Despite indulging in some of the wildest genre excesses of the 1980s and '90s, golden age Hong Kong cinema was surprisingly skimpy when it came to the slasher boom of the time. Some Category III psycho movies like The Untold Story were somewhat indebted to the stalk-and-slash concept at times, but the real thing was limited to one-offs like The Deadly Camp. One of the earliest out of the gate was 1985's The Island, essentially a variation on the backwoods slasher idea with a simple premise that's frequently drawn comparisons to predecessors like Deliverance or The Hills Have Eyes. Tonally though it's much weirder and could also be described as Mother's Day by way of Anthropophagus, making it a peculiar entry in the crazy career of British/Hong Kong filmmaker Po-Chih Leong who also helmed the daffy giallo homage He Lives by Night, the Jude Law vampire film The Wisdom of Crocodiles, and Hong Kong 1941.

A joint screenwriting effort credited to production company D&B Films Co., Ltd. (better known for action films like Royal Warriors and the In the Line of Duty series), our tawdry survival tale takes place on and around an island inhabited by three goofy, musical, homicidal brothers who chain up and hunt mainlanders who happen to cross their path. With their sadistic ringleader mother dies, they're now completely unleashed to terrorize any new arrivals and look for a prospective mate for their youngest and dumbest, Sam Fat (Ching), in the process. Enter Mr. Cheung (comedy actor Sham), a teacher who's chaperoning six students for a getaway to the now desolate island. Upon arriving they get to scarf down some instant noodles and 7-Up as the brothers seem to be hospitable, but their behavior gets increasingly ominous with the eldest brother, Tai Fat (Chan), seeming to pose the biggest threat. Soon the field trip turns into a violent showdown with everything from sharp weapons to snakes to firecrackers turning into a tool for survival.

The structure of this film could be a stumbling block for first-time viewers with the first half or so largely relying on comedy shenanigans from our decidedly non-heroic teacher and freaky behavior of the three brothers. However, once night falls and the assault begins, it's a raucous good time with nonstop pandemonium among the entire cast. It isn't particularly gory, but the perverse tone (not to mention some mistreatment of tiny animal lifeforms in a few scenes) gives it a nasty edge often getting it ranked among the more extreme HK horror films around that time.

The Island made its first DVD appearance in 2001 from Fortune Star, featuring an interlaced transfer pulled from a PAL source and running fast at 88 minutes. The windowboxed 1.78:1 anamorphic release wasn't all that impressive but did the trick at the time, with optional English, Cantonese, or Mandarin subtitles provided. The 2025 Blu-ray release from Eureka is a tremendous upgrade in every way; the running time is correct, the 1.85:1 framing looks better (more on the sides, a bit less vertically), and the major increase in detail makes it far easier on the eyes. Most importantly, the gorgeous color here brings out the dramatic use of red in the film that was completely lost before, with vivid crimson accent lighting used throughout the night scenes. The DTS-HD MA 2.0 Cantonese audio sounds immaculate and features drastically improved optional English subtitles. A new commentary by Frank Djeng is up to his usual stellar standards with a thorough look at the background of D&B, local teacher-student conventions present in the story, the cultural significance of virginity that plays a role in the opening section, similarities to films like Straw Dogs, and lots more. A second, highly caffeinated and equally informative commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema has them enthusiastically surveying the actors' careers and life stories, the film's original title, the production history including the 1984 location shooting and product placements, the perils of sea urchins, and more. In addition to the trailer, you also get "Surviving the Shoot" (22m34s), a 2023 screening Q&A with Po-chih Leong by Roger Garcia (with Tim Youngs and Kiki Fung also on stage) and provided by Frédéric Ambroisine, covering the first-time actors for the students, the golden age of Hong Kong production, the challenges of the shoot's terrain, and the necessary tactics to satisfy the financiers. The limited edition comes with an O-card slipcase with new art by Ilan Shead and an insert booklet with a Leong interview and revised intro notes by Garcia.