ISLAND
OF DEATH (1975)(aka ISLAND OF PERVERSION, A CRAVING FOR LUST, DEVILS IN MYKONOS)
ISLAND
OF DEATH (1975)Inspired by the shock impact that TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE had on thrill-seeking audiences, Nico Mastorakis's Greek-lensed cult oddity is an indescribable exercise in over-the-top depravity. It takes place on the island of Mykonos where a swinging young vacationing couple, Christopher and Celia (Bob Belling and Jane Ryall) rent a home to embark on an extensive series of sicko actions.
It begins with the couple (who
happen to be brother and sister) having sex in a phone booth while the mother
is forced to listen in from London! Next morning, Chris is aroused, but Celia
is too tired to give in. Chris' alternative is to impose himself on a tender-looking
goat (yikes!). After he's through, he slits the poor thing's throat (don't worry,
no harm actually came to the little animal). The human killing starts with a
horny French house painter. After Celia seduces him, she and Chris nail his
hands down to the ground and pour a bucket of white paint down his throat to
the point of bloody suffocation. By the way, the couple loves to take snapshots
of all their nasty doings!
Next up is a middle-aged homosexual who resembles singer Tiny Tim. On his wedding night to a young Greek man, Chris and Celia quickly disrupt the honeymoon. Chris chases the older guy through the streets, slaying him with a sword, while Celia blows the head off the other with a shotgun. The killing of the gay couple is then conveniently staged as a double suicide, much like in HEATHERS some 15 years later.
Other victims include a private eye who trails them from London. He ends up hanging from the wing of a jet plane. An over-aged hussy gets a surprise golden shower from Chris who then beats her and decapitates with a bulldozer! A young lesbian barmaid is assaulted with her own heroin needle and has her face burnt by a flamed aerosol bottle. You then think the couple is going to get their just-desserts when two hippies attempt to rape Celia, but Chris walks in to stop them, harpooning one of the long-hairs, while the other is drowned in the toilet. For Chris and Celia, the "self defense" murder of the two hoodlums is a perfect alibi, as it now looks as though they're the ones responsible for all the carnage.
I
don't want to give away too much more, but things get even more bizarre at the
end when Chris and Celia encounter a dull-witted shepherd (played by Nikos Tsachiridis,
who appears to be something of a name in Greece). Director Mastorakis (who also
appears briefly as a PI. posing as a writer) also wrote, produced, photographed
(even co-penned the songs) using mainly locals and actors who have done little
else before or since (this is the only know credit for the two leads). The intention
was to break every taboo in the book, and Mastorakis clearly does that here
(and I must admit, I've never seen a guy get farted on before in a horror picture!).
Although there's plenty of sex and violence on-screen, much if it is implied
or not excessively displayed, so the ideas in the film are more unsettling than
what you actually do see. This one will be on your mind for a while, but you
probably won't have to shower after viewing it.
Mastorakis was instrumental in the film's DVD release, as he wanted to treat the fans with an uncut official copy without the hassle and expense of fuzzy bootlegs. There's an on-camera interview with him, which is extremely solid and informative, and he relates basically everything you need to know about ISLAND OF DEATH. Mastorakis starts by saying that he made the film simply to create a moneymaker and give himself a name in the industry. It certainly worked since it was a big hit in many countries (but rarely seen in the U.S.), allowing him more lucrative, mainstream work. The interview lasts about 30 minutes, and after seeing how intelligent the director is and what his intentions were, you'll feel more at ease after watching a flick such as this.
A former "video nasty" in Great Britain, ISLAND OF DEATH has been released by Image Entertainment and Allstar Pictures Ltd (who previously had it out as a PAL release). The transfer was made from the original elements, giving an extremely clean image with very strong colors. The full frame composition looks to be correct and the audio is fine with minor surface noise apparent from time to time. Only an English track is available with no subtitles (the film was completely shot in English). Aside from the great interview, another extra is the option to play three different songs from the movie, accompanied by video grabs from it. (George R. Reis)