We reviewed the creature feature ISLAND ZERO back in May. Since then it kinda dropped off the map. So we were a little surprised when we heard from the director
Josh Gerritsen.
Those of you who’ve seen it know the opening of ISLAND ZERO involves a cute little pooch meeting a rather bad end. Well, that didn’t go over too well with a lot of viewers. Since they had some reservations about the opening scene in general they went back and shot a new opening for the film, one that ties into the main plot more directly.
Having had a chance to see the new cut I think the new opening works pretty well. Oddly, both scenes evoke memories of another overlooked creature feature, THE BOOGENS, in different ways.
Josh says “iTunes and Amazon now have the new version and is also the version on our DVD. Google Play, YouTube, and Hulu will be updating it soon. “
The film’s screenwriter, Tess Gerritsen, author of the Rizzoli & Isles novels and Josh’s mother has an entry on her blog about how the original scene came about, the reaction to it and the decision to reshoot.
I was certainly aware that animal deaths are a trigger point in fiction, even for hardcore thriller readers, but I assumed horror movie fans were a tougher bunch. After all, they’re accustomed to zombie apocalypses and oozing brains and fountains of blood. Surely they can handle the death of a yappy little terrier.Or so I thought when my son Josh and I made our low-budget horror film “Island Zero.”
You can read the whole piece here, it’s pretty interesting and gives a different perspective onfilmmaking than you usually see.
And you can find ISLAND ZERO, starring Laila Robins, Adam Wade McLaughlin, and Teri Reeves on iTunes and Amazon