it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I believe that there are several reasons this film has received such low scores. First, the title is somewhat misleading because, as several people have correctly pointed out, there really aren't any zombies in this film. Now, maybe this film was given this title to take advantage of the fact that zombie movies are currently in vogue. Maybe not. But with a title like "Zombie Island Massacre" the typical "zombie enthusiast" (like myself) will buy or rent the film expecting certain things. When it turns out to be something completely different it feels like the old "bait and switch". No doubt some might even feel like they were swindled. To therefore think that they would give this film a high score simply isn't logical. Another reason for the low scores might also be because of the low budget which didn't attract the best talent in Hollywood to participate. For example, Rita Jenrette (as "Sandy") was quite attractive. But her acting abilities weren't good enough to turn this film into a success. Certainly not with the rest of the cast available. Likewise, the plot was okay. However, it wasn't exactly unique as it's been done before on several occasions. In short, I don't think this was a "bad movie" per se. The problem was that it just didn't have some of the critical ingredients necessary to make this into a "good movie" considering everything else.

Let's talk about a few of the meritorious aspects of this film, the title of which already promises disappointment and disaster. Its biggest draw was arguably the female lead, whose claim to fame was not being a "Playboy Playmate," but being part of a scandal that took the nation by storm – congressmen's wives are not the kind expected to misbehave. Those who recall this affair might get some degree of satisfaction with seeing what the hubbub was about, and Ms. Jenrette does a credible job with her acting, at times even being allowed to chew up the scenery. (How impressive that she also had a hand in a reggae song on the soundtrack; as another pointed out, the choice of reggae was refreshing.)David Broadnax came up short in the screen charisma department, although his rugged, handsome good looks (reminded me of Fred Williamson) were welcome with the dashing role he played; at first I thought he might have carried the day from the zombie menace in the same vein as the famously African-American lead of Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. (Mr. Broadnax was reportedly not a healthy man, unfortunately having only fifteen years of life left from the time of this role.) That was before I got the notion that we were not going to be in for a swarm of zombies, as the title gave the impression, a fact that did not sit well with many of the reviewers here, horror fans with a one-track mind. (I was disappointed as well, but not to the point of giving up on the movie.)Low-budget horror fans ought to be used to being taken in by misleading titles, a phenomenon not always the fault of dishonest filmmakers, but the distributors who are not above meddling with changes. Yet the title is not totally off-kilter; we are on an island, and the many killings that take place would be called a massacre. Regardless of the identity of the apparent "swamp thing" who went around committing the murders, it's not as though the film does not boast a zombie, That would be during the voodoo sequence, which succeeded in achieving a nice dosage of creeps; the mud-caked resurrected zombie was an interesting throwback to Val Lewton's I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE – not the kind of cinematic zombie that fans prefer to see in their brain-eaters.I thought the pairing of two "hunks," the white and black heroes, was an innovative concept; often in movies, there is no confusion about who the real hero is. I also liked the suspense that was created up until around the point when the tour bus had been vandalized, and when the bus driver went out to make that abortive phone call for help; as he came upon a couple of disturbing developments, some genuine tension was created. We knew we would be in for it afterwards, in typical horror film fashion, with the absurd ways by which many of the victims were done in.Some of the acting was -- as may be expected -- uneven, but the older villain by the film's conclusion got very high marks, as well as the female who turned out to be in cahoots with the skullduggery. When led at gunpoint by one of our heroes, the actress especially shined.Many of the gripes that other reviewers have pointed out are justified; the film had potential, but turned out rather dull and senseless in many areas. The biggest letdown for me was the genre-switching plot twist at the finale, which made a mockery of the film's horror foundation, like something out of "Scooby Doo."The missed opportunities are a pity. A group of tourists stranded {especially at night) in a foreign and threatening locale can be such a welcome premise, when done correctly. A horror film that got it right was 2007's ROGUE, where a tour boat breaks down in the Australian outback.One of the disadvantages of forums where anyone is allowed to comment is that so many people can be so wrong. Let's try to keep in mind that Troma the production company is a far cry from Troma, the distributor. (In order to keep afloat, Troma concentrated its firepower during its later operational phase with the latter role.) Thus, the familiar product that Troma is known for, the grossly comical efforts such as THE TOXIC AVENGER, have nothing to do with independently produced films that have little call in the marketplace, and thereby are forced to slum their wares with a little outfit such as Troma. One reviewer, to give a glaring example, pointed to BLOOD SUCKING FREAKS and MOTHER'S DAY as two typical Troma films. Those films were made by creators having nothing to do with Troma, at a time before Troma even came into substantive being.

It has been a while since I have seen this film - almost five years. This film is so predictable, all the dumb tourists get to die first, and the cunning tourists fight it out - but where are the zombies? I think i only remember seeing one through the film.The gore scenes could have been a bit longer, as they were set in the Caribbean jungle, the usual props are there - a pit covered in leaves and the stoners fall in, speared to death by a sharpened bamboo pole. Some of the lighting in the film is a bit dull, too. The soundtrack is one I like (Harry (Friday the 13th) Manfrendini) had added this score of music to the film. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover enough for a film of this type - a real bow-wow. Only true zombie fans would enjoy this film.

The title of a movie should have some connection to the contents.The director seems to have forgotten this.The acting was fine, the feel was spooky and gratuitous breasts are always nice but where are all the zombies that massacre people?In addition to the other movie suggestions, I would add, Hell of the Living Dead (aka Virus) http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0082559/ and any of the Romero zombie flicks.For my taste, all that would have been required for this movie to be decent would be to add at least a dozen zombies and a confrontation between them and the visitors to the island.