Rating: 
Summary: One strange and overlooked movie
Review: Hey now, the way this starts out seems fairly innocent, including a young couple making love in a phone booth while on the phone to the young man's mother, but you sense that things are not what they seem when the young man takes a liking to a goat in the garden during an early morning stroll, WHOA. And things build from there. This squeaky clean young couple are not at all what they seem to be, and they proceed to off every pervert, sexual deviant, and drug addict that they can find while still managing to maintain that they're just there to have a nice time. And I supposed they ARE having a nice time, but kee-ripes! After having seen a few other films by Nico Mastorakis this has to be one of his most disturbing and thought-provoking pictures. It's definitely a strange mix of things, Greek folk music, American folk music, hippies, and ex-patriate Americans & Brits who apparently came there to enjoy what they were not appreciated for elsewhere. A nasty little film that will stay with you for a while, and I'd recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Banning this was good
Review: Hey, don't let the words of "controversy" and "banned" lure you into even wasting your time with this piece of junk. And don't let all the negative reviews lead you towards the conclusion that "it's so bad, it's good." Don't get suckered in like me. The only controversy that I can justify is how did this ever get financed in the first place? And how did it generate such a cult following... enough so that it gets a DVD release in front of more deserved titles like THE DEVILS, QUICK CHANGE, ABBY, BLACULA, etc.Do yourself a favor and DON'T waste your money on this disc. There are a million better discs available right here that you will be happy that you bought. Buy THE EXORCIST for a real movie that provides scares, controversy and has it's own history of censorship and banning.
Rating:
Summary: Banning this was good
Review: Hey, don't let the words of "controversy" and "banned" lure you into even wasting your time with this piece of junk. And don't let all the negative reviews lead you towards the conclusion that "it's so bad, it's good." Don't get suckered in like me. The only controversy that I can justify is how did this ever get financed in the first place? And how did it generate such a cult following... enough so that it gets a DVD release in front of more deserved titles like THE DEVILS, QUICK CHANGE, ABBY, BLACULA, etc. Do yourself a favor and DON'T waste your money on this disc. There are a million better discs available right here that you will be happy that you bought. Buy THE EXORCIST for a real movie that provides scares, controversy and has it's own history of censorship and banning.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh my, oh my, oh my!
Review: How much more awful of a movie could be made? It'd be hard for me to think of one! This is by far the most repulsive film probably ever made in regards to the plot. I will say no more. You must check this title out if you're into seriously disturbing themes! I can totally understand why this film was banned! The sheer audacity of the film has earned three stars!
Rating:
Summary: Will be on your mind for a while...
Review: 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. 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Homebrewer
Review: Island of Death is among the most sought after cult classics I know. The film has many different names created mainly for video releases. The most usual names are Island of Death (I use this name on this review), Island of Perversions, Psychic Killer 2, Craving for Lust and Devils In Mykonos, the latter being the intended name for the film, according to the director. The film is one of the most notorious video nasties in Britain and has been cut, banned and loathed everywhere during all these years, and it hasn't lost plenty of its power to shock and disgust and it is now as sleazy as it was back then in 1975.
The "story" is about a couple, Christopher and Celia, that arrives on a Greek island (Mykonos) and start to kill and torture people they consider sinful or dirty. This includes homosexuals, lesbians, nymphomaniacs and other sexual minorities. The film hasn't any significant plot and all that happens is just from one victim to another, from one violent/perverse act to another.
At this point, I'll tell you that there is one little and nasty plot turn at the end of the film, so BE CAREFUL when/if you read other reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, because I've noticed couple of "reviews" that SPOIL that end twist and by knowing what the twist is, the whole viewing experience will be toned down and different. So please NOTE THIS WARNING ABOUT SPOILERS FOUND ON SOME REVIEWS ON AMAZON AND ELSEWHERE!! I definitely won't even hint about what the plot turn is, and I'm glad for being able to warn you others who haven't seen the film yet!
Back to the film: It is obvious that these cheap exploitation films usually haven't got any cinematic merits as great photography, atmosphere and so on, but Island of Death is a little exception, as the photography is at times very beautiful as some scenes were shot at the beach and at night, and their visuality show that director Mastorakis is pretty noteworthy film maker. Also, camera angles and use of camera is occasionally interesting and again prove the talent of Mastorakis. But those are perhaps the only cinematically positive things I found in this film, and since the film was originally made to be disgusting and perverse, on that level it definitely works!
It is interesting to know that Mastorakis has made many noteworthy productions, too, with stars like Nastassja Kinski and George Kennedy, and he has said, that Island of Death was made ONLY because of money and he had to get it at the time. That is exactly the case also with Umberto Lenzi and his rough and sadistic cannibal films Eaten Alive and Cannibal Ferox, which the director has said he made only because of money he needed badly that time, in the early 1980's. Mastorakis knew that, at the time he started to think about Island of Death, there were many nasty and cheap exploitation films (like Ilsa series etc.) making money, so he decided to try the same and write a movie as perverse, violent, nasty and sadistic as possible and then sell it and make plenty of dollars for more ambitious and interesting future film projects. That succeeded, and he has never done anything like Island of Death again, but still he is willing to talk about the film and telling interesting things about it. He says that the film is not his look of life and he is not some sick psycho who likes stuff committed on screen, and he did the film entirely because of monetary reasons. The inspiration for this kind of thing came when he saw Tobe Hooper's Texas Chain Saw Massacre and understood how cheap it was to make and how much money it made for its makers. Texas and Island are of course very different films and Texas is great and artistic overall, but the inspiration for Island of Death came after the director saw Texas and realized that similar (distantly, though) film could be made by him, also.
*MINOR SPOILERS DEPICTING THE ACTS OF VIOLENT MAYHEM COMMITTED ON THE FILM COMING; NOT ANY HUGE SPOILERS, THOUGH!*
The film was intended to shock and disgust and that it definitely delivers. There are scenes of rape, bestiality, goat sodomy, sword slashing, decapitation, impalement, urinating on an old and horny female and other similar acts of violence and perversion. There is also a pretty disgusting scene where a man is forced to drink paint while being crucified to the ground. This all sounds pretty vile, but the film is not as bloody or gory as one might think by now; of course it is sick and offensive, but not any gore-fest blood bath, so no one should raise the expectations too high. I wasn't disappointed at all, I just wanted to see this rare gem, but I know some may think it was too "soft" which is definitely isn't. If you still think - having seen the film - this is not nasty, read the beginning of this paragraph again and ask yourself: doesn't this really sound sick to me? The most politically incorrect scene is of course the scene where Chris rapes a goat and then kills it with a knife. For all the animal lovers out there (like myself), I can confirm that the director himself has said that the animal was NOT really killed (or raped) and they only stunned it for couple of hours and then shot the scene with fake blood and effects. And also, no human was hurt or abused during the making of Island of Death!
Rating: 
Summary: Oh My God. Who thinks this movie is good?
Review: Island of Death. Sounded like a cheesy "Dawn of the Dead" type Romero rip-off. Could be fun--what the heck? I bought it. And I'm sorry I did. Most disgusting movie ever? Puhleeze! Not even close. The so-called 'disgusting' scenes are thrown in as an afterthought just to sell movies (the director freely admits this in an interview on the DVD). And they just aren't very disturbing. If they were at least funny, that would be something. But they aren't even that. For a movie covering such a bloody subject, there are almost no graphic scenes whatsoever. The director tries to make this a virtue of the movie, saying the viewer's "imagination" provides the graphic elements. Bull-pucky. They just didn't know how to do it. They were incompetent, and it shows. Look--if Peter Jackson can figure out how to do it on $30,000, then these people can too. Deal with it. Please don't buy this movie. It's not scary, not creepy, not disturbing, and not entertaining. Maybe if you are planning a trip to Mykonos you can get a feel for the island. But that's about it.
Rating:
Summary: Oh My God. Who thinks this movie is good?
Review: Island of Death. Sounded like a cheesy "Dawn of the Dead" type Romero rip-off. Could be fun--what the heck? I bought it. And I'm sorry I did. Most disgusting movie ever? Puhleeze! Not even close. The so-called 'disgusting' scenes are thrown in as an afterthought just to sell movies (the director freely admits this in an interview on the DVD). And they just aren't very disturbing. If they were at least funny, that would be something. But they aren't even that. For a movie covering such a bloody subject, there are almost no graphic scenes whatsoever. The director tries to make this a virtue of the movie, saying the viewer's "imagination" provides the graphic elements. Bull-pucky. They just didn't know how to do it. They were incompetent, and it shows. Look--if Peter Jackson can figure out how to do it on $30,000, then these people can too. Deal with it. Please don't buy this movie. It's not scary, not creepy, not disturbing, and not entertaining. Maybe if you are planning a trip to Mykonos you can get a feel for the island. But that's about it.
Rating:
Summary: A sleaze masterpiece...
Review: That's the only way I can really describe this truly mental shocker filmed and set on the Greek holiday island of Mykonos. In this one, an outwardly likeable young couple land there, but it soon becomes apparent that the male side of the couple (Bob Belling) is a religious hypocrite - and a psychotic, raping one at that! He thinks he's God's avenging angel, and positively revels in his work, though his girlfriend (Jane Ryall) is equally as nuts. What follows is one of the most jaw-droppingly trashy and sleazy displays of rape, golden-showers, bestiality, torture, murder and weird Greek ballads that's ever been put onto film. None of it's hardcore and the Mykonos locations look superb, but the film remains an astonishingly scuzzy affair despite all that. Already available once on an excellent Greek DVD, it seems that Image are going to replicate it for an American release. If you're a fan of the film, just buy it. If you're not, and you like filthy, soul-soiling trash, buy it also. You know who you are...
Rating:
Summary: Don't let your kids see this one, or your parents!
Review: This film will truly shock. Even if you have seen countless other slasher, horror, crazed lunatic flicks you are guaranteed to see something you've never seen before (or will probably see again) in this insane asylum of a film. The one drawback to this DVD is the audio. There are certain points where you can hear a lot of background/distortion noise. Other than that, the picture quality is nice, with vibrant color remastering (supervised by director Nico himself). There is a very interesting 25 minute interview with the director, who is actually very amiable. He gives you all the details of why he put every sleaze known to man in this film. What's also nice about this film, is that it was an English language film with no subtitles and no bad dubbing, as so many other films of this genre are. The actors, while unknowns, give truly believable performances. One thing that did bug me was the main actor when he took photgraphs. He kept shooting multiple frames while panning the camera too much--these photos would never come out and be all blurry, and being a photographer myself, I kind of pick on that because it is not portrayed very accurately. No one on the production team must have been very knowledgeable about photography to realize that, but since a main element in the film was photography, they probably should have been. But come on, maybe I am being too picky, because after all, it is only a B-movie. Be warned, this is one of the most violent and perverted films of all time, and you are bound to be horrified at one point of another. The killing of one man by crucifixion and making him drink paint, causing him to drown, is truly horrifying. Other violent moments in the film, even though they are very sadistic, are actually cut just before you see the real gore. When I say cut, I don't mean edited, I mean the director chose not to show the actual gore parts of the death scenes, just cutting the take a hair before death or something extremely gory. Still, this ranks as one of, if not the most horrifying, sick, twisted, perverted and violent films of all time.
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