Demon Island
| Demon Island | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand |
| Produced by | Nicholas Brendon, Reid Burns, Sanford Hampton, David Hillenbrand, Scott Hillenbrand, Albert Miniaci, and Lance Matthew Olsen |
| Written by | David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand |
| Starring |
Nicholas Brendon Jaime Pressley Eugene Byrd |
| Music by | David Hillenbrand |
| Cinematography | Philip D. Schwartz |
| Edited by | Guy W. Cearley |
| Distributed by | First Look Home Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 85 min. |
| Language | English |
Demon Island, also called Piñata: Survival Island, is a 2002 horror film that stars Nicholas Brendon and Jaime Pressley.
Plot
Many years ago, a small, isolated tribe were cursed by spirits for their sins. One of the tribesmen crafted a clay piñata which the tribe put their evil into, and then sent the object afloat in the ocean. Though the curse had been lifted from the tribe, a great evil would erupt from the piñata, should it be disturbed. Present day, a group of college students sail to a remote island for an annual Cinco de Mayo treasure hunt. There, every fraternity boy is handcuffed to a random sorority girl. Each couple is instructed to collect as many pairs of strewn underwear on the island as possible. The couple that collects the most underwear and presents them to judges Monica (Casey Fallo) and Paul (Garrett Wang) will receive $20,000. The groups consist of Jake (Nate Richert) and Julie (Daphne Duplaix), Doug (Eugene Byrd) and Carmen (Julia Mendoza), Bob (Robert Ten) and Lisa (Lara Wickes), Larry (Aeryk Egan) and Connie (Tressa DiFiglia), and Kyle (Nicholas Brendon) and Tina (Jaime Pressly). As the hunt starts, the pairs eagerly retrieve underwear, apart from Kyle and Tina who have just broken up with each other. Bob and Lisa find the piñata, accidentally bringing the object to life as it proceeds to beat Bob to death with a branch while Lisa runs away.
Kyle and Tina decide to forget about the break-up and join in the game. Meanwhile, Lisa attempts to warn Larry and Connie of the piñata, but neither of them believe her and continue on their search. As they do so, they pick up a shovel, and get a bunch of underwear from a secret stash. The piñata picks up the shovel, and crushes Connie's head before turning on Larry. Lisa goes to the camp, and tells Paul and Monica about what she saw. The judges, unsure about whether they should believe her or not, go to look for Bob. While they do so, Jake and Julie see the piñata, and when Jake goes to open it, the piñata grabs him and rips out his testicles while it beats Julie to death. Paul is later killed, as Kyle and Tina reconcile. A new group of Kyle, Tina, Doug, Carmen, and Lisa now leave when they see Bob ripped in half on a tree. Doug is hanged by the piñata. As Carmen and Lisa go back, Lisa takes a bathroom break right before Carmen gets her head chopped off. Monica finds Kyle and Tina. Lisa makes it to the camp and thinks Larry and Connie are in there just before she is killed by the piñata. Kyle, Tina and Monica kill the piñata by blowing it up by a Molotov cocktail.
Cast
- Nicholas Brendon as Kyle
- Jaime Pressly as Tina
- Eugene Byrd as Doug
- Casey Fallo as Monica
- Lara Wickes as Lisa
- Garrett Wang as Paul
- Julia Mendoza as Carmen
- Daphne Duplaix as Julie
- Nate Richert as Jake
- Aeryk Egan as Larry
- Tressa DiFiglia as Connie
- Robert Tena as Bob
- Ed Gale as Piñata
Reception
The film was panned by critics, receiving a 2.4 out of 10 on IMDb from over 3,000 users. Many complained about the unrealistic CGI, the lacking horror, and the very bland cast of characters. On Rotten Tomatoes, it states that only 19% of the audience enjoyed the film.
Production Notes
Originally, Demon Island contained no computer effects; the piñata monster was played by an actor in a rubber suit. After the final cut, computer effects were added to make the monster more frightening.