Stones of Death

Low-budget Oz shocker mostly delivers what it promises as the teenage inhabitants of a residential estate run afoul an ancient Aboriginal curse.

Ideal for the teenage video market, whilst the cast are obviously older than the school-age students they depict, this isn't anything unusual and certainly doesn't detract from the otherwise tense mood. Sometimes resembles an MTV video, the make-up effects are gory and the killing devices are imaginative albeit the body count is relatively limited.

Likeable cast features Zoe Carides becoming increasingly concerned by the actions of her father (Oldfield) after she learns that the commercial development he oversaw lies above an ancient Aboriginal burial ground. Supporting cast is an all-Aussie affair with Tom Jennings (who was prominent in 'Sons & Daughters' around the same time), Natalie McCurry ('Chances') and Deborah ('not happy Jan') Kennedy as the sage school teacher whose knowledge of the ancient stones' meaning heralds the subsequent danger. Some viewers might also recognise Anthony Ackroyd in a blink-and-you'll-miss it part as a police constable sickened to discover the mutilated corpse of one of the curse's hapless victims, whilst Sean Scully, Alan Lovell and Steve Dodd are also potentially familiar faces to local audiences.

Plenty of colourful dialogue, garish 80s wardrobe and superfluous musical numbers, whilst another reviewer mentioned a Brisbane setting, this looks more like New South Wales landscape & housing (and vehicle regos).

Aside from the final act which feels a little unresolved, it's a decent exploitation effort with committed performances, contemporaneously a little less eerie than 'Spook' but just a little more professional than 'Houseboat Horror' and worthy of an Ozploitation film aficionado's burgeoning collection 😊

Australia's answer to the first two POLTERGEIST films with a couple teaspoons of NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Now give it a stir. You get the same sort of supernatural story, pinching plot details here and there (damn those greedy building developers), as the outskirts of suburbia meets Indigenous dreamtime horror. A group teenagers living on the same street in a suburban housing development find themselves haunted by the spirit of a Kadaicha Man (an elder aboriginal witchdoctor) through their dreams, which when they awake, they are in possession of an ancient crystal stone. This souvenir symbolizes that they are targeted for death.

To begin teenagers are killed off one by one in what looks like freak accidents caused by dangerous wildlife (and the body count is very small), while minimalistic in execution with its tame use of cutaways and aftermath mutilation; there's a charm to these coarse attacks and decent effects. Outside the slightly eerie first death, I thought remaining lot were silly. Still the natural sound design along with the piercing didgeridoo / synth score do a better job implementing the uneasy atmospherics around the thrills.

Obvious plot tropes are used to advance the story, engineer the threat and to keep you invested, yet for the majority of the time these docile characters seem less concern in trying to figure out how not to become the next victim. Some of their actions are questionable, even their own state of mind when they begin dropping like flies. Then at the backend the material rushes through and decides to throw out the overt shocks, changing its M.O to ghostly apparitions, poltergeist activity and possession leading to a flimsy power play over the life of the final girl. It's everything, but the kitchen sink... done on the cheap. Stereotypical performances don't hurt and the script might not be the greatest, but you get amusing lines like this;

"A dog savage enough to kill a teenage girl. A spider with the fasted venom in history and now a giant eel that thinks it's a boa constrictor. What... the hell... is going... on?????"

The delivery of the line was just priceless. Actually a lot of the choice dialogues, and sincere banter, especially between the coppers got a laugh from me.

Not the best Ozploitation had to offer, quite clunky, but you could do a lot worse.

I saw this film once late at night when it was played on television. It really isn't at all good, and I don't recommend it, but for me it was one of those films with a really strange feel about it. I can't remember too much of the film because I saw it so long ago but it had a strange feel about it which I enjoyed.

All I can remember of the plot is that if you find this Aboriginal stone on your pillow when you wake up, you are cursed and will die. Now, I think the reason for this is that these people live in an area over sacred Aboriginal ground, and the Aborigines have cursed the people who live there. Totally absurd I know, but there are a few gruesome deaths, one nasty one with a spider.

If you can find it, have a look, but its not that great. A silly look at Aboriginality, because I don't think Aborigines would be that way inclined.

Kadaicha are ancient Aborigine stones whose hellish curse reaches from beyond the grave.Anyone receiving such a stone is doomed to die in terrifying circumstances.A group of local teenagers are each experiencing the same nightmarish dream about an eerie cave with sinister rock paintings and the brooding evil which dwells within.Each awakens to find an evil stone lying coldly next to them...The plot sounds really good,but the film is only decent.There are some gruesome death scenes like the spider sequence in the library,and the score is suitably creepy and menacing.7 out of 10-okay horror film!

Nowhere can cinema claim a monopoly on tried and true horror tropes: a cast of teen characters, including a musician, a nerd, a randy couple, and so on; a curse on land held sacred by indigenous people, which was subsequently developed by white people; an onslaught of violent death for those teens, living on that developed land; black magic, an even darker local history, capitalist greed, and so on. 'Kadaicha' is very upfront about all of this, and the formula is so intact that, not necessarily through any fault of this title, there are no thrills or surprises to be had - unless, perhaps, you've never seen any similar title before, which would be impressive indeed. By all means, this 1988 flick is still enjoyable in and of itself for those who appreciate genre fare for more than just the visceral reactions they may inspire - just don't go expecting a revelation.

This may not be breaking any ground, but it's still well made. The cast give earnest, commendable performances, and I find no faults in the writing that imparts a complete, duly compelling story, with some welcome little details. There's a nice bit of variety in the death scenes, and all the stunts, practical effects, and special makeup look terrific. Bolstered by Peter Westheimer's music, the picture is even able to manifest a measure of uneasy atmosphere, and a couple scenes are especially striking (such as Gail in the bathroom). The filming locations are fantastic, and the art direction is nice; between James Bogle's direction and Stephen F. Windon's cinematography, 'Kadaicha' is shot well. Really, this is well made all around, and even as the tale walks a familiar path there are no especial flaws here - save, perhaps, for that the one thing that the feature can't do is achieve a spark of vitality to make any of the course of events strike a major chord. It's fun, but kind of flat.

Very simply, what it comes down to is that for anyone who has spent any amount of time exploring the horror genre, we've seen this film before. It's still a suitably good time, but there's no reason to go out of our way for it, and it's best left as something fairly light for a lazy day. I admire the work that all involved put into it, and I'm glad I watched it; I just don't anticipate ever feeling the need to do so again, and I wish this carried itself with more vibrant energy. Ah well. Not every flick needs to be a revelation, and this is decent enough as it is.