As a TV show, running 13 episodes and disappearing from the airwaves in a kind of came-and-went fashion, Harper’s Island doesn’t look like much. But viewed as a 9-hour feature, Harper’s Island may be the greatest slasher flick ever devised. Granted, it has about 7-and-a-half hours of runtime over pretty much any other candidate, but it uses that extra time to undo damn near all of the shortcomings of its traditional 85-minute formula.
Making its fine-tuned, labyrinthine treatment look easy, the film [as I will from here on out refer to it] easily offers no less than twenty or thirty fully realized characters, each with their own histories and notably defined traits. In this sense, Harper’s Island comes across as a sort of "F--k You" to anyone who criticizes the slasher genre as relying solely on cheap thrills and one-dimensional characters. These people have real arcs, many of them hitting desperate lows and euphoric highs over the course of the film. Time is taken to help us identify with the people on the island in ways you’d never expect from a film with a body count.
While it may hardly seem fair to categorize a 9-hour dramatic series as a traditional film, it’s clear that Harper’s Island was designed to be as cut and dry as My Bloody Valentine or Madman. When the story comes to a close, even if you still have concerns or questions, what seems clear is that the closure point used is a natural one. There are no shades of a Return to Harper’s Island and if there are any loose ends they’re meant to be there. With so much time on their hands to throw plot twists and cliffhangers at us, we’re pretty much given a 40-minute climax as a reward for sticking it out. And even by the standards of a miniseries, the ride that the last 5 or 6 chapters of Harper’s Island gives us is nothing short of exhilarating. I thought I had who it was and why in the second chapter, and then again in the fourth, sixth, seventh and so on. But the interesting thing about all this is that I rarely maintained a primary suspect to watch out for for more than an hour or so. Approaching the endgame I was feeling a little daffy with not one ounce of certainty over who was gonna turn around and stab someone in the back, or when. The suspense of each chapter carries over remarkably well to the next, and I have to confess to watching the last five installments without hardly leaving my seat.
Some talk has been had over just how violent the series is. It’s been said that it may be too much for some and too little for others, but even when surprisingly prevalent gore isn’t on parade in front of you, the kills in Harper’s Island very rarely seem uninspired. The kill at the end of the first episode shows nary a drop of blood, but I was still rigorously engaged in the sequence and let out a genuine “Ooooohh shit,” when I was instructed to. Some of the horror junkies out there may scoff at the use of rather sentimental indie rock in the latter half of the series, but to its immense credit it didn’t seem out of place. Harper’s Island had me hooked from the get-go and rarely if ever slipped up. Even when a great deal of late-term exposition was needed, the writing rarely felt forced.
DVD Bonus Features
Four insightful commentaries, four featurettes and numerous deleted scenes total about 6 hours of special features, and while some may be disappointed that there’s no Blu-ray release, the picture shines and the sound is just beautiful.
I had heard mixed things about Harper’s Island going in. Suffice it to say I don’t think I ever would have paid much money for it, but after getting the opportunity to do a very brief write-up on such a surprising little gem, I’m proud to have Harper’s Island on my shelf, between my Friday boxset and Hell Night (which, admittedly, kinda sucks).
"Harper's Island" is on sale September 8, 2009 and is rated NR. Horror, Mystery, Television. Directed by Steve Boyum, Sanford Bookstaver, Rick Bota. Written by Ari Schlossberg, Jeffrey Bell. Starring Jim Beaver, Katie Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Elaine Cassidy, Gina Holden, Matt Barr, Cassandra Sawtell, Brandon Jay McLaren, CJ Thomason, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, Claudette Mink.
