I love reviewing films for Shudder. They recently sent me a film called Monster Island. It brought back pleasant childhood memories of the double-feature creature films that my siblings and I watched every Saturday at the neighbourhood movie theatre.
Monster Island
Get ready to enjoy an excellent horror film. Monster Island premieres on Shudder on Friday, July 25. Written and directed by Mike Wiluan, and starring Dean Fujioka and Callum Woodhouse, the action takes place during World War 2. The film was inspired by one of my favourite childhood movie memories…Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The story begins with a Japanese ship carrying British prisoners of war. After the ship is torpedoed by an allied submarine, a Japanese soldier, Saito (Dean Fujioka) and the British POW, Bronson (Callum Woodhouse), who have been shackled together, wash up on an island. Not only must the two soldiers survive their hatred of each other, but there is something more dangerous than war on that island with them.
Conclusion
What makes this film a big hit is the blending of a terrifying Southeast Asian folklore creature called Orang Ikan (Alan Maxson) hunting down anything or anyone that washes up on that island. Saito and Bronson are sworn enemies as dictated by their governments. But, even in war, a foe can become a comrade. Orank Ikan, as the fish monster, is frightening enough because its vicious attacks on anyone who washes up on that island remind me of another film, Predator. Saito and Bronson are dealing with an intelligent creature, a creature that knows how to plan an attack and defend itself.
Monster Island, which is an international production between Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and the UK, is the creation of Mike Wiluan, who is the CEO and creative director of Infinite Studios, and has been an active producer of television shows and feature films. Like I said at the beginning of my review, this is an excellent action-packed horror film that will definitely become a cult favourite.
