Day 241: Dust Devil

Dust Devil

Dust buster

When you think of horror-producing parts of the world, Africa usually doesn't top the list. Most people think of the United States and Japan, with a sprinkling of European nations, Canada, and Australia. You would think more horror would be based in Africa with it's unique landscapes and regional legends. With movies being made via smartphones and the ease of distributing entertainment on the internet, perhaps Africa will be the next hotbed for horror in the near future.

Dust Devil a 1993 horror movie set in the African nation of Namibia and stars Robert John Burke (Thinner, Good Night and Good Luck) as the title character. Dust Devil is a “naghtloeper” or shapeshifter that possesses human beings. He is trapped in this world and must kill in order to free himself. He focuses on those without any hope and with nothing to lose. Dust Devil walks down an empty road and receives a ride from a woman named Saarke. In the act of making love, he snaps her neck and mutilates her body, using her blood to draw symbols around her house before burning it down. At the same time, a woman named Wendy Robinson (Chelsea Field, Masters Of The Universe, Flipper) leaves her abusive husband Mark and sets out in her car for the coast. Sgt. Ben Mukurob (Zakes Mokae, The Serpent And The Rainbow, Vampire In Brooklyn) heads the investigation into Saarke's death. Ben enlists the help of Joe Niemand (John Matshikiza), a Sangoma, or healer, who informs Ben that the symbols were part of a strange witchcraft ritual. On the road, Wendy picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be Dust Devil. During the ride, Dust Devil disappears from the car, much to Wendy's shock. That night, Wendy almost kills herself with a razor, but decides against it. The next morning, she goes to her car and finds Dust Devil sitting inside. Despite being initially scared, Wendy agrees to drive with him. Meanwhile, Mark has set out after Wendy. Ben's investigation continues, revealing that there have been a string of similar murders dating back almost 100 years. Speaking to Joe, Ben learns about Dust Devil and his black magic, but refuses to believe. Wendy and Dust Devil have sex and he tries to kill her afterward. She knocks him out with a lamp and escapes, but gets into a car accident. Dust Devil pursues her into the desert of Namibia. Will Ben be able to stop Dust Devil before he kills Wendy?

Grrrrrrr....

Interesting is probably the best word to describe Dust Devil. The movie mixes philosophy and abstract ideas and tries to make a coherent story out of it. Unfortunately, it is an intellectual overload that focuses too much on expanding our minds and not on entertainment. A horror movie can be existential, but there has to be a ceiling to keep things from getting too weird. Using a narrator is hit or miss for movies, but it worked for Dust Devil because we would have had no idea what was going on if not for narration. Perhaps there is something lost in the cultural translation, but I had a difficult time understanding just why Dust Devil kills people. There's something about being trapped and killing people out of necessity to free himself. If that's the case, he should have been a more sympathetic character, perhaps showing remorse or regret for having to kill people. There is some good violence and gore, but not nearly enough to keep my interest.

Despite my lack of interest, the movie is incredibly well made. Director Richard Stanley (Hardware, The Island of Dr. Moreau) gets the most of his locations with sweeping aerial shots that capture Namibia's unique landscape. While the intellectuality of the movie didn't entertain me, it did allow for some pretty cool scenes. Robert John Burke is good as Dust Devil, combining charm with viciousness, though we never see the full extent of this evil spirit. Chelsea Field is fine in her role, though the writing for her character should have been much stronger. We never see her in full despair leading up to her almost-suicide which is a shame because it would have drawn more sympathy to the character. John Matshikiza was very good as Joe and the narrator, his voice carrying weight and meaning to all of the existential thoughts and ideas.

Good times!

Dust Devil is an ambitions, thoughtful horror movie that gets mired in it's own thoughts. There is not enough action and very little horror to speak of. Not once was I afraid and entertainment is scarce. There should have been far more character development. The mixture of occult and western is interesting, but not exciting. I don't particularly like voodoo-based horror movies and Dust Devil was very similar to that genre. The movie looks very good and the Namibian setting was certainly unique in the world of horror. It's not that Dust Devil is a bad movie, because it's not. Something just gets lost in translation along the way and never really recovers. I would suggest that if you are interested in seeing Dust Devil, see it for yourself. Maybe you'll enjoy it more than me.

5/10

Day 159: The Hills Have Eyes

The Hills Have Eyes

And what beautiful eyes they are

One of the main reasons why I started 365 Days of Horror is to see classic horror movies that I've always wanted to see, but never had the chance to. A lot of the classics just never make it to television, and if they do, they are edited, cut down for time, and stretched out over hours. You can't properly watch The Exorcist over 4 hours with commercials for Burger King and CSI: Whatever interrupting. You need the theatrical or uncut versions without interruption so you can fully enjoy and appreciate what the movies offer. Doing this blog has allowed me to see some of these classics (along with a lot of shit), so I'm grateful for the opportunity to watch another movie I've been meaning to see for a long time.

The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 horror movie written and directed by Wes Craven (A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Serpent And The Rainbow). A suburban family is driving through the desert on the way to California when they stop to get gas. The old-timer working at the station, Fred, warns them to stay on the main road, but they ignore him, heading off on a different road in search of a silver mine to explore. The patriarch of the family, Big Bob (Russ Grieve, Foxy Brown, Charlie's Angels) is distracted by an Air Force plane flying overhead and the car skids off the road and crashes. With the car disabled, Bob makes it back to Fred's gas station by nightfall. There, Fred tells him about the people that live in the hills. Fred's wife was killed giving birth to a bizarre child, now known as Papa Jupiter, that grew up to be a psychopath, killing livestock and later murdering his sister. Fred tried to kill him, but he survived in the desert, taking a prostitute for a wife, and having three sons, Mars, Pluto, and Mercury, and a daughter named Ruby. They are cannibals that survive by stealing and eating people foolish enough to come into the hills. Papa Jupiter arrives, killing Fred and capturing Bob. Jupiter crucifies Bob on a stake and sets him on fire. His son Bobby, his wife Ethel, his daughter Lynne, and her husband Doug hear Bob's screams, and rush to him, leaving the youngest daughter Brenda and Lynne's baby behind. Pluto (Michael Berryman, Weird Science, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) and Mars ransack the family's trailer and rape Brenda. Mars shoots Ethel and Lynne when they return while Pluto steals the baby. Will Bobby, Doug, and Brenda be able to get the baby back and stop Jupiter's insane family?

"My mustache will stop them!"

Even though The Hills Have Eyes is over thirty years old, it is still a gripping and disturbing piece of cinema. The story itself is pretty simple and straightforward, but preys upon our some of our basic fears. All of us our worried about breaking down in an unknown place, far from civilization, without any way to get help. The desert atmosphere is the perfect bleak, sparse backdrop for such fears. It also doesn't hurt that it's cheap to shoot there. The Jupiter clan, with the exception of Ruby are all evil and sadistic with no hint of a conscience or remorse. Giving them the names of planets (or Roman Gods) is a good way of dehumanizing them. Despite being human, they are less than human, acting only upon base instincts and perversions, making them truly scary villains. It also makes the revenge plot against them all the more enjoyable because you want to see Doug, Bobby, and Brenda get revenge. You want to see them hurt the cannibals and save the baby.

When the movie was originally released, it received an X rating from the MPAA and several graphic scenes had to be cut. Nowadays, the violence in the movie seems rather tame. I was actually expecting to be far more shocked than I actually was. That's probably because the movie has been built up over so many years as being extreme. Don't get me wrong, the movie is plenty violent with multiple disturbing scenes. Wes Craven shot the movie really well, eliciting emotions not only from the actors, but from the audience as well. The acting is very good from everyone involved. The version I watched was a bit grainy, most likely transferred from a VHS copy, so I can't fault the movie itself for being difficult to see certain scenes. The movie ends a bit abruptly, but I actually liked it.

The hills have fashion

The Hills Have Eyes is a grim and gritty tale that may shock and disturb some viewers. Though tame in comparison to more modern horror movies, it still has plenty of violence and a dark atmosphere that is not easily matched. The audience is taken on an emotional roller coaster, fearing for the family and then cheering for them as they try to get their baby back. The acting is solid with great direction from Wes Craven. While I enjoyed the movie, I felt at least a little bit disappointed. There isn't a specific reason for why, but perhaps because it has been built up so much over the years that I truly expected to be shocked. Regardless, The Hills Have Eyes is a good movie and a classic for a reason.

7.5/10