HUMONGOUS (aka DOG ISLAND, 1982)
Directed by Paul Lynch.
Written by William Gray.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/plEcacfuy6c
Watch it here: https://vimeo.com/836410103

On the one hand, HUMONGOUS is your typical 80’s slasher flick. It’s got an unseen killer with a dastardly origin stalking clueless and hormone driven youths through a forest. Nothing we haven’t seen in a FRIDAY THE 13TH film dozens of times. Except this time…it’s on an island! Despite the fact that what plays out in HUMONGOUS is highly formulaic, it follows this formula in a skillful manner that proves to be mighty horrific for its time.

HUMONGOUS (aka DOG ISLAND, named after the secluded island these horrific events occur upon) is about the product of a nasty rape that resulted in the birth of a monstrous child. Like other films such as MOTHER’S DAY, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, and THE BEAST WITHIN, rape is given monstrous form in HUMONGOUS. In a metaphorical sense, the monsters in these films represent the stigma attached to a victim that is hard to move on from. Though all rapes don’t result in pregnancy, there is the nightmare that follows the heinous crime. In horror movies, this nightmare is given the form of a beast. The beast in HUMONGOUS is just that: a seven-foot-tall madman that grew up away from society on an island populated only by a rape survivor and a pack of wild dogs. Of course, the child is just a tiny bit…maladjusted. Having to compete with wild hounds for food makes one quite surly, I’d imagine.

Much of the movie is dedicated to the uneasy connection between the youngsters which basically serve as fodder for our madman. Though the story of two warring brothers is somewhat interesting, this plot thread is only touched upon and the film quickly falls into convention with the virginal good final girl being the only one left to take on the monster.

The rape scene at the beginning of this film is horrific, but director Paul Lynch (who also directed PROM NIGHT) chooses to focus on the terror of it, amping it to its maximum fright potential without lingering uncomfortably on it as with other films such as the I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE series. Lynch opens the film with a haunting montage of still photographs set to elevator-style jazz music. Having just witnessed a brutal rape and then being inundated with these saccharinated photos of a woman who through the photos grows older and more secluded on the island is a memorable way of to communicate the passage of time. Lynch is guilty of aping POV shots seen in BLACK CHRISTMAS, HALLOWEEN, and FRIDAY THE 13TH, but impresses me with moody lighting, especially in the scenes with the disfigured monster in them, only seen in silhouette in front of a bright light source.

The monster, played by Garry Robbins, is imposing in stature, but also in the manner by which he moans and groans. The sounds coming from the humongous creature are ones of pain and remorse. It almost sounds like a crying man-baby crashing around and killing all of these youngsters and later feeling pain from these acts.

HUMONGOUS shouldn’t be on the top of anyone’s must see list, but if you’re looking for old slasher conventions done right, it’s sure to please. The film stars David Wallace (best known for MAZES AND MONSTERS and MORTUARY) with T&A provided by Joy Boushel (who was the bar floozy Goldblum beds in THE FLY), plus there’s 70’s “Nancy Drew” star Janet Julian as the final girl. The acting is actually pretty good.
There’s a pretty small kill count and I wouldn’t call any of those creative but this film keeps its brutal tone throughout the film as this man-monster smashes every person in its path. Though the film pulls a page right from the ending of FRIDAY THE 13th PART 2 as the final girl tries to confuse the monster by posing at its mother, HUMONGOUS has enough chills and unnerving thrills to entertain if you’re in the mood for something trashy and slashy.

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
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