Island of Death (1976) User Reviews

Proto-Mickey and Ur-Mallory

[stmichaeldet · 4/10 · 20 February 2006]

Island of Death is not really a good movie, by any standard, but it is a curious one. Imagine if Natural Born Killers had been made 20 years too early, as a Greek Eurotrash porn film. That's what you get here - the quaint story of a young, sociopathic British couple cutting a deadly swath through the population of a lovely little Greek island.

I'll spare you a detailed breakdown of the plot; it's not really important except to set up increasingly perverse or violent sex scenes followed by disturbingly brutal murders, often lovingly photographed for posterity by our charming young couple. It could have been brilliant, in its own sick and nasty way, but instead...

Instead, I found myself impatiently checking the run time and chapter index to see how much longer the parade was going to last. Sluggish pacing and listless, bland acting turn even vilest perversities into pablum, and connecting scenes into an eternity of dull plodding. Ah, well. You can't win 'em all.

Banned the world over - and I can see why

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 25 January 2005]

This film touts that its been banned the world over and its easy to see why, its a film that plays with your head from beginning to end and leaves you feeling unwell for days. Odds are if you see it you'll understand why people don't want you to see it.

The story of a pretty young couple on vacation in Greece turns more and more twisted as time goes on. Rape, murder, sadism and a few other delights get taken to the next level as more and more depravity is revealed. The film was made with the intention of disturbing the viewer and it disturbs almost from the outset as things very quickly are revealed to be seriously amiss. Its gets to the point where you're sitting on egg shells waiting for the next terrible thing to happen.

You'll forgive the lack of details but anyone who is interested in seeing this are best left to fend for themselves. I think that plot-wise the less known the better so that you can truly enjoy, if it is enjoyment, the twisted twists.

I don't know if I like it or hate it. The film certainly provokes a reaction but I'm not sure thats a good thing or bad thing. Certainly its not for anyone with gentile sensibilities. Its well made but beyond that you're on your own.

6 out of 10, though I'm not sure how to fairly rate it.

Undeserving of its notoriety

[fertilecelluloid · 4/10 · 27 December 2004]

Director Nico Mastorakis has made a cynical cash-grabber (by his own admission) that is too cynical to impress anybody but a sophomore genre fan.

The most extreme, confronting genre pics, to paraphrase a character in VIDEODROME, "have a philosophy"; that is what makes them dangerous.

ISLAND OF DEATH's philosophy is to throw many "shocking" elements into a cinematic mix and stir slowly. The result is a dish with no taste but an ugly appearance.

Not to be confused with Serrador's brilliant WHO COULD KILL A CHILD? (sometimes called ISLAND OF DEATH), Mastorakis's effort is set on a Greek island which is a stage for various forms of slaughter, a little bestiality and some wholesale perversion.

Everything moves at a snailish pace and the violent set pieces are poorly directed.

Touted as "The movie that the censors didn't want you to see", I'd hazard a guess that the censors never saw it, they simply read the presskit until their knees jerked upwards.

Better than average, still watchable, greek gore

[FilmFlaneur · 15 April 2003]

This is one of the original 'video nasties', and still only available in a heavily cut version in the UK (although easily available in uncut R1 format). Apparently made quickly to make cash for its first time director Nico Mistorakis, it is the story of a young tourist couple, Christopher and Celia who arrive on the picturesque island of Mykonos. At first we think them innocents, entering a world of terror. Soon it turns out that in fact they are the monsters, Christopher in particular being concerned to rid the word of 'perverts', photographing the mayhem as they go through local acquaintances - at first for kicks, then to cover their tracks. Much of the film is just a pretext for a catalogue of imaginative slaughter. The acting is variable at best (Jayne Ryall, playing Celia looking particularly bemused at the whole business, and this was her only film). The film includes sex and rape, both human and animal but, like so much of its ilk, is ironically coy about these physical acts, showing only such nudity and rare bursts of pubes as would sit easily in a softcore sex comedy. The exception is perhaps the urination scene which, because it is so unexpected and rare away from porno cinema, does at least raise eyebrows. The much vaunted 'goat rape' is patently faked and unconvincing but, as it takes place very early on at least alerts viewers to the real nature of the psychopathic Chris.

Surprisingly for a film with such a strong reputation, none of the violence really shocks today, although the range of deaths (by crucifixion and paint poisoning, hanging from a plane wing, heroin overdose, sword and scythe, bulldozer, etc) have an ingenious variety - a testimony to the director's plan to outdo competing exploitation films in range. Celia's bathtub rape is loud and threatening, but that of Susan George in the newly uncut UK issue of Straw Dogs is much more disturbing as well as actually being 'concluded' in the scene. It's another case, I would suggest, of sensibilities having moved on, leaving the BBFC unduly squeamish in cutting so much. Victims of the homicidal holidaymakers include homosexuals, lesbians, a middle aged nymphomaniac, 2 hippies, a Frenchman, a policeman (sent to track the notorious duo down) and so on.

More of interest is the way in which the film provides continuous ironic inversion on a normal holiday narrative. The attractive island, full of native white buildings, blue skies and sunshine, looks to be straight out of a travel brochure, and our sense of place is aided by some reasonable good cinematography. Chris and Celia are the 'tourists' who are visiting, relaxing, and taking plenty of pictures. The difference being of course that they are snapping the humiliated, dead and dying rather than the serene landscape around them, making themselves a different sort of vacation altogether. `We do everything vice versa' as she says, and the film gains most of its power from the stream of atrocity-attractions visited upon the community in this peculiar context. It's their casual return to traditional holiday locales (the local taverna, romantic beach walks or cosy white washed rooms) between murders which is ultimately more disturbing than anything done in the meantime. Island of Death still bears watching, and is considerably better worked than some of the other 'nasties'. If you take this as a recommendation of course, that's up to you.

Sexploitation/shock movie that doesn't deliver

[TheOtherFool · 3/10 · 10 May 2004]

Nico Mastorakis's banned movie was quite disappointing in my opinion. The movie is about a couple, who go to a Greek island to kill of all perverted people (apparently). You know you got something pretty sick when one of the first scenes include a guy having sex with a goat and then killing it off.

But things only get worse from that point as all scenes pretty much look alike. They meet some people, so they either kill or have sex with them (preferably both).

The ending is OK allright when the couple turn out to be brother and sister and she is just letting him rot somewhere but overall one would have expected more. No substance here I'm afraid.

3/10.

Tarantino's wet dream

[tomgillespie2002 · 2/10 · 1 March 2011]

A British couple, Christopher (Bob Behling) and Celia (Jane Lyle) arrive on a peaceful Greek island to seemingly indulge in photography and the sun. We come to discover that Christopher is a religious fanatic, who, when he's not taking photos and sleeping with his sister, enjoys a spot of goat-raping (goatsploitation?), gay-bashing, and feeding paint to sleazy decorators. He enjoys watching his soon-to-be-victims fornicating with Celia from a distance before flipping out and doing a bit of the ol' murdering. Complete with electronic sound effects, bad camera-work, and terrible acting, this is probably Tarantino's wet dream.

For the rest of us (I hope) this is bottom-of-the-barrel guff. I mean, this is shockingly bad stuff. I like a bit of cheap, guilty-pleasure crap as much as the next film fan, but this is just beyond explanation. Things just don't make sense. The aforementioned paint-feeding scene shows the victim being nailed to the floor, crucifixion-style, with the nails going barely a couple of millimetres into the ground, and then he proceeds to willingly opening his mouth and swallow the paint without struggling in the slightest, just making the odd murmur. Oh, the pain! It's a scene that Herschell Gordon Lewis would probably turn to his assistant and say 'listen, this is just too f*****g s**t!'. The film is basically this over and over again for 90 minutes, and it stops being funny after about 10. Avoid at all costs.

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Island of Crap...

[CyMaddux · 3/10 · 16 August 2004]

I'm a big time horror fan, and I bought this movie from all the hype it was getting on the message boards. Well, let me tell you I don't know whom was giving it all the hype, but let me speak on a few things.

First of all this film is "not" a LOT of things. It is NOT scary, NOT suspenseful, NOT overly gory, NOT overly sick (except for one season MAYBE) NOT beautifully scored.... AT ALL.

The premise of the movie is that a couple flee to a small island in Greece because they have done a little naughtiness in London. We don't even know what they did, but it is presumed that they killed someone.

**spoiler alert**

The male lead kills a few people out of his perversion of "cleansing the island of perverts" oddly enough. The killings are cheap, the characters are cheaper and the effects suck.

There is one part when he rapes a goat because his wife wont give him any in the morning, but even that is done without any care for how it is shot.

end of spoilers

The end of the movie is about the only thing that isn't totally predictable. I especially enjoyed when the "herder" farts on the husband. Anyway, if you can rent this and have 2 hours to waste go ahead. It's nothing better than a processed cheese sandwich on moldy bread.

3/10

It isn't "La Isla Bonita", that's for sure....

[Coventry · 7/10 · 30 October 2003]

Island of Death is a true ungodly video nasty coming to you straight from the best euro-exploitation period. This year 2003, the movie received a complete digital remastering and it finally got released on special edition DVD. The box showed nothing but a red background with the explicit words : "The one movie that the censors didn't want you to see" and "sorry but we can't display images of the film on the cover since they're too gruesome". A bit exaggerated of course, this movie is far from being the goriest or most shocking film I've ever seen. Nevertheless it's mean-spirited, raw, brutal and pretty disturbing from time to time. "Island of Death" doesn't take the rules of humanity too strict and it isn't exactly what they call "politically correct". The movie seems to start like a lovely romantic comedy when a young couple arrives on a Greek Island. They look average but in fact they put other famous cinema couples like Bonnie & Clyde and Mickey & Mallory to shame. They brutally slaughter every person they come into contact with (mostly right after sexual intercourse which give the killings a nasty effect) and they have a few bizarre fetishes.

Island of Death doesn't contain much humor unless you see the irony in many things. For example: the guy kills homosexuals because he thinks it's pervert and against the will of God, while he himself has sex with a young goat! I thought that was pretty ironic, and there are lots of similar "jokes" to discover in "Island of Death". Even though there are a lot of horrible scenes, the movie itself is pretty light and not at all difficult too watch. Excellent stuff for exploitation fans. The leading actress (Jane Ryall) is a beauty but she never played in movies again.

Poor goat

[campblood13 · 3/10 · 25 August 2003]

I kind of liked the film, it's just that the characters run around with no real point to their craziness. As I was saying, poor goat. The goat was nahing while the guy was pretending to grind on it. I would have liked the rape scenes to be more graphic (not the one with the goat though). Jane Ryall who played Celia only did this one film. She was very nude throughout. This crazy couple who killed and tortured many people ended up in their rightful places. I almost forgot about the gay transvestite couple who are also picked out for being sinners. If you like crazy off the wall stuff, then this is your film. 3/10

Kind of Worth the Wait.

[Ultimex_Varptuner · 7/10 · 6 September 2007]

Of all the infamous nasties out there Island of Death, for me seemed to be one of the more luridly attractive ones. I.e. contained the most depravity! Having finally tracked down a reasonably priced and uncut version of the film I finally got to see what all the fuss is about.

It is certain from the outset that explicit violence and gore are not what got this film banned. The nails through the hands and force-fed paint scenes are certainly no worse than what you see in glossy 15-rated Hollywood horrors now. I think what offended with this one is not so much the actions of the film's murderers, Celia and Christopher but the lifestyles of their victims.

Oh yes, gay, lesbian and straight, the promiscuous and the drug users are all in the cross-hair here. The film maker even takes time out to execute a black detective. Just for having the audacity to try and bring good old Chris and Celia to justice.

While the violence is muted the sleaze certainly isn't. Things bash along in a fashion that stops a little shy (a little too shy if you ask me) of softcore porn. But don't worry, what it lacks in explicitness it more than makes up for in frequency. You will be pleased to know that the absolutely gorgeous heroine (or should that be villainess) played exceptionally woodenly by Jane Ryall only ever keeps herself covered up for thirty seconds at a time.

In truth Island of Death is worth it for Ryall alone. She genuinely looks good enough to eat and that whole ditsy, can't act thing that she does only serves to heighten her appeal! For me anyway. Rather disturbingly, the comely Ms Ryall appeared briefly in one other crap Greek film and then was never heard from again. I mourn.

The story of Island of Death is the usual poor fodder, although certainly superior to many. The Bonnie and Clyde thing is never fully realised however as it is implied that Christopher is the real psycho and Celia is just meekly caught up in his wake - occasionally looking wretched and criticising his actions. But yet she carries out probably the most cold killing in the whole film. What the hell is that all about? Either make her a proper victim or a proper villain. It also irked me a bit the speed at which she turns on Christopher at the end. Mind you, this is trash cinema after all. Island of Death plays out almost like a crap sex comedy and that isn't a bad thing. No one likes a bad film that takes itself too seriously.

This is definitely one for fans of trash films and 'so bad its good stuff' (me). The acting is universally poor with a couple of the characters apparently just reading their lines conversationally.

Aside from that however, it actually looks quite professionally made. The shots are reasonably framed and the camera-work not too static. The editing has dated it a bit but that just lends it that inimitable sleazy 70's feel.

So thats about it, nasty in tone, but not in action perhaps? A little kinky, certainly: Just check out the promiscuous older woman being urinated on. Does it deserve its infamy? Probably not, but its still a good bit better than most of the dross on the nasty's list.

Oh yeah, bring back Jane Ryall.

Nothing's shocking

[hohumdedum2 · 1/10 · 4 November 2003]

****SOME SPOILERS****

There's nothing in this movie that you haven't already seen browsing the net. Nothing is shocking about this film. In the film a man sodomizes a goat, there's a bulldozer decapitation, and a lesbian's face gets burnt off. All of these scenes of "extreme violence" are so fake, it makes one wonder why anyone would even want to resurface this piece of trash. I simply cannot believe I spent hard earned money on what certainly has to be the worst film ever made. Don't let reviews fool you, this film would be a shame for ANYONE to own...except maybe prisons who want to torture inmates. For a REAL exploitation classic, look to Bloodsucking Freaks or even the more recent Doom Generation. Island of Death sinks to the bottom of the movie toilet and needs to be flushed out of existence.

One of the exploitation genre's finest moments.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 29 May 2005]

Ta Pedhia tou Dhiavolou, or Island of Perversion, Cruel Destination, A Craving for Lust, Devils in Myknonos & the more common Island of Death as it's also known under, starts with a young seemingly happy & very much in love married couple named Christopher (Robert Behling as Bob Belling) & Celia (Jayne Ryall) arriving by boat on the small Greek island of Mykonos. In an accompanying narration Christopher describes Mykonos as 'nothing more than a deserted rock, white houses & small narrow streets. 365 Churches, a place where they worship God... a perfect place.' They rent a room in a boarding house & to the locals appear to be tourists enjoying a holiday with each other. The first thing Christopher & Celia decide to do is have sex in a public phone box & phone their Mother up so she can listen to them, you see Christopher & Celia are in fact Brother & Sister... At the same time a mysterious man named Foster who has tapped the phone now knows where Christopher & Celia are & orders a plane ticket to Greece. That night while eating out in a restaurant they meet & introduce themselves to a man named Jean-Claude who is on Mykonos to paint an old chapel. The next day Celia visits Jean-Claude & has sex with him while her Brother Christopher takes photographs, once they have finished Christopher & Celia brutally murder Jean-Claude & throw his body into the sea. Christopher is basically a loony who believes in punishing perversion in the name of God, he decides to rid Mykonos of all the perversion he finds even though he himself isn't exactly a saint as you can probably tell...

This Greek production was written, produced & directed Nico Mastorakis who also is credited with the films songs & has a small uncredited role as a novelist, I thought Ta Pedhia tou Dhiavolou is a fine of example of how to make a cheap exploitation film. The script moves along at a fair pace & is generally entertaining throughout with some bizarre situations arising. However, the only consistent characters throughout are Christopher & Celia, there are no other meaningful characters in Ta Pedhia tou Dhiavolou. People are introduced only to be killed or have sex & as a result the entire film is based around Chrstopher & Celia with no other plot threads anywhere to be found. I mean Foster for instance, both Christopher & Celia seem almost afraid of him but we never find out the connection between them. There is plenty in Ta Pedhia tou Dhiavolou to offend people with delicate moral sensibilities & it definitely doesn't neglect the exploitation elements, gay, lesbian & straight sex, hard drug usage, a fairly tame golden shower scene, beatings, rape, torture, murder, bestiality & incest, it's all here folks. One thing I must say is that I actually didn't think much of what happened in Ta Pedhia tou Dhiavolou was particularly graphic, the thought of what was taking place probably has more impact than what is shown on screen like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) which also shows very little. That's not to say these things don't happen on screen but they end up looking a bit comical at times especially the bit with Christopher having sex with the Goat, & taking each sequence on it's own they're not overly explicit. There is very little in the way of blood & gore, there are brief scenes of someone having their face burnt with a flaming aerosol spray, a decapitation by bulldozer blade, someone having nails hammered into their hands, someone being impaled on a sickle & someone being slashed with a sword & that's about it. On the other hand there is lots of nudity & sex which I found became rather repetitive after a while. Director Mastorakis occasionally manages to capture the atmosphere of Mykonos with various montages of everyday life that pop up every now & again, other than that Ta Pedhia tou Dhiavolou could be set just about anywhere but the Greek location is nice generally speaking & is just that bit different, I'm not sure why no one speaks Greek though. The photography is cheap & basic but it is definitely professional enough & adds to the overall feel. The acting is fairly poor from all involved but it's OK considering, I've seen worse. One thing I found strange is that even though lots happen I found myself becoming quite bored of it by the end, as I've said there are no other developed characters besides Christopher & Celia or sub-plots & that's probably the reason why I started to loose interest. One more thing I must mention is the truly awful songs throughout credited to Mastorakis, they're absolutely hideous & really got on my nerves to the extent every time one started to play I switched my T.V. to mute... Ta Pedhia tou Dhiavolou is a good exploitation film & one of my favourites, but it isn't for everyone & wasn't quite as good as I'd remembered. An absolute must for exploitation & horror fans, everyone else should think carefully first as it's certainly an acquired taste.

Poor goat.

[Maynardesque0 · 2/10 · 21 September 2001]

I believe that this was supposed to be shocking or something.... All that I can say is....POOR GOAT!!! This flick is so poorly done that the parts that "should" shock and revolt you come across as laughable at best. The characters are so lame and 2....wait....1 dimensional, that I applauded each sick death.....all except that POOR GOAT.

It Certainly Lives Up to Its Reputation

[Michael_Elliott · 21 October 2016]

Island of Death (1978)

** (out of 4)

Christpher (Robert Behling) and Celia (Jane Lyle) arrive on a small Greek Island where their lust for rape and violence soon terrorizes the entire community.

Nico Mastorakis' ISLAND OF DEATH is one of those notorious films that you often read about yet no matter what you read it really can't prepare you for the madness that you're walking into. This film was obviously trying to be another Texas CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and I'd also think that something like THE WICKER MAN had an influence. Does the film live up to its notorious reputation? You bet it does and I'd argue it's even crazier than its reputation. Is the film any good? Umm...not really.

If you're a fan of the ultra bizarre then there's no question that you'll want to watch this but at the same time there are all sorts of problems with it. For starters, this here clocks in at 106-minutes, which is at least twenty-minutes too long. The pacing is incredibly slow throughout but the biggest issue is the fact that there's really not much of a story. The entire film is just a set-up for one shock after another and the lack of any real story helps it drag at times. In fact, all of these people are being raped and butchered yet no one on this small island starts to get concerned.

As I said, there's a lot to recommend here and especially if you're a fan of exploitation. I lost count of how many rape scenes there were. You had straight rape. Gay rape. Lesbian rape. Hippie rape. Hell, there was even goat rape! You've got a wide range of bizarre killings with plenty of blood flowing. Obviously there's a ton of nudity scattered throughout the film as well. It really did seem that Nico Mastorakis just wanted to shock viewers by throwing one bizarre scene out there after another and on that level the film is a success.

ISLAND OF DEATH is certainly a nutty little film that has several good things but also plenty of bad things. I would add that I enjoyed both Behling and Lyle in their roles.

Unbelievable and badly acted: A Poor Movie

[paulgeaf · 4/10 · 12 August 2007]

I better start this by saying that I am no expert when it comes to the sleaze or exploitation movie genre. I didn't realise there was a specific genre for exploitation until recently but I suppose there would have to be...it's obvious, just me being an idiot. This film, taken on it's own merits with no preconceptions about anything and only the knowledge that it was about a young couple who kill people on a peaceful island, was just what I was looking for. Something a bit like the old Lucio Fulci films I used to love when I was younger. Well this wasn't quite like those. Or it was, but only the ones that were complete trash like the Black Cat Fulci film that is a turkey...like this! I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't be giving any details away but let me just sum up the movie: The acting is painfully baaaad. I know there are a million B-Movies and especially horrors that have acting just like this so I suppose you can expect it and may overlook it. Then to the plot. What plot? Then on to the dialogue. The dialogue?? Is there an actual worked out script or were they told to not say much and if anything came into their heads then just to mutter it and try and look convincing? The dialogue is poor.

There are a couple of scenes that trouble people it seems from reading the boards here; The 'goat sex' scene. The guy does apparently have it away with a goat but I can confirm to you that you do not see this happening and it is not happening for real (at least that is what I believe!). At least the film makers had the sense to use the Hitchcock idea that 'Suggestion is more potent than graphic display' -of certain shocking scenes in film. You still see him...his face..but try not to get too excited! Then he kills the goat by slitting it's throat. Again here the makers spare us the graphic details but what we see is a goat alive, a goat dead, with tomato sauce all over it. There is sex in the movie and the whole movie revolves around jealousy and to a certain extent, sex. Although most men will appreciate the beauty of the various topless shots in this film, overall it fails to be sexy. I don't think it aims to be sexy ALL OF THE TIME but I do think the director wanted to make you like what they were doing in order to shock you later. It failed miserably. When this movie is over you will return here and agree with what I just told you. You will also wish you had gone and watched something else like a good Lucio Fulci movie or something of the B-Movie genre that really grabs you! 2/10

Lots of perversion but not many shocks.

[gridoon · 5/10 · 17 July 2002]

"Island of Perversion" (the version with this title is uncut, by the way) is a movie that tries simply to be an exercise in pure cruelty and depravity, but doesn't have the artistry (or the budget!) to pull it off. Mastorakis obviously has no shortage of imagination, but some of the most "shocking" scenes are staged in a way that....well, lets you know they're "staged" and "fake", so you're not really disturbed. Still, this film definitely has the ingredients to be a cult classic. Two stars out of four...but ONLY for the curious.

ISLAND OF DEATH {Edited Version} (Nico Mastorakis, 1975) **

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 25 October 2011]

I only became aware of this when it was mentioned as one of the more infamous "Video Nasties" and I must say that I acquired it somewhat half-heartedly, so much so that I did not realize at the time it was a censored edition (cut by about 4 minutes)! Anyway, this could well be re-titled LAST ISLAND ON THE LEFT but, at the very least, it puts a spin on the usual formula by making the villains ostensibly on a cleansing killing spree; incidentally, it also turns on its head the oft-used premise of innocent victims at the mercy of the weird locals of a remote community – which was the case with, say, WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? (1976), a film that was actually also released in some circles as ISLAND OF DEATH! However, hypocritically, the protagonists here are themselves guilty of perversion: they pass themselves off as husband and wife, but are actually brother and sister; besides, when the girl rejects the man's advances, he relieves his craving by raping a goat!!

Ironically, another lewd incident – making love in a public telephone box and calling their mother on the phone to listen in on them! – puts a black detective (he is supposed to hail from Britain, but the local Police force must have felt compelled to call on one of Shaft's 'bruthas' for the task!) on their trail…except that he proves inefficient, not only because he gives up the chase after just one attempt but he even allows his quarries to turn the tables on him by tying a rope around his neck and throwing him off the side of his own chartered plane! Stupidly, then, they phone the company responsible to come pick up the aircraft, since when the local law enforcers – alerted by an inquisitive crime novelist – eventually close in, they could have used it themselves to get away! I am not sure whether the director intended us to root for the perpetrators of these heinous crimes but, the man in particular, is just too despicable; he also turns out to be the more deranged, as his sister occasionally tries to dissuade him from carrying on with the 'mission' but he throws a fit every time she does and the latter she sheepishly acquiesces!

Among their 'sinful' victims are: a French lothario engaged in painting a local chapel (after the girl gives herself to him, they literally nail him to the ground and when, Christ-like, he asks for a drink, they pour a pail full of paint down his throat!); a couple of gays who had flamboyantly celebrated their wedding ceremony (one escapes their clutches initially, leading to a chase along ultra-narrow streets of the town only to have him gutted with a sword when cornered, and the other is forced to suck the barrel of a pistol which is then fired and his brains splattered all over the walls!); a couple of hippie buskers (complete with hilarious 'cool' mannerisms who unwisely take the opportunity of the man's absence to go fishing to burst in their house and rape the girl while she is having a bath – but he returns in time to shoot a harpoon into one's chest and shove the other's face in the toilet bowl!); a lesbian/junkie barmaid (again, first she is allowed to indulge in one vice and then made to overdose on her other habit but, to complete the task, she has her face burned); an ageing nymphomaniac who seduces the man but when she proves too enthusiastic, he repeatedly slaps her around and bashes her head on the floor and, for the coup de grace, beheads her with a bulldozer!); and even the proprietor of the place where they are staying (who, as far as I can tell, her only crime is to take her showers with the door open but, when the villain gives chase, still ends up with a sickle implanted through a door and right into the back of her head!).

As is to be expected with this type of fare, the protagonists eventually encounter someone who is even more vicious than they are, in the form of a mute shepherd who ostensibly gives them shelter – only to rape the girl (as usual with his pants on!) and bury the man in a lime-pit, after having (I kid you not!) noisily farted in his face. The ultimate irony is that the girl apparently likes the shepherd's rough treatment and prefers his company to her brother's, whose recklessness she blames for their current predicament, and the man dies scalded by the acidic lime when it becomes wet in a downpour. Incidentally, the murdering couple constantly take photos of their various crimes (with the camera-click repeatedly adopted throughout as a transition) and even keep a diary of their would-be righteous exploits. Besides, the shepherd had actually appeared to the girl in her dreams and, though we only ever get a distorted view of his leering face, she says he does to the two of them what actually comes to pass!

As I said, the idea of violently punishing perversion is not bad in itself – in fact, it was a staple of the Giallo subgenre – but the amateurish handling and virtually uninterrupted nastiness kills any notion of supplying either audience identification or an objective viewpoint! The sole redeeming feature here, apart from the attractive Mediterranean location, are the clutter of acoustic songs on the soundtrack which basically comment upon the unfolding action (including yells of "Get the sword and kill 'em all"!).

Unique and entertaining!

[Sammy_Sam_Sam · 7/10 · 9 July 2016]

I picked this up in the sale a few days back and having read fairly negative reviews, I wasn't expecting a lot. As you'll probably know this film was banned as part of the video nasties hysteria, but even this uncut edition wasn't all that shocking by modern standards. Well perhaps the scene with the goat was a little shocking, but it's really not that bad. The first 10 minutes of the film might put you off, but do keep watching, as it'll start to make a lot more sense before long.

Without spoiling the film, it's a fairly straightforward story about killers on the rampage on a small island. It was made on a very small budget, but the island serves as an attractive cost-free backdrop. On that note, it is beautifully filmed. Lots of wide angle lens shots and on the Arrow Film release, aside from a small section of deteriorated film near the end, the colours are vibrant. I really wasn't expecting such a fine looking movie.

The acting seems to come up for a lot of criticism, which I disagree with. Robert Behling puts in a great performance as Christopher, creating a genuinely interesting character. He reminded me a little bit of Ted Bundy, although he looks more like Greg Kinnear (it would've been funny to see him in the role!). I enjoy watching characters like this. Michael Reilly Burke as Bundy, Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom… you get the picture. Personally, I think Behling puts in a great performance.

I guessed straight away that Jane Lyle was a model and she comes in for a lot of criticism, but I actually think she was perfect for the role. She has an innocent look and I agree with Stephen Thrower's assessment that her line delivery adds something extra. It may not be an example of the finest acting ever, but she comes across as a little simple and naïve, which (without spoiling the film) fits perfectly. The pair of them reminded me of the Ken and Barbie killers. Other actors put in a reasonable performance, aside from the director, although he only appears through necessity (an actor pulled out last minute apparently) and it's not an important section of the film. In fairness, even by his own admission he isn't a great actor, but it's not too distracting.

The music is absolutely brilliant and was co-written by the director, so it fits perfectly. On the Arrow Film release it comes as an extra on the disc (along with a ton of other great extras).

There are a few things which will seem out of place. For starters, there are often scenes with no extras. It's a holiday island which is at times seemingly deserted. Also you'll notice that victims have a strange habit of not screaming for help, which is strange. Often the film seems quite surreal, perhaps a little like parts of 'American Psycho'.

Much like American Psycho, this film has a dark sense of humour. But it also has an interesting point to make about morality and voyeurism. Indeed, Christopher's character could well be a Daily Mail reader, so outraged that he has been 'forced' to watch things he didn't want to see (based on his moral code) that he now wants to take revenge and see the "perverts" punished. The irony being that the Daily Mail has run many campaigns against video nasties, despite the fact most readers would be unlikely to (and probably haven't watched) these films. In the film, the hypocrisy is quite clear for all to see and the crucifixion (along with many other things) puts the emphasis firmly on religious conservatism.

So all in all, I think it's a great film. From the unusual opening credits, which use a camera shutter sound to set the scene, it's a very unique and interesting film. There is a 15 minute section near the end which dragged a little, so some better editing here would've raised this up to an 8, but for me it's a solid 7/10. It's unique, well shot, has fantastic music, great characters and more importantly, it has something to say. We could do with more films like this, rather than Iron Man 12 or X-Men 20. And well done to Arrow for putting out a great print of it. If you like your films sleazy and unusual, then this is definitely worth seeking out!

yawn

[rdoyle29 · 4/10 · 16 September 2017]

An English couple visit a small Greek island and start a veritable frenzy of sex and murder. The point seems to be to punish what they see as perversions, but they turn out to be a hot bed of perversion themselves. Can't say I like this film, any film that contains multiple murders, bestiality, incest, forced sodomy and tons of nudity and also manages to be pretty dull is doing something fundamentally wrong.

A film so wrong, that it's actually alright.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 25 December 2008]

Island of Death, Nico Mastorakis' much-banned exploitation horror, sees a pair of sadistic lovers, Christopher and Celia (played by Robert Behling and the lovely Jane Lyle), travel to Mykonos where they proceed to punish anyone they deem to be perverted, a definite case of 'the pot calling the kettle black' since the murderous couple are easily the biggest deviants on the island: their numerous killings aside, Christopher calls his mother whilst having sex with Celia in a phone booth, Celia shags a French painter as Christopher watches from a distance, the couple masturbate over photographs of their victims, and a goat gets a good seeing to from Christopher when Celia turns hims down for nookie!

On top of all of this, Mastorakis' delightfully trashy film also tackles such unsavoury subjects as rape (both female and male), drug abuse, incest, and water sports (and I'm not talking about scuba-diving and wake-boarding), offering oodles of nekkid flesh and soft-core humping in the process, making it perfect viewing for anyone who likes their entertainment to constantly challenge the boundaries of taste.

Despite none of this dodgy content being overly explicit (and in the case of the goat sex, I've got to say that I'm rather glad!), the mere fact that the film even dared to explore these usually taboo themes qualified it for a place on the official DPP Video Nasties list during the 80s, and it is these high levels of extreme wrongness that still draws fans of such fare to seek out the title. The direction may be uninspired, the story not exactly riveting, and the gore rather tame, but I still recommend Island of Death simply for being so depraved.

And if you don't believe me, the end of the film reveals that Christopher and Celia are actually brother and sister, which makes that phone call to their mother all the more indecent!

Nasty But Uneffective and Totally Pointless Greek Exploitation

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 4/10 · 20 October 2010]

I am an enthusiastic fan of European Exploitation cinema, especially from the 70s, and I therefore cannot really explain while I let "Ta Paidia Tou Diavolou" aka. "Island of Death" (1975) rest on my DVD shelf for ages before finally watching it recently. Having seen it, I must say that I do not agree with the majority of my fellow Eurocult fans, who seem to be regarding this film as an essential little gem of cinematic Euro-nastiness. The film has disturbing sequences and imagery, all right, but I never was disturbed or shocked, nor darkly amused.

The young couple Christopher (Robert Behling), a psychotic religious fanatic who thinks he is on god's mission to cleanse the earth of the perverted (even though he is the biggest perv himself), and Celia (Jane Lyle), a demented and almost equally murderous nymphomaniac, are on a murderous rampage on the Greek island Mykonos. Devoted to killing as many perverts as possible, Christopher murders a womanizing French guy, a gay couple, an aging nymphomaniac, a lesbian, and others...

There isn't a lot more, really. As said, the murders may be sadistic and disturbing and the murder methods cruel and demented. However, the film is never shocking, as all characters in the film are annoying as hell, and none of them is introduced long enough to give a crap about their fate. The murderous couple is annoying too. Some super-nasty sequences like one in which Christopher has sex with a little goat, are obviously thought of as shocking by many. But they aren't really, in my opinion. The shock-sequences here aren't really shocking, nor do they have any other effect. They just happen, and, personally I couldn't have cared less.

The nastiness of the murders, the beautiful Greek setting, the good score and some amusing stuff towards the end are some redeeming qualities. Islands are usually great Horror settings, as they have such an inescapable character. While the setting here is maybe the films greatest aspect, "Ta Paidia Tou Diavolou" is never creepy, scary or even remotely suspenseful. It isn't really boring, but it is never exciting, nor shocking or disturbing, nor darkly humorous. By the way,"Island of Death" shares its English a.k.a. title, but must not to be confused with Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's 1976 masterpiece "¿Quién Puede Matar a Un Niño?", which actually IS one of the greatest Eurohorror films ever made.

Overall, "Ta Paidia Tou Diavolou" is worth watching for my fellow Eurohorror fans as it IS one of the nastier films from the mid-70s. The murders are brutal and there is a certain range of redeeming perversions. However, I find it to be immensely overrated among my fellow fans of Euro-Exploitation. To those who want to see a truly disturbing film set on a Greek Island, I recommend Joe D'Amato's "Antropophagus" (1980). A brilliant storyline isn't the most obvious characteristic of that film either, but it is scary as hell, gory and thoroughly shocking and disturbing. "Ta Paida Tou Diavlou" just isn't, at least not in my humble opinion.

Exploitation at its very best!

[giznad2000 · 10/10 · 29 September 2006]

Island of death has it all - sex, torture, racism, sexism, homophobia, Christian-ploitation, hippies, gratuitous nudity, gay sex, lesbian sex, rape, gay rape, golden showers, fart as an insult, mysogyny, drugs, bestiality...

THIS is what exploitation cinema is all about. Before I continue, if you want graphic sex, look elsewhere, this is strictly soft-core (and includes bush in full frontal due to the era in which it was filmed), and the violence is not really graphic gore (gore-hounds look elsewhere too).

But for trash auteurs, this will be the movie you've always wanted to watch (even if you didn't know it). It gets more and more obscene and ridiculous as the movie continues, breaking all rules of political correctness and taste. The madness is set to a wacky, funky, totally inappropriate 70s soundtrack and has moments of absolute hilarity, often coming from the dialog. I was very impressed with this film watching it for the first time last night and will watch it many, many more times. Of all the 'cult' films I've got from internet shopping stores, this is the most satisfying thus far, absolutely not a let down. Unless you have the wrong idea of what sort of movie this will be (ie: extremely gory, porn or an A-grade movie) you can't go wrong.

Well, at least he didn't kill it beforehand

[Tromafreak · 7/10 · 20 January 2010]

All joking (about Goats) aside, Island Of Death is a Horror masterpiece, if I ever saw one, although, it seems to carry a reputation that would rival that of Cannibal Holocaust, which is most certainly not the case. The gore might not be plentiful, but this film is still, quite disturbing. If you've seen this, then you know it's not about the gore, anyway, although, it is present. It's not even about the cheesy schlock qualities. Island Of Death is atmospheric, and haunting, and completely unique, and yeah, it can be shocking

A semi-incoherent tale of a happy young couple, Christopher and Celia. As the young lovers make their way to the Island of Mynokos, Greece, we get the strong impression that something is a little off with these two. Christopher and Celia, at first, just seem a little impulsive, but after Christopher rants to Celia, the first night, about random women he sees, being adulterous, whores, and sinners, he gets up the next morning, with Celia being too tired to get it on with him, he locates the nearest goat, then rapes, and kills the damn thing, so, yeah, something is a little off.

Christopher is a delusional, self-righteous psychopath, convinced that it's his responsibility to punish everyones sin's, however he sees fit, completely oblivious to his own mental state. Celia, allegedly, being the only voice of reason in the relationship, doesn't have a whole lot of luck at reasoning with this guy, but considering, she also takes much pleasure in cold-blooded, murder, and almost seems like she's only playing the role of the sympathizer, as her own personal game, so, Christopher just doesn't take her too seriously, I guess. So, together they shoot, stab, mutilate, violate, and destroy pretty much anyone who might get under Christopher's skin. No one is safe on the Island Of Death... especially the goats.

Directed by some Greek guy, who, from what I've heard from him in an interview on the DVD, doesn't really "get" Horror, much less, B-Horror. Motivated only by cashing in on the popularity of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, nowadays, he sounds downright appalled by his actions as director of Island Of Death. Somehow, this guy's financial vision turned out to be much more than he was going for. An Exploitation diamond, to be exact. I don't know if it's the unfitting score, or the fact that way too little is explained, or even the peculiar attitude, and atmosphere that this film unknowingly flaunts. There's just something about this one that sets it apart from most everything else I've come across. Passionately recommended to anyone who likes unusual, beautiful horror, with unintentional humor, which also packs a punch. 9/10

Don't even waste your time

[pinkeye · 3/10 · 2 May 2003]

I love horror...I appreciate the sickest horror...I love disturbing films...even when they push the envelope as long as there is something good about the film...this film offers nothing. No story, nothing sick done is a "cool" way...it's really, really bad...I bought it because I want to see all the so called "SICK", banned films from the 70's & 80's...this one is just a waste of your time.