Fantasy Island
2020 · Directed by Jeff Wadlow
Original language: English
- adventure
- fantasy
- horror
- mystery
The story
A group of contest winners arrive at an island hotel to live out their dreams, only to find themselves trapped in nightmare scenarios.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated tropical daylight gives way to darker, claustrophobic horror in this studio thriller, with glossy digital photography, wide establishing shots of turquoise water and white sand, and a resort that looks postcard-perfect until its corridors and caves start to feel wrong. Night scenes lean on hard artificial light, shadowy grottos and cramped interiors, while the score swells with synth-tinged pulses and orchestral stings that push the tension. Pacing is brisk and genre-driven, with set-piece scares that arrive in quick succession and a steady drip of reveals. The mood is uneasy escapism: sunny surfaces hiding something rotten. Its arcs follow a group of strangers each chasing a personal wish and slowly realising the cost, with an undercurrent of brotherly loyalty and a question of identity running beneath the chaos. Intensity is moderate to high: frequent jump scares, peril and grisly deaths, with blood and some graphic violence, but no sustained gore for its own sake and little sexual content. It suits a Friday night with friends or a late-evening watch for viewers who enjoy horror with a bright, pulpy surface, rather than anyone wanting something gentle.
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