YouTuber Jared Anderson makes his living filming his exploration of abandoned areas for this all-important views. His latest urban exploration adventure takes him to a deserted and isolated island bordering the Bermuda Triangle. The area has a few urban legends built around it and a troubling history involving a population that may have just vanished into thin tropical air. Running water and working electricity allows for some comfort but the eerie emptiness plays on our hero’s mental state. It’s admittedly spooky and adds an almost otherworldliness with how gorgeous the location is. It’s revealed that Jared’s channel has run into some trouble for faking some shit and it’s cost him subscribers and sponsors which has him running a little desperate. Doesn’t help that his supplies were stolen before making it to the island. He’s not legally supposed to be there either, so there’s a bunch working against him. His producer back home researches the area and lets him know that the opposite side of the island from where he has set up should have some contracted work crews present, so he may be able to get himself food if needed. Jared is pretty sure the government is up to something and the contractors being there seem to verify that. An angry stranger and a sketchy native add to the odd atmosphere that greet Jared as he explores. Ashlee one would expect, his desperation gets him making some reckless decisions as his mental state begins to crumble. His physical wellbeing follows soon after. A boat captain (said sketchy native) helping out with the workers on the island mentions to Jared that something similar happened years ago on another island that is now called Death Island and he and the other natives had to flee. So, of course, Jared heads out to Death Island to get them damn likes. It’s a bust until that ornery island dweller takes him to the actual Death Island where scientific curiosity unleashed something dangerous. It’s a different enough idea than the usual found footage haunted location tomfoolery and the setting adds some major points to the familiar “social media dope in over their head” scenario. Fortunately our main character is a lot more personable than expected because the groundwork was there for him to be a completely unbearable assbag but Liston Spence does a good job of juggling the character flaws and charm… he also resembles the offspring of Adam Cole, Sharlto Copley and John Glover… all folks I enjoy. There’s also supernatural coral, empty building exploration, a discarded journal, dimensional bullshit, ideas much larger than its budget, an exposition dump, a vast conspiracy and somehow not really enough meat on the bone to justify the runtime. I dig the initiative.
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