Movies: Island of Death

Forget your Italian giallo horror, here come the Greeks! Island of Death became one of the most notorious films on the video nasty list of banned films. Set and filmed on the island of Mykonos, Island of Death follows lovers Christopher and Celia who we eventually discover are evading the police from London. Hot on their trail a la Cannibal Ferox, is an American detective no doubt investigating the murderous pairs’ exploits already committed. It is on the island that the pair continue their lust for murder and one another, as well as the local town folk. Eventually, having killed off nearly the entire population of the island, the pair end up on the run again and as it turns out, were never actually just lovers, but also brother and sister.

Island of Death, while certainly poor taste, is at least delightfully whacky. It has the pace and gore of an Italian giallo, yet takes itself less seriously. Upon first viewing it just seems like a naff and forgettable entry on the nasties list, but the more humorous atmosphere of the film lends itself some charm. It is actually very fun, despite the inclusion of a very unfortunate goat.

Perhaps it gains this charm and lightness primarily from the setting. The island of Mykonos is a character in itself, with white stone buildings and narrow passageways, surrounded by a glorious ocean. There are bursts of colour and effort with the interior designs, you would think this was a promotional video for a holiday.

The characters themselves, though presented as degrading, also have colour, from the flamboyant, gay, newly engaged couple to the local, aging lush.

The story itself is kind of outrageous for more reasons than the obvious. Our main character Christopher appears to be dueling with his conscience and his actions, fighting urges against his apparent religious guilt. He refers to the islanders as bitches (for adultery), sinners (using the lords name in vain) and whores (those who like to have sex, which Christopher himself likes to dabble in!). If he was trying to preach and save everyone’s souls, he was doing a terrible job.

Despite the low budget and amateur appearance of the film, interestingly the director Nico Mastorakis had put a lot of heart into the film, having been inspired by the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (low budget, high profit), he set about making this film as his own TCM enterprise. Though that didn’t necessarily translate, it at least earned the notoriety and ended up on a list that would live in infamy.

Each major scene, though clunky and sometimes drawn out (I’m looking at you, aerosol and lighter scene!), does leave an imprint on you. It is hard to forget seeing a man being force fed paint, or another man being chased with a sword, or a woman being peed on then decapitated, or a goat being … well, you get the idea.