Isle Of The Damned
Directed By Mike Colegrove
Released: 2008
Starring: Larry Gamber, Peter Crates, Patrician Rosa, and Keith Tveit Langsdorf
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Studio: Dire Wit Films

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While searching for the treasure of Marco Polo, Jack Steel (played by Larry Gamber) and his associates run afoul of the cannibalistic Yama Yama tribe. Jack and his ward Billy (played by Peter Crates) are saved from the bellies of the tribe by Alexis Kincaid (Keith Tveit Langsdorf), an eccentric man living on the island with a sad tale to tell. Everything goes to shit when Harold Thompson (played by Patrician Rosa), the conniving pederast, betrays Jack Steel and company by going after the treasure of Marco Polo himself despite the imminent danger of being munched alive by the Yama Yamas.

The Italian cannibal films of the late 70s and early 80s were just begging to be parodied and their long overdue thrashing is here. What makes Isle Of The Damned such a successful send-up is the cast and crew bending over backwards to make their vision come together. Take Umberto Lenzi's infamous classic Cannibal Ferox and mix it with Spike Jonze's video for the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage". Then add a lot more foul language and man-on-man rape scenes and you'll have Isle Of The Damned.

Technically, this indie film has great camerawork, lighting, editing, and direction. Picturesque wooded locations, stock animal footage (that actually matches with the rest of the film stock!), a modest-sized mansion, and even a sailboat give this flick a classy edge. Even one of my major pet peeves, digital gunshots, are done quite well here. The fake mustaches and pitiful wigs are so awfully wonderful that they almost become characters themselves. Awesome.

More importantly however, is the creativity behind this monster. The intentionally out-of-sync dubbed dialogue is hilarious, the aged films stock is tastefully done, the superb soundtrack is heavily influenced by 70s Italian horror films, and oh yes, the gore is disgusting. Another plus is that the cast is willing to get knee deep in the sickness of this trashy wonder. Nobody seems embarrassed or gives anything less than a wacked out performance.

Isle Of The Damned captures the nasty spirit of the Italian cannibal film and forces it to its knees. This wickedly offensive film features a ton of gut munching and brain eating. And of course, there's also the always important genital mutilation. This is just so dang wrong that you’ll want to shield your eyes and cover your ears but you’ll be too busy cracking up. Clearly, the crew behind Isle Of The Damned love their influences enough to decimate them with kindness and respect.
 

DVD Stuff

Isle Of The Damned is presented here in anamorphic widescreen. In keeping with its "lost" status (circa. 1981), the film has been digitally aged with scratches and rough edges but still looks very good. Audio is decent with only some of the dialogue turned up too loud. A surly and yet proud character named Scurvy Dan screams all of his dialogue and yeah, you’re gonna feel it.

The extras are a dang riot. This is where director Mike Colegrove and his gang take the parody one step further. The interview with the son of imaginary director Antonello Giallo is genius. Also on the DVD is a feature where the Dire Wit Films crew "shamelessly" promote themselves at a horror con and trailers for other Dire Wit features.

Quotes

“This gravy is delicious! Can I have some more?”
“No, Billy, I think you’ve had enough.”

Links

Check out Dire Wit Films for more info.