Kadaicha
1988 Australian film
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Kadaicha (known Stones of Death in the U.S.) is a 1988 Australian horror film directed by James Bogle and produced by David Hannay. It was released on video.
Charles Hannah
Tom Jennings
Eric Oldfield
Natalie McCurry
Steve Dodd
| Kadiacha | |
|---|---|
Double feature DVD cover + Innocent Prey | |
| Directed by | James Bogle |
| Written by | Ian Coughlan |
| Produced by | David Hannay Charles Hannah |
| Starring | Zoe Carides Tom Jennings Eric Oldfield Natalie McCurry Steve Dodd |
| Cinematography | Stephen F. Windon |
| Edited by | Andrew Arestides |
| Music by | Peter Westheimer |
Production company | David Hannay Productions |
| Distributed by | CBS-Fox (video) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$600,000 (est.) |
Plot
A series of unexplained of teenage murders occurs in an exclusive residential development. It is discovered that the development has been constructed on top of an old Aboriginal burial ground.
Cast
- Zoe Carides as Gail Sorensen
- Eric Oldfield as Alex Sorensen
- Tom Jennings as Matt Taylor
- Natalie McCurry as Tracy Hocking
- Kerry McKay as Shane
- Fiona Gauntlett as Fizz Dryden
- Bruce Hughes as Tony Pirrello
- Steve Dodd as Billinudgel
- Deborah Kennedy as Mrs Millhouse
- Sean Scully as Mr Fitzgerald
- John Paramor as Detective Rose
- Nicholas Ryan as Franky Boland
- Rhoda Roberts as Lisa
- Sara Dakin as Deb Hartley
- Harry Cripps as Jeff Cross
- Terry Markwell as Gloria
- Nicholas Flanagan as Constable Todd
- Don Chapman as Sergeant Hanley
- Alan Lovell as Constable O’Bersky
- Anthony Ackroyd as Constable Pritchard
Production
Kadaicha was directed by James Bogle, in his feature film debut,[1] for producer David Hannay, who was producing low-budget commercial films at the time. There was an interest in Aboriginal themes during the late 1980s.[2] It was the last of four low-budget films made by executive producer Tom Broadbridge and producer David Hannay for the video market,[3] and produced via David Hannay Productions.[4]
Charles Hannah co-produced the film, which was based on a screenplay by Ian Coughlan. Cinematography was by Stephen F. Windon, and Andrew Aristedes edited the film. The original score was composed by Peter Westheimer.[5][4]
Kadaicha was filmed on location in Sydney, Australia,[5][6] on a budget of an estimated A$600,000.[3]
The title derives from the device used in the film, called "kadaicha stone".[1] The word is a variant spelling of "kurdaitcha", which in the lore of some Aboriginal peoples in central Australia was a kind of magic man or evil being who killed people.[7][8][9]
Release
Some sources suggest that it was originally intended for cinematic release,[10] but Kadaicha was released on video in 1988,[3] in the United States under the title Stones of Death, and in the Netherlands as Death Stone – Kadaicha. Other European countries gave it similar titles in translation.[5]
The film was distributed internationally by Broadstar Entertainment Corporation.[4]
It was released on DVD in October 2017 by Umbrella Entertainment in Australia,[11] and as part of a box set titled All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror by Severin Films in 2021.[12]
Reception
The film received mixed reviews on its re-release. Kevin Bechaz gave it 3 out of 5 stars, calling it enjoyable for what it is – "genre cinema at its most obscure".[11] Another reviewer called it "a forgettable teen horror flick", but liked its "message about the consequences of greed and self-interest, and how innocent lives can be lost as a result", and for its exposure of the "lack of respect for Aboriginal lore and sacred territory, the history of past conflicts between white colonialists and Aboriginal people.[13] At least two reviewers noted its borrowing from the 1982 American horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, Poltergeist.[10][11]