Dust Devil (1992)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Richard Stanley

Writer:

Richard Stanley (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 1992 (Japan)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

He's not a serial killer. He's much worse.

Plot:

A woman on the run from her abusive husband encounters a mysterious hitch-hiker.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Shape Shifter | Dust Storm | Woman's Neck Broken | Stranded

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert John Burke	...	Dust Devil (as Robert Burke)
Chelsea Field	...	Wendy Robinson
Zakes Mokae	...	Ben Mukurob
John Matshikiza	...	Joe Niemand
Rufus Swart	...	Mark Robinson
William Hootkins	...	Capt. Beyman
Terri Norton	...	Saarke Haarhoff
Russell Copley	...	Cpl. Dutoit
Andre Odendaal	...	Cpl. Bates
Luke Cornell	...	Soldier 1
Philip Henn	...	Soldier 2
Robert Stevenson	...	Rifle Boy
Peter Hallr	...	Marist Monk
Stephen Earnhart	...	Camper Driver
Marianne Sägebrecht	...	Dr. Leidzinger

Runtime:

103 min | France:87 min | Italy:87 min | USA:87 min

Country:

South Africa | UK

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:18 (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | France:-12 | Germany:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Namibia

Company:

British Screen Productions

Trivia:

Originally Stanley had Kerry Fox in mind for the character of Wendy. The film's financiers weren't satisfied with her and the same went for Stanley's second suggestion, Stacey Travis, who starred in Stanley's previous feature, Hardware (1990). The decision to cast Chelsea Field was a last-minute compromise.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Wendy slams on the brakes of her VW Beetle, she doesn't touch the clutch, but the car stops without stalling.

Quotes:

Ben Mukurob: [wakes up from a terrible dream] Was it a dream?
Joe Niemand: No my friend that was reality... You are dreaming now.

Movie Connections:

References Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)

Soundtrack:

Desert Rose

Richard Stanley Does it Again

Dust Devil is an interesting, atmospheric film. The storyline is not so much in the for front as the visuals and direction. The movie stars Robert John Burke (Thinner) who plays the part of the Dust Devil, Zakes Mokae (The Serpant and The Rainbow) who plays the part of an officer tracking the Devil, and Chelsea Field who is the subject matter of the movie.

The Dust Devil is a magical creature who has the ability to change his appearance and has other powers. He seems to feed off lonely woman on the verge of suicide. He sleeps with them and then murders them. Afterwards, he takes their fingers. Chelsea plays the part of Wendy who has just left her husband and is incredibly depressed. On an isolated highway in the desert, she picks up a hitch hiker whom is the Dust Devil. She ends up falling for him and does not see the imminent danger in her future. Zakes Mokae is the officer tracking the devil. He does not believe in the extraordinary but has bad dreams given to him from the dust devil.

This is such a bizarre film in many ways like Richard Stanley's "Hardware" with amazing visuals, a captivating musical score, and one Hell of an ending. I would have to say that this movie is not for everyone as most people wouldn't get the direction Stanley was going with this film. 8/10