DUST DEVIL (1992)

Cast

Plot

Murder, magic and South African politics mix in a nightmarish world of mysticism and ritual slaughter. Drawn to the drought-ridden town of Bethany by the smell of death, shape-shifting 'Hitcher with No Name' (Burke) kills and dismembers a lonely young woman who picks him up. While the hitcher feeds off the despair of others, including fugitive wife Field, local policeman Mokae enlists the help of a half-mad, half-blind cinema projectionist in his search for a suspected serial killer. The non-linear storyline relies on atmosphere and dream-like mysteriousness; a sidewinder snaking across a dune, hazy desertscapes, and an extraordinary scene in a sand-filled cinema are evidence of a visionary talent. The spectacular setting of the Namibian desert adds atmosphere to director Stanley's chilling tale; out of it comes the nameless man, and in his wake comes death. Field plays a woman on the run from a broken marriage, whose flight takes her into the arms of terror. Visually ravishing, evocative of Twin Peaks and the great Dutch thriller The Vanishing.