Dust Devil

Dust Devil ~ The second mainstream film from writer/director Richard Stanley has suffered several times under a merciless editor's knife. From Netflix I watched an eighty-seven minute version that I am unsure is still Stanley's version. This tale, shot entirely in Namibia, and loosely based on a real serial killer, tells the story of a shape-shifting demon. Yep, and there you go.

Dust Devil is moody, creepy, atmospheric, and barely comprehensible. I'd be lying if I didn't say this film was visually stunning. Stanley does know how to catch the eye with even the most mundane or most horrific, but I really disliked this movie a lot.

The score, by the award-winning Simon Boswell, is perfect for the film. The narration works well, but the acting and dialogue are abysmal. After sitting through this, I know why so many cut it down. Dust Devil could have been a brilliant short, unfortunately, it's about an hour too long.