Not that Island!
I had never heard of 1985’s The Island before I was graciously sent a screener by Eureka, but the moment that blown out score started coursing through my speakers and those titles that appeared to be almost dissolving into the emulsion on screen, I knew I was in good hands. The film was released by their Masters of Cinema line and directed by Hong Kong 1941’s Po-Chih Leong, the film was produced by Golden Harvest alternative D & B Films Co. Ltd. created by John Sham, Dickson Poon and legend Sammo Hung.
The easiest way to describe The Island is it’s a Chinese Texas Chainsaw Massacre on an island. While the film definitely feels like a Hong Kong film, it borrows stock and trade from the gnarly American slashers at the time and it’s an intriguing hybrid. We have a group of teens who are brought out to a small rural island by their geography teacher Mr Cheung (John Sham) who believes the island is uninhabited. The problem is it’s not. Living on the island is the Chinese equivalent of the Sawyer family from TCM, 3 possibly inbred redneck brothers and their deranged mother. The crux of their conundrum and where it gets more into cultural norms is they are looking for a bride for their obviously mentally disabled brother, so he can have a son and continue the bloodline.
Why this obligation rests on his shoulders is, we as the audience are left to assume it’s because the other two brothers are probably infertile – because they refer to themselves as useless time and time again. We find they are in the process of recruiting/kidnapping those that wash ashore, when a young woman washes up after trying to flee Mainland China, and she almost becomes his next potential bride, that is until mother checks (?!?!) and discovers she is not a virgin. Luckily a whole cadre of possible brides show up with their teacher and it functions as not only a rather fun slasher, but also digs into class and marriage from a HK POV due to the obvious class and financial discrepancies of our characters. This all as we breeze through the 90 odd minute runtime.
For those wondering, oddly enough while this feels very much like a Category III film, it is not, a few more years would pass until that rating is invented. Even with that being the case, the film still has that very grimy and dangerous vibe, but without the gratuitous nudity, gore or ever present rape-yness.
Given this was the first time I even heard of this film, luckily it’s packed with some informative special features with Frank Djeng who delivers the same calibre of informative and engaging commentary from The Cat that definitely warranted another watch.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Limited Edition [2000 copies]
- Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Ilan Shead
- Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring an interview with Po-Chih Leong and revised introduction notes on The Island by film writer, producer and film festival executive Roger Garcia
- 1080p HD presentation from a brand new 2K restoration
- Original Cantonese mono
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- New audio commentary with East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- New audio commentary with genre cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Surviving the Shoot – interview with director Po-Chih Leong from 2023 courtesy of Frédéric Ambroisine
- Trailer
The disc itself looks immaculate. There’s a great contrast to the image and the colors, especially the reds really pop here. Like Texas Chainsaw, you have this lush sun soaked world where visceral terror is just waiting behind every corner. That said the Island even won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Cinematography upon its release, and it’s easy to see why. Lensing the film was David Chung (Once Upon a Time in China) and Hang-Sang Poon (Who am I, Kung Fu Hustle) who delivered an impressive effort here that really helps to elevate the material visually.
So, if you’re into extreme 80s Hong Cinema I can’t recommend this HK hillbilly rampage enough. It’s striking how far they manage to get pre-Category III with the violence, both implied and on screen, but without some of its more guilty underpinnings. There’s also some thought provoking layers of sociopolitical and class commentary hidden amongst the horror that rewards a more critical watch if you’re so inclined. Not sure what you’re missing? Just check out the commentary track or the brief film discussion which isn’t listed on promo materials with the always intriguing Tony Rayns who fans will remember from his appearances on the Shaw Brothers Arrow discs, he offers up some great takes on the layers of this east meets west mashup. The Island is an excellent hidden gem that’s just waiting to be picked up and become your HK horror obsession.
