Island Zero
Island Zero
Island Zero is an independent horror film written by Tess Gerritsen, and directed by her husband Josh Gerritsen, and released in 2018. Island Zero was filmed in Monhegan Island, Camden, Rockport, Northport, Lincolnville, and Isleboro Maine. The film took place and was filmed in and off the shore of the northern Midcoast of Maine. The cafe that many of the scenes took place in, were shot in an actual working cafe called Durkees in Isleboro Maine, and many of the cast and crew members were local Mainers. Due to a limited budget much of the wardrobe came from local Goodwill stores in and around Maine (though to make it more authentic they should have gotten the wardrobe from Mardens, if you are from Maine that I will make sense to you). The film was independently released in 2018 by Donkey Universe Pictures.
Island Zero stars Adam McLaughlen as Sam a scientist who is studying a strange pattern where entire fisheries are depleted, and fishermen start dying, which is something that has been happen northwards up the eastern coast of the USA, his research leads him to a small island off the coast of Maine. His girlfriend Lucy (played by Teri Reeves) and his daughter Nina (played by Anna Gravel) move to the small Island with him. Also visiting the island is a mysterious writer named Titus (played by Matthew Wilkas), and doctor named Maggie (played by Laila Robbins) who is helping fill in until the small island town can get a new full-time doctor. Local residents include Jessie (played by Joanna Clarke) who is a waitress at the cafe, Val (played by Stephanie Atkinson) who is the proprietor of the local cafe, and an overbearing older woman named Ruth played by Anabel Graetz and her husband Alvis played by Richard Sewell. The cast is pretty amature, and many, especially the local Mainers in the film this is there first time in a film. However taking that in to consideration, the cast is pretty decent in this film. I think the worst of all of the actors was Matthew Wilkas as Titus, he just seemed so fake, like he thinks he is a pretty boy and that his looks can warrant not being a good actor, but his acting is unbelievable, and he just comes across almost like he thinks he is above a low budget feature. The rest of the cast is honestly pretty good, and some of them feel really authentic, and just seem like someone that you would meet at the local cafe in a small island town in Maine, and I love that.
Island Zero is about a small island off the coast of Maine, that starts noticing that the lobstermen and fishermen are coming in with empty catches, which is beginning to have a negative effect on the island. Then the ferry to the mainland stops, then the power goes out and the phone and internet is cut off, and the island is now completely isolated from the mainland. Next people start showing up dead, and when boats try to leave they disappear. The island is completely cut off, and something is hunting the survivors of the island, can they survive?
I read one review where someone said that the film was "sunk by it's special effects", and I guess I can understand that, however being a fan of low budget films, I disagree. The film doesn't have a lot of special effects, and I appreciate that, because I am under the belief that if you can't do it well, then it is best to work around the effect, admit your limitations and work around them. So the actual monster gets very little screen time, and even most of the killings happen off screen. The monster looks a little fake, but it looks like how one of the characters describes what they saw, and for being a low budget film, the creature looks pretty decent, and when there is a close up, there is an element of realism, and I feel like it looks exactly how it is described, so as far as I am concerned, that is pretty decent. The one gory effect, where someone gets ripped in half, it is a simple practical effect, and it looks quite good, not overdoing the blood and gore, but trying to keep it simple and realistic. The one special effect that I thought could have been much better was when one of the characters lose an arm at the end, and dies from it, there was something about that effect that just didn't work for me, and it came across quite fake and unreal feeling. However overall the film looks really good, they captured the feel of a small island off the coast of Maine quite well, they captured the people, and the look quite well, and the effects are mostly really well done, and the budget seemed well spent for the effects. However there was one thing that I really didn't like about the film, and that is the ending...I won't give it away, but I did not like at all how it ended, I don't mind a wide open ending...but come on, don't leave it like this (you will have to watch it yourself to understand), but I do believe that honestly the rest of the film is good enough to make up for that. I do kind of think that they wrote themselves into a corner in the end, and I don't know what they could have done next, or how they could have ended it better.
I would give this film a relatively high rating for an independent low budget horror film, great story, decent acting, decent effects, and the sets are beautifully done and authentic to the area. I am pretty sure you can find the film online, or you can get it through Bullmoose in Maine (you can find them online), you can also find it through the film's official site: https://www.islandzeromovie.com/
So please go watch this film, and support independent filmmakers, especially those who choose the amazing state of Maine as a location for shooting their films.
Island Zero stars Adam McLaughlen as Sam a scientist who is studying a strange pattern where entire fisheries are depleted, and fishermen start dying, which is something that has been happen northwards up the eastern coast of the USA, his research leads him to a small island off the coast of Maine. His girlfriend Lucy (played by Teri Reeves) and his daughter Nina (played by Anna Gravel) move to the small Island with him. Also visiting the island is a mysterious writer named Titus (played by Matthew Wilkas), and doctor named Maggie (played by Laila Robbins) who is helping fill in until the small island town can get a new full-time doctor. Local residents include Jessie (played by Joanna Clarke) who is a waitress at the cafe, Val (played by Stephanie Atkinson) who is the proprietor of the local cafe, and an overbearing older woman named Ruth played by Anabel Graetz and her husband Alvis played by Richard Sewell. The cast is pretty amature, and many, especially the local Mainers in the film this is there first time in a film. However taking that in to consideration, the cast is pretty decent in this film. I think the worst of all of the actors was Matthew Wilkas as Titus, he just seemed so fake, like he thinks he is a pretty boy and that his looks can warrant not being a good actor, but his acting is unbelievable, and he just comes across almost like he thinks he is above a low budget feature. The rest of the cast is honestly pretty good, and some of them feel really authentic, and just seem like someone that you would meet at the local cafe in a small island town in Maine, and I love that.
Island Zero is about a small island off the coast of Maine, that starts noticing that the lobstermen and fishermen are coming in with empty catches, which is beginning to have a negative effect on the island. Then the ferry to the mainland stops, then the power goes out and the phone and internet is cut off, and the island is now completely isolated from the mainland. Next people start showing up dead, and when boats try to leave they disappear. The island is completely cut off, and something is hunting the survivors of the island, can they survive?
I read one review where someone said that the film was "sunk by it's special effects", and I guess I can understand that, however being a fan of low budget films, I disagree. The film doesn't have a lot of special effects, and I appreciate that, because I am under the belief that if you can't do it well, then it is best to work around the effect, admit your limitations and work around them. So the actual monster gets very little screen time, and even most of the killings happen off screen. The monster looks a little fake, but it looks like how one of the characters describes what they saw, and for being a low budget film, the creature looks pretty decent, and when there is a close up, there is an element of realism, and I feel like it looks exactly how it is described, so as far as I am concerned, that is pretty decent. The one gory effect, where someone gets ripped in half, it is a simple practical effect, and it looks quite good, not overdoing the blood and gore, but trying to keep it simple and realistic. The one special effect that I thought could have been much better was when one of the characters lose an arm at the end, and dies from it, there was something about that effect that just didn't work for me, and it came across quite fake and unreal feeling. However overall the film looks really good, they captured the feel of a small island off the coast of Maine quite well, they captured the people, and the look quite well, and the effects are mostly really well done, and the budget seemed well spent for the effects. However there was one thing that I really didn't like about the film, and that is the ending...I won't give it away, but I did not like at all how it ended, I don't mind a wide open ending...but come on, don't leave it like this (you will have to watch it yourself to understand), but I do believe that honestly the rest of the film is good enough to make up for that. I do kind of think that they wrote themselves into a corner in the end, and I don't know what they could have done next, or how they could have ended it better.
I would give this film a relatively high rating for an independent low budget horror film, great story, decent acting, decent effects, and the sets are beautifully done and authentic to the area. I am pretty sure you can find the film online, or you can get it through Bullmoose in Maine (you can find them online), you can also find it through the film's official site: https://www.islandzeromovie.com/
So please go watch this film, and support independent filmmakers, especially those who choose the amazing state of Maine as a location for shooting their films.
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