Island Escape, an upcoming action-packedhorrorfilm from Epic Pictures under their Dread horror label, opens for a limited theatrical run on July 02, 2025, and we have an exclusive clip below. The film, which will be released on VOD on August 24, 2025, follows a team of mercenaries sent on a rescue mission to a mysterious island, where they encounter deadly creatures and a mysterious phenomenon that threatens their very existence.Island Escapestars Ariella Mastroianni (My Best Friend’s Dead), James Liddell (Two Ways to Go West), Grant Schumacher (The Retreat), and Chris Cimperman (Novel Love).
The film is written and directed by Bruce Wemple, whose extensive work in the sci-fi and horror genres includes directing the time-travel thrillerThe Tomorrow Joband the horror filmsThe RetreatandDawn of the Beast.Island Escapeis executive produced by Epic Pictures and Dread CEO Patrick Ewald, and Cole Payne, owner of the genre label Traverse Terror.
WhileIsland Escapeis essentially a horror film, it does incorporate elements of sci-fi, action, and even romance into a genre film unlike any other. According to the film’s official synopsis, after a mysterious accident occurs at a research camp on the island of Gran Manan, a corporate CEO hires a team of mercenaries to extract his daughter, a scientist on the island. When the mercenaries arrive, they not only find a number of hideous creatures, but the island itself is surrounded by a wormhole that bends the fabric of time and traps them there. As they struggle to survive against the island’s monsters, they realize death may be their only form of escape.
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Writer/director Bruce Wemple discussed his inspirations forIsland Escape. “My two favorite genres are horror and science fiction. I’ve always loved watching these movies,” he said. “In my professional career I’ve learned that they’re even more fun to make. WithIsland Escape, I wanted to make a classic horror action movie in the vein of the classicJohn Carpenter movies(Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China), about a team of blue-collar, under-qualified mercenaries who get stuck on an island fighting monsters… but with a twist. I’d be lying if I said that playing with time and space in movies wasn’t something I was obsessed with.”
Exclusive Island Escape Clip
In this exclusive clip, the members of the mercenary team discover they aren’t on any normal island, as an unusual phenomenon is keeping them from leaving.
“We feel fortunate to have worked with Bruce Wemple and his amazing team onIsland Escape," Epic Picture Group CEO Patrick Ewald said in a statement. “The cast and crew really brought their A-game to the making of this picture, and we hope audiences will enjoy this action packed, mind twisting story.”
Epic Pictures in an independent content studio that releases dozens of genre films each year, made “for fans, by fans.” Founded in 2007, Epic Pictures owns the popularhorror website Dread Central, and distributes horror films under the Dread label. The brand also includes the advertising-based, video-on-demand streaming channel DreadTV andDreadXP, a horror gaming site and video game studio. You can read Escapehere.
