Demon Island (2002)

Directors:

David Hillenbrand
Scott Hillenbrand

Writers:

David Hillenbrand (writer)
Scott Hillenbrand (writer)

Release Date:

14 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A Weekend To Dismember.

Plot:

Teens trapped on an island are haunted by a demon hidden inside...a pinata. |

Plot Keywords:

Island | Demon | Blood | Midget | Slasher

Cast

Nicholas Brendon	...	Kyle
Jaime Pressly	...	Tina
Eugene Byrd	...	Doug
Casey Fallo	...	Monica (as Kasey Fallo)
Nate Richert	...	Jake
Garrett Wang	...	Paul
Lara Wickes	...	Lisa (as Lara Boyd Rhodes)
Ed Gale	...	Piñata
Julia Mendoza	...	Carmen
Aeryk Egan	...	Larry
Daphne Duplaix	...	Julie
Robert Tena	...	Bob
Tressa DiFiglia	...	Connie (as Tressa di Figlia)
Syante Villa	...	Shaman
Manny Twofeathers	...	Piñata Maker

Also Known As:

Piñata (USA) (working title)
Piñata: Survival Island (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language, some sexual content and drug use.

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:18 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Singapore:M18 | USA:R

Trivia:

The movie was originally shot with no computer effects for the monster, just an actor in a rubber suit. The final cut was deemed not scary enough, and all the computer effects for the creature were added.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the girl handcuffs the Molotov cocktail to the back of the monster's head while they are trying to escape, you can briefly see the bottle fall on to the ground, and then in the next shot it is back on the monster.

Quotes:

Lisa: Monica, I need to pee.
Monica: Just hold it in.
Lisa: I have been waiting for over an hour.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pinata: Making of the Monster (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Cherry Missile

So bad it's painful

Poor Nicholas Brendon. While his other Buffy castmates get to do theatrical films he is stuck in this straight to video abomination so awful everyone involved should actually be ashamed. The monster is particularly embarrassing--a computer generated thing that looks like it stepped out of a video game and almost never interacts with the live actors, making it seem even more fake. The idea of a killer Pinata might have offered some campy fun if the thing actually looked like a Pinata. The only film I've seen recently that was comparably dreadful was House of the Dead, which I actually walked out of when I was foolish enough to pay and see it in a theater. Movies like this really make you long for the return of Mystery Science Theater 3000.