As I said recently when discussing Sweetheart, island-set horror is a rare, but almost always interesting exercise. The endless openness of water and the sense of being trapped on land can often work together to maximize any genre threat. It's often a pricey, dangerous choice for a filmmaker to make, particularly on a small budget.
Sunhats off to Josh and Tess Gerritsen for giving it a sail.
Some years later, we land on a remote island off the coast of Maine, a one-diner community primarily populated by some frustrated fishermen. Marine biologist/Richard Dryefuss long-lost cousin Sam is on hand to lend some advice about where all the sea-dwelling creatures have gone, but his scientific theories can only go so far when the island becomes cut off from the rest of the world.
It doesn't take long for Island Zero to challenge Cabot Cove for the title of deadliest New England town. Invisible (to the human eye) creatures seem to be tearing through the local populace, leaving behind little but a whole lot of goo.
As a deep, DEEP fan of Murder, She Wrote (did YOU cut your wedding cake to the opening theme song?) I have an admitted soft spot for New England-isms, and it's utterly charming to have real accents at play, especially when helped along by the stabilizing force of "real" actors Laila Robins and Adam Wade McLaughlin, who turn in their own dedicated performances
Low Points
I heartily admire just how smart the Gerritsens were in establishing their island horror without showing much of anything, but yes, at a certain point, I had to wonder if I was genuinely enjoying or just more appreciating their various methods.
Lessons Learned
You can't count on anything when you live on an island
Always peek at your Christmas presents. You never know if they include technology that might save your life
I can't say that Island Zero will work for every horror fan, but there's a lot here to enjoy and even more to respect. Give it a try, now streaming on Amazon Prime.