Sea of Dust (2008)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Scott Bunt

Writer:

Scott Bunt (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

David Lynch meets The Brides of Dracula

Plot Keywords:

Satire

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Tom Savini	...	Prester John
Ingrid Pitt	...	Anna
Troy Holland	...	Stefan Christoph
Bill Timoney	...	Professor Sorell
Edward X. Young	...	Doctor Maitland
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pete Barker	...	Chalmers
Eve Blangiardo	...	Harpy
Colleen Cohan	...	Blood Chamber Torture Victim
Al Contursi	...	Torture Victim
John Correll	...	Lord Dunsten
Rosalynd Darling	...	Harpie Hydrant
Sarah Dauber	...	Elizabeth
Laura Eff	...	Black Forest Girl
Edward Ferruggia	...	Blood Chamber Torture Victim
Suzi Lorraine	...	Black Forest Woman
Kenneth Robert Marlo	...	Black Forest Man
Megan McGowan	...	Meadow Girl
Celina Murk	...	The Siren
Angela Rose Popovic	...	Twin (I)
Maria Rose Popovic	...	Twin (II)
Dylan Randazzo	...	Young Boy
Stuart Rudin	...	Carla's Father
Darby Lynn Totten	...	Carla
Amber Wootan	...	Zombie Villager
Edward A. Young	...	Dying Man On Beach
Elizabeth Young	...	Dying Woman on Beach

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Fort Totten, Bayside, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

309 Productions

Trivia:

Keir Dullea was the original choice to play the character of Prester John, but declined due to a schedule conflict with Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd (2006). Tom Savini, was subsequently offered the role due to his longstanding association with the director.

Heavy Concepts and Hammer Nods

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw SEA OF DUST as part of a NYC screening audience several years ago. I enjoyed the film at that time, so I was a little confused by some of the amendments that had been made since. Perhaps it's my memory, but there seemed to be chunks of exposition missing from the version that was shown at the Rhode Island Film Festival. I'm really not sure which version I prefer, but I can honestly say that I found something to appreciate it both.

Let me begin by warning everyone that this is not a popcorn movie. Although it's been promoted as a Hammer Films tribute, people expecting a showdown between Van Helsing and Dracula are going to be sorely disappointed. There's some cleavage, but no nudity (a staple of the British production house's later movies). And while SEA OF DUST is filled with gorgeous eye candy (it really is shot like a sixties film), and features Hammer starlet Ingrid Pitt, it's not like any of the company's pictures in tone or execution. This film is very dark, very confusing, and (at times) very funny. I don't remember the earlier version being quite as nutty as this one, but that's not a bad thing (especially the showdown in the Black Forest that plays like a Three Stooges short). And some of Ms Pitt's rantings are quite entertaining. It's like somebody wound her up and turned her loose.

The uniqueness of this film doesn't lie with the borrowed details, though. It's in the ideas. As an occasional Sci Fi Channel viewer, I've regularly taken the network to task for its one-note variations on a theme (CGI monster kills, then gets destroyed). SEA OF DUST is so full of ideas that you start to trip over them after a while.

But don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. If anything, I applaud these guys for making such an enterprising low-budget picture and for having the courage to pack it with so many concepts. It's not going to be a picnic for people who hate to think at the movies (you know who you are). But for the rest of us, those of us who are tired of the formula of modern horror films, the predictability, the lack of respect for the audience, this may just be your ticket.