Fear Island: l'île meurtrière

A group of 4 young men and 3 women decide to take a boat to their favorite island vacation hangout. Once they reach the cabin and settle in members of their group begin to die off one by one. So much for the plot which has been played and replayed numerous times in the past. Even so, this particular film was told in a unique manner which managed to keep the film at least somewhat entertaining. For example, the lone survivor was a woman named "Jenna" (Haylie Duff) who was rescued by the police and suffers from amnesia. So she tells the story in a series of flashbacks. Now, normally when the "flashback technique" is used it tends to take away from the mystery of the film. Fortunately, this wasn't the case as there were many unexpected twists and turns as the story evolved. There isn't much horror or suspense. Neither was there any gratuitous sex or nudity. The acting was mediocre, the dialogue was weak and the special effects were nowhere to be seen. But the mystery keeps it together long enough for an unexpected ending which manages to tie everything up rather nicely. In short, if you're looking for an exciting horror film then you might be disappointed. All things considered I rate is as average.

This is basically another story of a group of young people who head off to have a good time but find themselves stalked by a maniacal killer. The story is told by flashback, as the sole survivor relates what happened on the secluded island the group had sailed to. So the overall story isn't especially original. It is, however, a pretty good mystery, and there's no obvious solution to the mystery until rather late in the movie - and, even then, what seems to be the solution has an unexpected twist thrown in. The performances in the movie are decent - perhaps a bit better than what you normally find in these movies. Because it is so unoriginal, the whole thing seems to drag a bit at times as you wait for the mystery to be revealed. So, there's nothing especially noteworthy about this. It's OK, but the story has been basically told before - and many times before.

'Fear Island' is a decent and passable made for TV Canadian teen slasher flick that features a rather basic yet interesting premise, a fun cast and an intriguing mystery element which adds plenty of fun twists and turns to the runtime. While the movie is very light on scares and gore, there's still plenty of plenty of entertainment to be had here and despite its mere TV movie budget, it's a very well-made and fast paced little film that likely won't stand the test of time, but it's a solid time waster.

The Plot = Five college friends Kyle (Jacob Blair), Tyler (Kyle Schmid), Ashley (Jessica Harmon), Jenna (Haylie Duff) and Mark (Aaron Ashmore) decide to spend a weekend in a cabin on a secluded island. However, their fun is cut short when they find a dead body and encounter a killer whose out for revenge.

This is a rather likeable entry level slasher flick that may come across as rather tame in the kills department, but the story was interesting enough to keep you invested throughout. The whodunit mystery element was also a nice touch even if it did become rather predictable as the movie progressed and there were quite a few holes here and there that defies logic at the best of times. While the horror elements were another thing that was severely lacking here, there were quite a few suspenseful moments and the movie features plenty of atmosphere which really adds tension to the dire situation that these characters were in. The narrative jumping back and forth from past to present was quite annoying though, as you already knew who was gonna die and who survived, but when the revenge sub-plot starts taking shape, everything starts to make sense and it becomes even more gripping, even if does become obvious at where the story is going, it's still an interesting ride getting there.

The cast here were pretty decent for the most part. Haylie Duff gives a very uneven performance as the female lead, but she managed to be likeable enough to root for. Kyle Schmid and Lucy Gale each gives solid performances as does Aaron Ashmore. Martin Cummins does okay as the Detective but went a bit hammy at times.

Overall 'Fear Island' is a decent little above average little slasher flick with a tense and fun plot and a compelling mystery that makes this a good time.

The police find an amnesic young woman alone in an island with a large knife covered in blood and her six friends murdered. Detective Armory (Martin Cummins) suspects that she kills her friends but the psychiatrist Dr. Jamie Chalice (Anne Marie DeLuise) tells him that she is in shock and need to be treated. Sooner she recalls her name, Jenna (Haylie Duff), and Detective Armory calls her parents that are in Cambodia.

While they are traveling back home, Jenna tells what had happened to the group of friends. The former skeptic Detective Armory fells sorry for Jenna, but Dr. Chalice feels that her story has many inconsistencies and something might be wrong.

"Fear Island" is a boring film with lame story, screenplay, narrative and characters. The plot is absolutely predictable and dull; the screenplay is also terrible, with a tedious narrative; but the characters are the worst, most of them non likable with the exception of Dr. Chalice. Detective Armory, for example, is a cliché of a police detective. This plot could be a reasonable short but not a feature. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Pânico na Ilha" ("Panic in the Island")

Netflix is like celebrating Christmas every day. I can surf Netflix and find a satisfying film or television show to watch every night. The most recent film I took the time to see is "Fear Island." "Fear Island" (2009) is a horror/thriller film directed by Michael Storey.

Five students set out to party on a desolate island. Things go array when Jenna, the only surviving person, is interrogated by Detective Armory and Psychiatrist Jamie Chalice. It is while Jenna is being interrogated, the audience is drawn into Jenna's storytelling capabilities and is left with an uneasy feeling as to whom the mysterious killer really is.

This horror film draws my attention immediately. I'm captivated by the storyline, plot, theme, and character profiles. I am hooked. Who is the killer? If it's not Jenna then who? Because I am actively living this creepy scenario, continuously drawing conclusions, replaying the six character profiles in my head while looking for clues, makes my heart skip a beat. The music escalates to the fast-pace of a pulse, da-da, da- da, da-da. All of a sudden a snake leaps out of a cupboard, and I jump three feet off my bed. Holding my heart, I catch my breath, "Geezeee," I shout at the computer.

After gathering my sanity for a moment, my suspicions are aroused as my mind and body wants something else to be lurking behind an inanimate object. With every foot step, my heart pounds as I anticipate another melodramatic creature feverishly suspending midair wanting to gouge, claw, or bite into another character, making him or her fall suspect as a victim. I can't blink. I can't swallow. My breathing is shallow... and then the mind twist. I am lead down a path one way, then out of left field, my mind is shoved down a different path leaving me with a psychological thriller for an ending. Not a surprising ending, but the journey captivating the end result is rewarding.

The only problem I see with psychological thrillers is that by the end of the film, I am left wondering who the heck does that? And, then, one day down the line, a sociopath is suspended into reality leaving me with a comparison of the sociopath to a scenario with twisted motives in a movie much like "Fear Island."