When a family of four decides to rent a dilapidated bush shack in a serene corner of the Blue Mountains, they're unsettled by the presence of an unseen creature that terrorizes them. Local ranger (Richards) begins to suspect it's the work of the mythical 'Yowie' (akin to a Sasquatch in Australian folklore) with which he's had trouble before. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, he tries to encourage the family to abandon the area and relocate, but his efforts prove in vain. Plenty of suspense and anticipation, the momentum builds through a well paced narrative, set in an eerie, wooded territory that depicts isolation well. Why the family of apparently well-healed city slickers used to the comforts of a large, modern metropolis would agree to stay in such a wreck of a cabin is as intriguing as their continued perseverance to remain in situ when it's apparent they're not alone (nor welcome).
The couple at the centre of the plot have their own problems stemming from a rocky marriage which basically sees them quarrelling non-stop throughout the entire film, though perhaps being terrorised by a murderous Bigfoot-like beast is just the antidote to seal their long-awaited reconciliation. Featuring Tim Elston, Joanne Samuels (who played the ill- fated wife of Mel Gibson's character in the original "Mad Max") Peter Kowitz and Tom Richards (familiar to Australian TV audiences as the scheming husband from the prolific soap opera "Sons and Daughters"), there's a morsel of talent to be enjoyed in this elusive down-under thriller.
Briefly distributed on DVD by Impulse Home Entertainment in Germany, if you haven't caught this obscurity at your local Blockbuster sometime in the distant VHS past, you could be waiting a while to be mildly spooked by, "Spook".
