We usually don’t review comedies here at Splatter (serious films that unintentionally make us laugh cause they are so bad is a different matter) but when I heard what this movie was about, I had to see it. Isle of the Damned is a spoof on 80’s Italian cannibal movies and it’s chock full of bloody nostalgia. Mark Colegrove (director, producer and editor of said film) had an original concept on his hands and he played it quite well. Anyone that has seen at least a couple of these cannibal films (Cannibal Holocaust, The Mountain of the Cannibal God, Jess Franco’s Cannibals to name a few.) can easily recognize and enjoy the hilarious satire.

The movie plays as if it was the footage of the previously lost, controversial film by Antonello Giallo, a rogue, Italian filmmaker. In the movie a fat treasure hunter named Thompson hires Jack Steele, a tough P.I. with a deep black guy’s voice to help him in his quest for the lost treasure of Marco Polo, and of course the treasure lies on an island full of cannibals. Jack brings along his sexually confused adopted son Billy only to have him sodomized by Thompson. By the way, there are several rear entries in this film. Later, on the island, the trio meet up with Alexis Kincaid and his mute servant Cain. Alexis has a mansion on the island and appears to be a mysterious figure.

The main reason I did not give this film a five was because of the subplot with Billy’s sexual identity and Thompson’s lust for anything that moves. I may be mistaken but these elements don’t appear to be in any of the 80’s cannibal films and therefore don’t seem to fit with the rest of the picture. There were plenty of gratuitous gore and blood splatter and that was wondrous. I am not going to list them all here but my favorite has to be the cutting off of the penis. This was done extremely well. Also the scene where Kincaid’s avarice for the gold leads him to crush a baby’s skull with his boot was fantastic. The characters in this movie are excellent stereotypes from the 80’s cannibal films. One more thing, where are the breasts? We need more breasts. I’d say take out some of the stuff with Billy and flash some boobage. There was one nice shot of a native girl in the river and a quick glimpse later on but that’s not nearly enough. Just ask Jesus Franco. Kudos on the disembowelings, jungle traps, and even the cannibal sodomy scene. I also thought that the romance between Cain and the redhead was nice. I was expecting to see her naked. But my favorite character was Jack Steele. The stereotype was perfect, with the blonde wig and the heart of gold.

Being a fan of these cannibal movies I can say that this was an unexpected gift. With all the spoof comedies out in Hollywood these days it’s good to know that there’s one for us schlock movie lovers. I recommend this film to any B-Movie, exploitation or cult film fan. I can guarantee you have never seen anything like it.

- Jorge Antonio Lopez