven by a faulty door mechanism is gruesome and looks painful. And had the blood been handled better, the drumming teddy bear's drumstick piercing the kid's eye would've been genuinely startling. However, the blood looks like a blob of Postbox Red paint and spoils the aftereffect of the scene. But you should, "OOH!" and "URGH!" before you giggle.

The cast is excellent in their roles. Anny Duperey and Jean-Claude Brialy are perfect as Dr Martin and Dr Marshall, respectively. Had these two performers not been on the top of their game, their peculiar and captivating bond wouldn't have worked, and the film would've flopped. But not only does it work, but the actors also make it believable.

I can understand why the film won a couple of awards, even though it's far from perfect. It has a Je Ne Sais Quoi. And because of Demon On The Island's strange appeal, I cheerfully recommend it to all the Horror and Sci-Fi fans out there. Even the mystery and thriller lovers may enjoy watching this macabre tale. A great way to waste an hour and three-quarters on a cold winter night wrapped up with your beloved in a comfy duvet.

When's the last ferry off this damned island? Okay, you have time to check out my IMDb lists - Absolute Horror, Killer Thriller Chillers, and The Game Is Afoot to see where I ranked Demon Is On The Island.

Take Care & Stay Well.