The Lost Tribe (1983)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

John Laing

Writer:

John Laing (writer)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Mystery

Plot:

An anthropologist disappears in New Zealand while looking for a lost tribe, so his wife and his twin brother go to look for him...

Plot Keywords:

Twins | Anthropologist | Tribe | Wilderness | Search

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Bach	...	Edward / Max Scarry
Darien Takle	...	Ruth Scarry
Don Selwyn	...	Sergeant Swain
Martyn Sanderson	...	Bill Thorne
Emma Takle	...	Katy
Ian Watkin	...	Mears
Adele Chapman	...	Eileen Armstrong
Joanne Simpson	...	Louise
Alex Aitchison	...	Ramsay (as Alex Atcheson)
Barry Lynch	...	Policeman

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16

Company:

Meridian Films

Spooky

This is a film that seems to get a pretty harsh time judging by the few reviews that I've read. Granted it's nothing spectacular but it did at least leave a lasting impression on me after seeing it as a youngster late one night on the BBC in the mid-80's. It's also worth noting that director John Laing received two awards for the movie soon after its release. What struck me upon watching it all those years ago was the beautiful location shoots and the very spooky atmosphere that permeated throughout aided by a chilling score and frequent nighttime footage. John Bach plays the dual role of identical twins Edward and Maxwell Scarry. Max, an anthropologist, has gone missing and is feared dead after going in search of a mysteriously disappeared tribe on a deserted New Zealand island. It soon transpires however that his disappearance coincided with the murder of a prostitute back on the mainland, for which the blame is fingered on Edward, who must now go in search of his brother to prove his own innocence.

Laing pays some nice attention to detail and is obviously quite a big fan of horror movies, even though this is as much a mystery as it is a horror film. Some of his ideas, such as Max's telepathic daughter, now seem dated but there are shades of The Wicker Man with the island setting and the hunted leading the hunter. The theme of good versus evil is quite nicely played out as well although perhaps it would have worked even better had Edward been a little bit more of a goody two shoes. Nevertheless it is as good a dual-role film as I've seen. That is partly down to the make-up department though more to do with the fact that Max only appears in the last few minutes by which point we've had ample time to build up a character profile of somebody quite nasty.