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Overall Rating : 6.5/10
Directed By : Richard Stanley
John Matshikiza (Beyond Borders)
Robert John Burke (Hide and Seek)
Terri Norton
Chelsea Field (The Last Boy Scout)
Supplied By : Subversive Cinema
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Sept. 7, 2006
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| PLOT When a lonely woman leaves her husband and drives off into the desert, she meets up with a handsome drifter named Hitch. What she doesn't realize is Hitch is the menacing "Dust Devil," a shape-shifting killer who preys on the weak and the vulnerable. |
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| THE REVIEW DUST DEVIL follows Wendy a young woman from South Africa whom has recently fell on hard times with her husband. Wendy decides to get away from it all and heads on a trip to the sea for some R & R. While on her way, Wendy sees a handsome gentleman on the side of the road so she decides to give him a ride, no matter how many questions she asks of him, he spares little answers. It turns out that this man is a shape shifting demon-like being, whom is a vicious killer and has killed just prior to the young woman picking him up. The "Dust Devil" in which the man is known as, has an agenda, see, he is trapped in the material world for now and is vulnerable to human traits....the only way for him to return to the "realm of the spirit" is to deliver souls of the innocent to his greater power. Unaware to the man's evil intentions, Wendy, the hopeless romantic, falls for the mysterious drifter, and one his tail or the local police...most importantly Ben Mukurob. Ben has ben on the case for quite some time, and despite being told to leave the case, he will not.... Mukurob, is convinced that the Satanic markings the killer left behind, which were made using the victims' blood is something ritualistic in nature. I had always heard of DUST DEVIL, but honestly speaking, I had never saw it, so thanks to this new Limited Edition courtesy of Subversive Cinema, I was finally given the chance. I had everything from this film was "breathtaking" to "disturbing". Breathtaking yes, but disturbing not so much, the film is not as scary as I expected from reading other viewers' opinions.....but what we do have is a well-drawn progressive Horror film. DUST DEVIL, doesn't really rely on means to frighten you really, but it is actually character based and character driven, sprinkled with a few moments of visuals and thoughts of the macabre. To me, DUST DEVIL is the ultimate hitch-hiker Horror story. There have been many films regarding the issue but not in the Supernatural sense....this guy is two kinds of evil, a vicious killer but deep within a menacing demon as well....all packaged up in the appearance of a young man, whom is strikingly handsome - he is unexpected evil, and that is the most frightening kind.. Filmed in South Africa, the film is in fact "breathtaking" in appearance and due to this fantastic new HD transfer being released by Subversive, the vivid colors pop out to make it that much more. The cinematography in DUST DEVIL plays a huge part, from the sand blowing across the roads, which almost at times resembles a flowing ocean, to the mountainous rock that surrounds, it all benefits the delivery is Stanley's story in a very positive way. As fo the story itself, I did expect a face paced slasher film of sorts, but what I actually got was a film that moved rather progressively, yet not too slow, just enough to keep it running smoothly, while developing the relationship of the characters quite nicely. Like the film itself, the acting was also fare better than I expected I really enjoyed the performances of both Chelsea Field and Robert Burke, as they are the two people that really make the film effective. Burke as the Dust Devil and Field as Wendy had great chemistry and where able to make their budding relationship in the film both, believable and interesting, Zakes Mokae as Ben Mukurob also put in a great performance as a man who is haunted by reoccurring dreams of Satanic imagery, all of which may soon lead him to the mysterious "Dust Devil" Overall what Richard Stanley created here was a gem of a film, is it the best film I have ever seen? Well no, but it is entertaining in it's way of storytelling and plot development alone. An interesting piece to this set is that Stanley's production note are included, almost like a blog of the events while shooting the film, it should supply an extensive insight of the film to it's viewers as well.... |
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| GORE
METER 5/10 Ok, in my opinion, not all that gory, but to others it may be, we do get a broken neck, severed body parts.....but to me the highlight of the film, as far as gore in concerned is a shotgun blast to the head (probably the best one i've seen since 1981's MANIAC). |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 6/10 The soundtrack here is incredible! The DUST DEVIL theme used throughout the film, fits like a glove in my opinion, and is accompanied with some western influenced tracks with some bass tones (The soundtrack is also included here....so if you buy it you will see what I mean) |
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| DVD SET FEATURES I have to really hand it to Subversive Cinema for this release, as they have gone all out to companion the greatest cut of DUST DEVIL, with some incredible documentaries conducted by director Richard Stanley. Here are the full specs : • DUST DEVIL: THE FINAL CUT: 107-minute version with 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Stereo sound • 107 min Hi Def transfer, 16×9 widescreen (1.85:1). Transfer approved by Richard Stanley. • Audio commentary by Stanley and Hill • Stanley’s production diaries • A Demon Reborn: The Final DUST DEVIL featurette • Making of DUST DEVIL featurette • Trailer for the long-lost 16mm version of DUST DEVIL Disc Two: • Bonus CD: DUST DEVIL soundtrack by Simon Boswell Disc Three: • 114-minute reconstruction of the DUST DEVIL work print, in non-anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen with 2.0 stereo sound • New DUST DEVIL comic book by Phil Avelli, story approved by Stanley Disc Four: • VOICE OF THE MOON documentary about Afghanistan, with commentary with Stanley and Hill • THE WHITE DARKNESS documentary about Haitian Voodoo, with commentary by Stanley and his production diaries Disc Five: • SECRET GLORY documentary about the search for the Grail and the neo-Nazi movement, with commentary by Stanley and Hill and Stanley’s production diaries All 5 discs are packed beautifully in a multi-disc clear keepcase...definitely one for the collector! |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM I really enjoyed this film, not necessarily for the scares or the gore, but for the story it tells, as it is well written on the part of Stanley in my opinion. If you ever see DUST DEVIL.... then this is the version to see, Subversive Cinema, has done a fantastic job with the restoration and with providing fans with all sorts of related goodies to look over......I recommend the film, but highly recommend this particular set! This DVD will be released on September 28, 2006 |
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