Overview: Perhaps the most accomplished genre picture directed by British-Chinese filmmaker Po-Chih Leong (Hong Kong 1941), The Island is Hong Kong’s answer to the likes of Deliverance, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes and Motel Hell - a film that transports the visceral survival horror so popular in the 1970s and 1980s from the backwoods of America to a remote island in East Asia.

At the height of summer, teacher Mr Cheung (John Sham) takes a small group of his students on an excursion to explore a rural island that he assumes is uninhabited. But upon arrival, Cheung and his class discover that they are not alone - the island is, in fact, home to three deranged brothers and their equally deranged mother.

And when one of Cheung’s students refuses a marriage proposal from the youngest - and perhaps most disturbed - member of this deeply strange family, both the teacher and the young people in his care soon come to wish that they had stayed at home.

Following in the footsteps of its Western predecessors, The Island plays out a pointed class conflict as it pits its educated urbanites against the violent members of an isolated rural community - but never loses the unique qualities of a Hong Kong horror movie. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere outside of Asia.

Blu-ray Verdict: In all truth, The Island (1985) is a creepy little horror adventure from director Po-Chih Leong, where, and as aforementioned, a teacher and his students run into a horrible nightmare after camping at an island off the coast of Hong Kong that is inhabited by a mysterious woman and her three, malevolent sons.

The film gains much momentum from start to finish and much of the suspense and horror takes place on the island. The amount of misfortune our protagonists run into may be disturbing to the viewers and their run-ins with the evil doers are pretty savage to look at. But, and as always, this really defines the horror element of this type of movie genre - all the creepiness, suspense and thrills all built up without the overload of gore.

The mystery and the awe of terror surrounding the family on the island and the amount of fear the teacher and students experience will send chills down your spine. However, while intriguing, the acting was a little sub-par and this movie could have use some humor and redeeming moments, in my humble opinion, instead of just pure horror and depressing stuff.

However, hardcore horror movie fans should enjoy this movie and it is a satisfying and surprisingly well-executed offering, avoiding some of the more obvious excesses of gore that an American version would include yet more than compensating by virtue of its dark, grim tone and the disturbingly realistic grimness of its villains.

Bonus Features:
Limited edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Ilan Sheady
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

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