Reviews: Higanjima (2009) Movie Review
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Action, Fantasy, Adventure
Subgenres:
Horror fans will enjoy our review of Higanjima (2009), where we cover its story, scares, and how it ranks among modern horror classics.
Higanjima (2009) is a Japanese vampire horror movie directed by Tae-gyun Kim (A Millionaire’s First Love (2006), Hwasango (2001), Crossing (2008), A Barefoot Dream (2010)) via Warner Bros. Japan. If you are looking for scary vampires with zombie-like vampire minions on a secluded island with a hero and his friends in an exciting battle, then Higanjima is for you. Higanjima is also known as Vampire Island (2009) and Escape From Vampire Island (2009).
Higanjima plays out like a live-action manga with the lead vampire looking like a true monster you do not want to encounter, an albino vampire with blood red eyes. Higanjima is the island where the vampires inhabit. Akira learns via Rei that his missing brother, Atsushi, is on that island overwhelmed with vampires. Akira’s friends travel with him to help rescue his brother.
The action scenes were very entertaining, and I just love how the special effects, makeup, designs, and fight choreographies were excellent. I am a bit biased here because I am also a manga and anime fan, so I know how hard it is to pull off most of these scenes in a live-action setting. The director, production team, special effects team, and actors did a great job, and I applaud their efforts. The lead actor did a great deal of whining and crying which is typical in a Jdrama and sullied the Jhorror a bit. Akira’s friends just get into tons of trouble and barely help with the vampires. The screenplay by Tetsuya Oishi seems to be the issue here as there was too much focus on the drama which could have been toned down a bit more without sacrificing the character development. Although this movie is plagued with these issues, I looked past them to enjoy this vampire action film.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Higanjima Rating Scores
- Our Score: 6/10
- Overall Score: 5.55/10
- IMDB: 5.3/10
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