Horror Movie Review: Red Island (2018)

A distressed couple become stranded on an isolated island only to get hunted by an unforeseen force.

That’s the IMDB synopsis for Red Island. Hardly fills you with excitement. Although it should be noted that the end result is far more complex than the short description implies. Does that mean it’s a good movie?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Unless you enjoy watching dull horror that thinks it’s saying something profound.

It doesn’t begin well either. As we see a man, who we will later know as John (Georgie Daburas), being interviewed about the disappearance of his wife on an island. His story is what we’re about to experience and immediately, the stakes are super low as we already know John lives and his wife doesn’t.

This is Amy (Alex Essoe) and her and John’s marriage is crumbling. She recently had a miscarriage (the film does a terrible job of making this clear) and she seems to harbour resentment towards him. Wanting to try and repair their marriage, John has accompanied her to an isolated island where she is going to study some Native American artefacts.

Playing the role of frustrated but supportive husband, it will transpire that he has another reason to be there… financial gain.

No one would blame you if by the halfway point you just gave up on this film. The relationship drama is so dull and the two characters are so unlikable, there is nothing to grab the attention. It’s not even possible to enjoy the acting as both stars have so little to work with. Maybe, the cinematography can be praised but there are far better movies with pretty shots of nature.

…but wait. There’s a monster, right? Eventually, as the removal of a ceremonial mask wakes up something on the island. It’s too little to late. Red Island has gone out of its way to bore the living hell out of you and any attempt to galvanise things falls flat.

It ends up feeling like such a chore to get through.