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.

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."

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.

The film starts out with a girl being found on an island. Later she's interrogated by police and starts to explain what happened...

Seen any horror films where the introductory elements feature either someone telling the story secondhand, a psychologist/phychiatrist or mental asylum? Any recent ones?

Congratulations, you could probably guess how this movie turns out, because you've seen this overused twist before.

But there's more - emulating "House of the Dead", we're already told the other characters died, meaning even this in-story story has an obvious outcome.

Well everythings predictable, at least gorehounds have something worth watching... actually wait, the kills usually happen offscreen.

Jenna (Haylie Duff) is found alive and with amnesia. Detective Armory (Martin Cummins) and Dr. Chalice (Anne Marie DeLuise) investigate the six dead and Jenna slowly recalls the events. Jenna and four friends (Aaron Ashmore, Kyle Schmid, Jessica Harmon, Jacob Blair) sail to an isolated island house. The island caretaker Keith finds 15 year old Megan (Lucy Hale) stowaway on their boat.

This is not scary, and that's the first thing I look for in a horror. The basic story of young hot people in an isolated location is nothing special. It could be a reasonable TV B-movie, but the no thrills kills won't get many horror fans excited. The problem is the wrapped-in-a-flashback-retelling construction. It takes away all the tension. And whether she's telling the truth or not, Haylie Duff just takes away all the excitement. I didn't care about Jenna or her story.