MOVIE REVIEWS

_**Something eerie is happening on an isle off the coast of Maine**_ An island 40 miles off the Maine coast is increasingly cut off from the mainland and, worse, islanders start coming up missing at sea. What’s going on? Adam Wade McLaughlin stars as a marine biologist who suspects what’s really happening. "Island Zero" (2018) is a competent low-budget mystery/horror that mixes Stephen King with flicks like “Island of the Burning Damned” (1967), “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) and “The Fog” (1980/2005). It’s also a little reminiscent of the contemporaneous “A Quiet Place.” So the basic plot is old hat, but the authentic locations, camerawork, score, acting and gore are all quite good. The fact that this is a low-budget movie isn’t really evident until the closing reel. While Laila Robins emerges as the female protagonist, Teri Reeves stands out in the looks department, but someone more notable or dynamic was needed for the latter role or the role of the diner waitress (Joanna Clarke); or both. The characters are decent, but they needed fleshed out further with more interesting drama. The story just seemed pedestrian. But there are some interesting revelations. Meanwhile some of the F/X are well done and some are not. The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot on the coast of Maine south of Acadia National Park in Camden, Rockport, Islesboro and Monhegan Island. GRADE: B-/C+

Perhaps if more of the modern-day horror directors were to watch some of the older - less technically sophisticated/lazy - efforts in this genre, they might realise that cutting off cellphone and wifi coverage doesn't actually create a scary environment for a story. It really takes some proficient acting/writing talent and some imagination - creative elements that this film sadly lacks. Anyway, an island off the coast of Maine suddenly finds itself incommunicado and the increasingly hysterical residents start to wash up on the beaches. Luckily, they have the military-trained "Maggie" (Laila Robins) on hand and after a bit of panic, some duplicity and a degree of rudimentary deduction a band of half a dozen who manage to keep their heads, deduce just what's pursuing them. Thing is, though - can they thwart the violent ambitions of their new co-residents? Every expense has been spared on just about every aspect of this. The visual effects rely on night vision camera infra-reds to compensate for the lack of a focus for the terrified folks on the screen and the bemused ones watching it. The darkness and over-scoring is left to do most of the heavy lifting as this rumbles along to a denouement that left me wishing their visitors had prevailed about an hour earlier. Twenty minutes too long and instantly forgettable, sorry.