Dust Devil will be screened at the London-based film festival The Compass of Horror on November 5th.

Richard Stanley will be present for a discussion on the film with critic Kim Newman.

Screening time 7.30 pm.

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Stanley informed the audience that after this screening, the print would be sent to the BFI archives.

Is anyone going? Imagine getting the box set signed!

The 35mm print survived a near 10 years of travelling across the globe, and now with the Subversive box set out there, the film will surivive without the old can being carried into different cinemas.

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Dust Devil (1992 South Africa/UK)
Director: Richard Stanley

The highlight of the weekend, this was the last chance to catch a forgotten diamond, as Richard Stanley informed the crowd that this screening will be the last before the print is retired to the BFI archives. Dust Devil is set in the crumbling remains of the Namib Desert shortly after Namibia’s independence from South Africa, and sees a nameless drifter possessed by the dust devil embark on ritual killing spree amongst this scattered community. Part western, horror, and road movie, Dust Devil is that rarest of beasts: it manages to be both sharp political commentary and effective genre piece all at the same time. Gorgeous aerial photography enhances the desert setting and both Robert Burke (as the title character) and Chelsea Field (as his intended prey) give effective performances, which combines to create a palpable, Se7en-esque atmosphere. Throw in a soundtrack that mixes 70’s western with 90’s thriller and you really have a minor classic.

Richard Stanley makes for an eccentric, intelligent speaker as he and Kim Newman put the film in context and discuss Stanley’s subsequent work, most notoriously the famous Hollywood cluster-fuck that was 1996’s The Island of Dr. Moreau. He talked about the politics of the studios he’d been involved in and how he managed to get paid a million for Moreau through a play-or-pay deal, which has allowed him to focus on documentary work in the last few years interspersed with some writing gigs. Best moment: when Kim Newman referenced 28 Days Later whilst pleading with the crowd not to make any of their own Z grade horror that he’ll inevitably end up suffering through in his Empire column, to which Mr. Stanley commented that we shouldn’t hold out much hope for it’s sequel, 28 Weeks Later, as he’s read the script and it sucks.


- http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/008275.html

From someone who attended the screening:

"Dust Devil was pretty cool. Dan, you said Richard Stanley was 'an interesting guy'. Now I know what you mean. He did give some interesting insights into the making of the movie, but his off the cuff comments were classic. In response to a question about whether he felt at home in the UK, he preceded to say no, because the Druids wouldn't let him in their stone circles because he refuses to wear white. He also gave us some advice about filming after a nuclear strike (although I'm sure no one asked) - you'll need a clockwork camera, because there will be no power, and your own 16mm processing lab. Thanks Richard.

He is hoping to start filming a movie this winter called Vacation, about American tourists trapped in the middle east after WWIII commences."

- Mondomovie.com