4 stars, an excellent cult horror restoration.
The Island is a 1985 Hong Kong survival horror film from acclaimed filmmaker Po-Chih Leong (Hong Kong 1941, Shanghai 1920).
It is presented here in Cantonese with English subtitles and is released by Eureka Entertainment as part of their Masters of Cinema series #324. It has enjoyed a 2K restoration and is available on Limited Edition Blu-ray from 13th October 2025.
“You Mainland people worked so hard to swim here. So your purpose is to stay here. Well, here’s your chance! I’ll give you my heirloom.”
Mr “Coffin” Cheung (John Sham – The Lucky Stars, Royal Warriors) is a geography teacher and has decided to bring six of his students on a field trip to improve their chances of passing their exams. He is taking them to the remote island of Tung Ping Chau, a place he visited many years before. With three girls, San San (Bo-Yan Ngan – Crazy Games), Cindy (Wai Kwan Kwok) and Phyllis (Hoi-Lun An – Millionaire’s Express) and three boys, Timothy (Timothy Zao – A Gambler’s Story), Piggy (Ching-Yuen Tse – Porky’s Meatballs) and Ronald (Ronald Wong – Ghost Lantern), what could possibly go wrong?
Well, of course we know the answer to that because as the film opens we see a very strange family living on this supposedly deserted island, running the family store, Fat Kee. It is run by Mother (Lap Ban Chan – Corpse Mania) and her three sons Dai Fat (Lung Chan – Encounter of the Spooky Kind), Yee Fat (Jing Chen – Magnificent Warriors) and Sam Fat (Billy Sau Yay Ching – Righting Wrongs). It has been decided that Sam Fat should carry on the family line and to this end they have imprisoned a young illegal immigrant to marry off against her will. 
As it turns out she is not pure enough and the shock of this revelation causes Mother to drop down dead on the spot.
Now mad with grief and still needing to find a wife for Sam Fat, the three brothers are overjoyed at the arrival on the island of a fresh new batch of innocents, ripe for the picking. Can the hapless Mr. Cheung summon the necessary courage and ability to get his students out of the mess of his making alive?
“Mum, I know Yee Fat and I are useless. Our family line will now depend on Sam Fat. We will find another wife for Sam Fat. Don’t worry about it.”
The Island is an excellent film, boasting breathtaking cinematography which is well and truly enhanced by the crispy and effective 2K restoration. The beautiful location and superb presentation really hammer home the remoteness of the island and the depth of their predicament. It is a good story, very reminiscent of Western slasher/survival flicks such as The Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but with elements of Hong Kong culture and folk horror which set it aside and make it even stranger to Western eyes.
It is totally non politically correct, features tons of bad eighties fashion and attitudes and also a cracking synth soundtrack which sounds great and helps add to the atmosphere. The first hour of the film is spent giving you a feeling of deep unease as all the mainlanders fail to grasp the severity of the situation and misread the psycho signals at every turn. It’s a slow burner, but with lots of social commentary as well as plenty of bloody and brutal horror, it’s well worth the wait.
A great addition to your Masters of Cinema collection.
“Dear tourists. This is Tung Ping Chau. The environment and wildlife here are all very special. This is stuff that you can’t learn in books.”
The Island is available on Limited Edition Blu-ray from 13th October 2025.
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:
- Limited edition of 2,000 copies
- Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Ilan Sheady
- Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring an interview with Po-Chih Leong and revised introduction notes on The Island by film writer, producer and film festival executive Roger Garcia
- 1080p HD presentation from a brand new 2K restoration
- Original Cantonese mono
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- New audio commentary with East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- New audio commentary with genre cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Surviving the Shoot – interview with director Po-Chih Leong from 2023 courtesy of Frédéric Ambroisine
- Trailer
| Director | Po-Chih Leong |
| Genre | Horror, survival |
| Starring | John Sham, Hoi-Lun Au, Billy Sau Yat Ching, Lung Chan, Jing Chen |
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