Shudder has released the trailer for its brand new horror film Monster Island .
Starring All Creatures Great and Small’s Callum Woodhouse and Fullmetal Alchemist’s Dean Fujioka, Monster Island tells the story of a Japanese soldier and a British POW.
Stranded on a deserted island, the pair are forced to band together after discovering that they are being hunted by a ferocious mythological creature.
In the film’s first trailer, we get a glimpse of the monster, the Orang Ikan, based on Malay folklore and inspired by the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Per the trailer, the tension escalates as the leading men fight for survival on the island, with early reactions peppered through the trailer, including Dread Central’s assertion that the film is “terrifying”.
Asian Movie Pulse hails Woodhouse’s performance “excellent”, while RogerEbert.com states Monster Island is “a good time at the movies”.
Shudder
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The film is written and directed by Mike Wiluan, who previously served as producer on Crazy Rich Asians and The Night Comes For Us.
A synopsis reads: “A Japanese ship transporting prisoners of war to occupied territories for slave labor. After being torpedoed by allied submarines, a Japanese soldier and a British POW are stranded on a deserted island and soon discover that they’re being hunted by a ferocious mythological creature, the Orang Ikan.
“Both the soldier and POW realize that they must work together to survive the unknown, despite their differences.”
Shudder
Speaking about the film, which was previously titled Orang Ikan, Wiluan opened up on the folkloric influences behind Monster Island’s terrifying creature.
“Orang Ikan is a creature horror that draws its inspiration from the early monster films such as Jack Arnold’s 1954 Creature from the Black Lagoon combined with a popular Malay Folklore and actual reports of sightings by Japanese occupying forces in East Indonesia during the war,” he said (per Deadline).
“Orang Ikan is an Asian interpretation of the creature theme set during the tragic real life occurrences of WW2. Aside from the horror, the film accentuates the theme of brotherhood and humanity against devastating reality of survival. This particular theme was inspired by John Boorman’s 1968 classic Hell in the Pacific.”
Monster Island is released on Shudder on July 25.
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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy
Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more.
Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club.
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