Rating: 2.5/5
Hooptober 7.0 | 1/32 | Countries 1/6 | Australia
Tracy walks barefoot down a storm drain into a cave. She witnesses an Aboriginal man dancing in front of a fire. He growls, turning to show his face — a skull. He hands her a stone. She wakes up. She’s still holding the stone from her dream.
The next day, Tracy rides to school with Matt and Gail. Tracy brings the stone to school. Her teacher, Mrs. Millhouse, tells her it is a kadaicha stone — an Aboriginal stone that the shaman would give a tribe member who broke tribal laws. The stone condemned the offender to death.
That night, as Tracy walks home across the park, a wild dog emerges and tears her throat out. Gail and her father, Alex, find her body.
One by one, teens have the same dream and receive kadaicha stones. What do they all have in common? Alex is a property developer, and they all live in his new housing development.
The movie combines The Amityville Horror “Built on Sacred Burial Grounds” and Nightmare on Elm Street “Dream Killer” with an Australian twist.
The didgeridoo in the score hints at danger
The production value is pretty good for how low-budget this is. The filmmakers knew what they could accomplish, and they stuck within their means
I also appreciate the effort the movie makes to convey that it isn’t Aboriginal people doing the killing — it’s a curse that the Aboriginals are trying to warn the white kids about.
The lead-up to the end gets a little repetitive as it goes to the finale — a few too many “How could you dad?” scenes and whatnot.
This movie isn’t great, but I think it mostly works.
Stray Thoughts / Spoilers
- Gail calls her dog Hannibal a mongrel. Close, he’s a Mongol
- Tracy’s boyfriend tries to pull the “blue balls” myth on him. She isn’t having it.
- That kid looks like a nerdy Australian Brian Jordan Alvarez
- Kangaloola High — so fun to say with an Aussie accent
- I love how Mrs. Millhouse seems to know… everything?
- “land riders and greenies”
- Dad’s got a good point about how all of Australia is technically Aboriginal ground
- Tony reminisces about Tracy by thinking about how he tried to coerce her into sex
- Oh hey, Steve Dodd
- I don’t miss pre-Internet school research
- Spider in the eye!
- They were doing so well, and then the fucking kid plays guitar. Thankfully, it doesn’t last too long
- Nooo, not Fizz :( She was trying to fix things
- More guitar at prom. I want to die