Dust Devil (film)

This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (February 2021)

Dust Devil
Theatrical release poster by Graham Humphreys[1]
Directed by	Richard Stanley
Written by	Richard Stanley[2]
Produced by	JoAnne Sellar[2]
Starring	Robert Burke Chelsea Field Zakes Mokae John Matshikiza
Cinematography	Steven Chivers[2]
Edited by	Derek Trigg Paul Carlin[2]
Music by	Simon Boswell[2]
Production companies	Palace Pictures Film Four International[2]
Distributed by	PolyGram Video[2]
Release date	1992 (1992) [3]
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United Kingdom[2]

Dust Devil is a 1992 British horror film written and directed by Richard Stanley. The film stars Robert Burke as Hitch, a mysterious man who wanders the deserts in Namibia and is wanted by the police in connection with the death of a woman whose blood was used in a supernatural ceremony. It is believed by a local sangoma that Hitch is a "Dust Devil", a supernatural creature that can change its form. Hitch encounters Wendy played by Chelsea Field, who drives with him along a highway as she is pursued by her estranged husband. As police begin investigating the murders, they seem to trace back to Hitch and Wendy discovers the man has supernatural powers.

Dust Devil was shot in Namibia after March 1990, when Stanley presented his script to producer JoAnne Sellar, whom he had previously worked with on his first film Hardware.^[4] Sellar was able to secure 2.8 million pounds for Dust Devil. The script was then sent to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Namibia for approval. Sellar was also able to use South African personnel and equipment for the production, making the film's crew a combination of British, American, South African and Namibian people.

After finishing filming, Dust Devil experienced a difficult post-production, with several different cuts being released in the United Kingdom, the United States and select areas in Europe where the film was released in a much shorter version titled Demonica. The film was released in United Kingdom following the demise of Palace Pictures under an end credit of Dust Devil: The Final Cut. It was released in the United States by Miramax with a shorter running time than the British version.