I couldn't believe how lazy the editing was in this movie. About a quarter way through the audio takes on this weird tin can reverb that doesn't go away, and at the end of the movie they didn't even bother to edit out the marker code. The acting was okay, but the script and transitions were pretty awful and nonsensical. I'd recommend watching drunk with friends for a laugh, but don't do it sober. Not scary enough to be horror and not funny enough to be a comedy-this was just a hot mess. I gave this 2 stars because I wasn't bored, the house was nice, and the lead actor was cute. Thoughts and prayers.
9 Reviews
A waste of the time I spent watching it.
silverbishounen30 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Okay. I'm definitely the target audience for this film. I love slasher flicks, even cheesy ones, and I'm a trans woman, so the Queer Horror aspect is generally appreciated very much!
I'll start with the reason I even gave it 2 stars:
The acting and what special effects there were? Pretty good. The characters were generally pretty believable, if unlikable at times, and it had a few genuinely good jump scares and a few moments of well built tension, as well.
I was actively rooting for the final girl and final boy to survive, as they were the most likeable of the five main characters.
But this movie made very little sense and felt like it strung 2-3 different scripts together to try and tie everything together. Again, I LOVE slasher flicks, even cheesy 80s ones where they didn't always know what they're doing, but this was just...
For a second, I thought it was jumping back and forth in the timeline because the older gay couple in their nice place seemed to mention something about a body being found out in the water a year prior, and with the ending, it could all tie together in a weird way...
But no, it really was just about someone "driven crazy" by isolation and murdering people.
I ended up having to watch this movie over a couple days because I'd invested 15-20 minutes into it already and wanted to give it a chance, but despite finally being able to manage the attention span, until the last bit I really didn't find myself wanting to finish it.
I was, as I said, rooting for the final boy and the final girl, but rather than let the hero escape, he dies and the killer moves on to keep killing again, meaning the police... never found all the bodies in that hotel?
Add in all the bad sound editing, and I do mean BAD (at one point I thought it was my iPad not being able to handle something, but it was just as bad on our TV) and the visible time code at the end, and it's clear that this was a movie that has only been released because of the writer and actor strikes.
I feel like with a couple quick reshoots, some better sound control and tighter editing and this could be a really good movie, but we'll likely never see those changes.
I hope this movie doesn't stop actual GOOD Queer Horror from being made because it was a flop.
I'll start with the reason I even gave it 2 stars:
The acting and what special effects there were? Pretty good. The characters were generally pretty believable, if unlikable at times, and it had a few genuinely good jump scares and a few moments of well built tension, as well.
I was actively rooting for the final girl and final boy to survive, as they were the most likeable of the five main characters.
But this movie made very little sense and felt like it strung 2-3 different scripts together to try and tie everything together. Again, I LOVE slasher flicks, even cheesy 80s ones where they didn't always know what they're doing, but this was just...
For a second, I thought it was jumping back and forth in the timeline because the older gay couple in their nice place seemed to mention something about a body being found out in the water a year prior, and with the ending, it could all tie together in a weird way...
But no, it really was just about someone "driven crazy" by isolation and murdering people.
I ended up having to watch this movie over a couple days because I'd invested 15-20 minutes into it already and wanted to give it a chance, but despite finally being able to manage the attention span, until the last bit I really didn't find myself wanting to finish it.
I was, as I said, rooting for the final boy and the final girl, but rather than let the hero escape, he dies and the killer moves on to keep killing again, meaning the police... never found all the bodies in that hotel?
Add in all the bad sound editing, and I do mean BAD (at one point I thought it was my iPad not being able to handle something, but it was just as bad on our TV) and the visible time code at the end, and it's clear that this was a movie that has only been released because of the writer and actor strikes.
I feel like with a couple quick reshoots, some better sound control and tighter editing and this could be a really good movie, but we'll likely never see those changes.
I hope this movie doesn't stop actual GOOD Queer Horror from being made because it was a flop.
So annoying you root for the villain
hansenp-8380211 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
OMG. A movie where late 20's douche bags isolate to make sure they don't catch Covid (which would be nothing for people their age) in order to wear masks for a trip to a party spot where nobody wears masks, as seen in the bar scene, where not even the pathetic isolationists have a problem with nobody wearing a mask. You have to credit a film where you make the victims so annoying f that you actually root for the killer. The story about the guy's boyfriend killing himself adter he broke up with him and having an terrible temper meant nothing because they didn't spend 2 minutes shooting any scene that would. Have easily described it.
Only For The Cinemasochistic.
meddlecore10 June 2023
Literally nothing happens in the first 30 minutes of this movie.
Then, suddenly...there is a guy in a deer skull mask killing people.
The aforementioned first third of the film is wasted on the attempted character development of some of the most loathsome and annoying individuals ever put on screen.
The whole thing takes place during the pandemic.
Where everyone is on lockdown, except, apparently, on Fire Island.
Which, as far as I can tell, acts as a gay resort, or something.
We find ourselves following a group, as they visit the island with hopes they can set their depressed gay friend up with a good looking new dude...after losing his previous partner...when he died.
However, both the writing and acting are completely atrocious.
With the plot construction being just as bad.
The whole thing is borderline unwatchable.
Now, I've been known to watch some pretty bad movies...but this one was a real struggle to sit through.
Let alone remain engaged.
There's just way too much cringey drama...and not enough horror.
And, even when there is horror...it has virtually no context.
It just happens...and the film continues to go nowhere.
Making you wonder why you are even putting in the time to watch it.
There is, eventually...a "big reveal"...but, not only is it waaaaay too predictable.
The reasoning behind it is, frankly, idiotic.
I honestly can't think of one redeeming quality that this film possesses.
So steer well clear.
Unless you have a high tolerance for cinemasochism.
Because this is definitely one of the worst horror films of 2023.
1 out of 10.
Then, suddenly...there is a guy in a deer skull mask killing people.
The aforementioned first third of the film is wasted on the attempted character development of some of the most loathsome and annoying individuals ever put on screen.
The whole thing takes place during the pandemic.
Where everyone is on lockdown, except, apparently, on Fire Island.
Which, as far as I can tell, acts as a gay resort, or something.
We find ourselves following a group, as they visit the island with hopes they can set their depressed gay friend up with a good looking new dude...after losing his previous partner...when he died.
However, both the writing and acting are completely atrocious.
With the plot construction being just as bad.
The whole thing is borderline unwatchable.
Now, I've been known to watch some pretty bad movies...but this one was a real struggle to sit through.
Let alone remain engaged.
There's just way too much cringey drama...and not enough horror.
And, even when there is horror...it has virtually no context.
It just happens...and the film continues to go nowhere.
Making you wonder why you are even putting in the time to watch it.
There is, eventually...a "big reveal"...but, not only is it waaaaay too predictable.
The reasoning behind it is, frankly, idiotic.
I honestly can't think of one redeeming quality that this film possesses.
So steer well clear.
Unless you have a high tolerance for cinemasochism.
Because this is definitely one of the worst horror films of 2023.
1 out of 10.
Appalling
richardtilley-765597 July 2023
I try not to be too down on some films but Fire Island really is awful. It has nothing to do with the fact that many of the characters are gay, that doesn't bother me at all, but the direction, editing, music, acting and story are really terrible. The characters are obnoxious, unlikeable and underdeveloped and why they would be friends in the first place is beyond me. You don't feel for any them. Nothing happens in the first 30 mins but we do get almost endless shots of wild deer and driving (for a film that's only 83 mins in length it shows there is very little story and lots of padding) and you can see who the killer is the moment you see them. There is no atmosphere, no tension just a lot of people who you want to see killed off. This is the worst film I've seen in 2023.
Comedy horror
harlie-753712 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the worse horror movies ever, so boring and NOT scary well to me. After the covid Someone wears a deer so called head tgat looks like a potato sack on and goes around killing where you don't hardly see nothing on a island. A bunch a friends go together to a gorgeous beach house where they seem to be killed one by one. It's funny how they always go into houses ,etc that they need flashlights cant turn the lights on. Funny part the whole house has glass windows,glass doors but they lock them, REALLY. I do recommend taping it to fast forward it just to see what happens at the end. You will figure out quickly who is the killer as soon as they go out to the bar. Get the flashlights ready.
The twist ruined it for me
tikitim-470925 July 2023
So maybe I have lower expectations but based on the other reviews I almost didn't watch the movie. However I decided to give it a go regardless. I will say I didn't think the acting was all that bad. I found myself wanting to watch it so I was somewhat engaged. The other reviewer is right that it didn't have a lot of action right away but once it got going the second half there were some creepy moments and a few scenes where I actually jumped. The photography is decent, but the music was very strange especially the last song. It was kind of cheesy but maybe that was deliberate. I think this movie had potential to be better than it was, primarily because of the ending and the reveal of the killer. It was pretty obvious and the reasoning was ludicrous. I think if they had come up with a better plot and motivation for the killer I would have upped the rating. So I have seen worse but I have seen much better as well.
Absolute trash.
apokorn221 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's been a while since I've said, 'what...what?," so many times in 83 minutes. The characters were annoying, and using Timothy Murphy as a 'red herring' was completely pointless; you knew immediately that's all he was there for.
The actual killer was SUPER obvious as soon as he shows up in the bar. His reasoning for killing people made NO sense whatsoever and he never had any interaction with anyone in the group (or anyone else I'm guessing) except for some unhinged looks towards the kid from Gossip Girl.
The dialogue was a mess too; at one point one of the girls randomly says 'where'd he go?," and I said out loud, "Where did WHO go? Who tf is she talking about?" Apparently it was her boyfriend she was inquiring about, but it's not clear.
The cut scenes are waaaay too long for as short as this awful movie is.
Also, why even bother including COVID in this -- just to explain away the lack of people? Stupid.
Skip this trash film.
The actual killer was SUPER obvious as soon as he shows up in the bar. His reasoning for killing people made NO sense whatsoever and he never had any interaction with anyone in the group (or anyone else I'm guessing) except for some unhinged looks towards the kid from Gossip Girl.
The dialogue was a mess too; at one point one of the girls randomly says 'where'd he go?," and I said out loud, "Where did WHO go? Who tf is she talking about?" Apparently it was her boyfriend she was inquiring about, but it's not clear.
The cut scenes are waaaay too long for as short as this awful movie is.
Also, why even bother including COVID in this -- just to explain away the lack of people? Stupid.
Skip this trash film.
Ultimately Dropped the ball
anthonyender2 October 2023
I really hate giving this film a lower score, and not only because it's got a lot of those as of this writing. It really doesn't deserve ALL the negativity it's getting. I won't speculate on why so many reviewers seem to have problems with the characters - a group of predominantly gay individuals - or why they can't understand how they could be friends etc. The film actually does a good job of distinguishing them, and defining relationships, and I enjoyed the first half while they were being established. I prefer horror films that allow us to get to know the characters, and I give credit to the writer/director for doing a better than average job at it. And the performances from the main cast are all good, with some actors I'd like to see more of. That's pretty rare for such a low budget endeavor.
But once we cut to the detectives at a crime scene it stumbles so badly it is almost impossible to recover. First, the actors are bad. And then what they are saying is so poorly written it makes one question who wrote all the other scenes. Nothing about these scenes (and there are more than one) works on any level. Cops walk through blood trails; detectives jump to the most spurious assumptions; forensics can show up and be done in a few minutes and the chief behaves in such an unprofessional manner the only excuse would be if we are supposed to think he might be a suspect. And then once the action starts happening the film's other weaknesses stand out even worse. Technically there are some weird sound problems and some bad music choices. Weak editing becomes glaring during moments of violence as it tries to cut around budget, effects and stunt deficiencies and fails miserably. The staging and story crumbles; it sets up the murderer in a blatantly obvious fashion which is then treated like it's supposed to be a surprise. Characters run away only to have the killer repeatedly pop out in front of them as if he's teleporting or as if they are only going to the places where the killer is waiting for them. The enthusiasm I felt during the first half hour waned during the next half hour and then crashed. My score dropped from a 7 to a 3, but I'll settle for a 4 because the first half was refreshingly believable. If the filmmaker sticks with character pieces I'd be willing to give them another chance, but if its a genre piece where the attention to staging, logic and style makes the difference between something good or the huge amount of rubbish out there I might not bother.
But once we cut to the detectives at a crime scene it stumbles so badly it is almost impossible to recover. First, the actors are bad. And then what they are saying is so poorly written it makes one question who wrote all the other scenes. Nothing about these scenes (and there are more than one) works on any level. Cops walk through blood trails; detectives jump to the most spurious assumptions; forensics can show up and be done in a few minutes and the chief behaves in such an unprofessional manner the only excuse would be if we are supposed to think he might be a suspect. And then once the action starts happening the film's other weaknesses stand out even worse. Technically there are some weird sound problems and some bad music choices. Weak editing becomes glaring during moments of violence as it tries to cut around budget, effects and stunt deficiencies and fails miserably. The staging and story crumbles; it sets up the murderer in a blatantly obvious fashion which is then treated like it's supposed to be a surprise. Characters run away only to have the killer repeatedly pop out in front of them as if he's teleporting or as if they are only going to the places where the killer is waiting for them. The enthusiasm I felt during the first half hour waned during the next half hour and then crashed. My score dropped from a 7 to a 3, but I'll settle for a 4 because the first half was refreshingly believable. If the filmmaker sticks with character pieces I'd be willing to give them another chance, but if its a genre piece where the attention to staging, logic and style makes the difference between something good or the huge amount of rubbish out there I might not bother.
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