Review: Uninhabited (2010)

Directed by: Bill Bennett | 90 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Geraldine Hakewill, Henry James, Tasia Zalar, Bob Baines, Billy Milionis, Terry Siourounis

It sounds alluring: take a holiday on an uninhabited, remote and largely cut off from modern civilization, dotted with beautiful and pristine tropical forests and surrounded by crystal clear waters where life is thriving. Beth and Harry, a couple who are ready for an invigorating and restful, but also somewhat adventurous camping holiday, share that opinion. At first glance, the Australian mini paradise also seems to meet the expectations of the pair, especially for marine biologist Beth, who can marvel at the countless special fish and other sea creatures in the clear blue and shallow waters around the island. But it doesn’t take long for strange events to unfold and Beth and Harry realize they are not alone on the dream island.

‘Uninhabited’ initially seems like a film with the necessary potential, typically such a small, shaky film realized on a modest budget that is better than many of the more expensive, but clichéd horror films where Hollywood has dried up after the wave of horror classics from the eighties and nineties. of the twentieth century seems to have a patent on it. The images of nature in the first part are beautiful, while the tension is initially dosed and built up professionally. But about halfway through the film, when it becomes increasingly clear what is going on on the uninhabited island, the tension disappears and ‘Uninhabited’ turns more and more into a predictable, routine and not very original knows how to transcend.

The lack of tension and memorable scenes is partly due to the sometimes poorly worked out plot, but also to do with the stiff acting of Henry James. He portrays Harry as a completely uninteresting character, a beautiful boy with the appearance of a poo-brush. Geraldine Hakewill delivers a significantly better performance as Beth, but obviously can’t save the day as Beth and Harry are the only characters who get a lot of attention and are on screen for most of the film. In the end, what remains is a film that starts off nicely, but unfortunately cannot hold the attention for an hour and a half. A not very uplifting haunted house film, which is set from a dated Bounty advertisement instead of in a dilapidated building on a paradise island.