The folk horror of The Isle is eerily cold and disorienting, yet with an intriguing Celtic flair.
The story has been seen before, so for me it was more about how the world was built and how it contributed to the horror. The Scottish island, set in 1846, did the trick with its fog constantly seeping in and its unsettling cliffs sprouting just far enough apart to create the illusion that there was nowhere to hide.
The story follows three sailors who wash ashore after a shipwreck and find themselves among a tight-lipped handful of locals. Why would only four people live on an island? Where did everyone else go? The restraint in answering these questions is where the horror comes in, a chilling sense that maybe these sailors are being bamboozled and sidetracked simply because the residents want company. My recommendation: surrender to the atmosphere and let the overcast skies, the locals’ hesitancy, and the craggy rocks build the bleak suspense.
Beneath the ghostly surface (with a curse well-played, in my opinion), the movie is about the myths and fears permeating isolated communities that have limited outlets to construct a better reality and survive beyond their history. There’s a connection to the likes of The Wicker Man and The Lighthouse in this tradition, treating world-building as a character rather than just a backdrop. Fans of literary horror in that vein should be intrigued by The Isle.
The pacing, while quick to unsettle me in the beginning, tested me a bit in the middle, but it’s a deliberate ambiguity designed to leave certain answers unresolved, and I enjoy a film that takes pride in letting the world linger on you days after just as much as the characters.
Watch now on Kanopy (Free with your library card).
Comment below your thoughts once you’ve had a watch.
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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant
Hoboken Public Library Blog 