Blumhouse's Fantasy Island - What You Need To Know
Horror hit machine Blumhouse reboot the classic 1970s TV show with a terrifying twist. Here's what you need to know about their new take on Fantasy Island...
Who’s in it?
Pretty Little Liars' Lucy Hale leads the way here, with Michael Peña, Maggie Q, Austin Stowell, Portia Doubleday, Jimmy O. Yang, Ryan Hansen and Michael Rooker also in key roles.
And who’s directing?
Jeff Wadlow, the man behind Truth Or Dare and MMA face-off Never Back Down, directs. He also is credited as a writer along with Jillian Jacobs and Christopher Roach. Horror maestro Jason Blum produces.
What’s the plot?
Fantasy Island began life as a beloved, if slightly kitschy TV series, which ran from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant Tattoo, the pair ran a private island where guests were allowed to live out their ultimate fantasies for a hefty fee.
In the new take, Michael Peña, takes the roles of Roarke. He makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort.
In this case, we follow Q's businesswoman Gwen Olsen, Stowell's former police officer Patrick Sullivan, O. Yang and Hansen's step-brothers J. D. and Brax Weaver, and Hale's young singleton Melanie Cole, all of whom have won a contest to visit Fantasy Island.
At first, they live out their fantasies, J. D. and Brax enter a rave at a mansion; Patrick enlists in a war in honour of his late father; Melanie decides to take revenge on a bully, and Gwen accepts her boyfriend Alan's marriage proposal she rejected many years ago.
Then, this being Blumhouse, things begin to nightmarish and the guests are forced to solve the island’s mystery to escape with their lives...
Does it deliver?
It's slick, it's gory and full of twist and turns. If you're a fan of what Blumhouse does, it'll be manna from heaven.