Spook (1988) User Reviews

No. Just no.

[WisdomsHammer · 2/10 · 29 September 2021]

Aussie yawnfest. Decent acting and nostalgic, but unentertaining.

Spoilers below:

This is the kind of movie a 12 year old would write. A family goes vacationing and encounters a bunch of unfriendly and creepy townsfolk who are mean to them for no reason at all and a particularly creepy gas station guy who stalks them just to be a peeping tom. Then, all of a sudden at the end: Bigfoot. Why? Well, because it's supposed to be spooky, I guess. Wow. Just no. People who like "freaks torment random people" movies like "The Hills Have Eyes" will hate it, and people who like Bigfoot movies will hate it. Who is this movie even for? Skip it. I give it an extra star because the acting was miles above Troll 2 calibre and the editing seemed pretty competent, too. But nothing will save a story this bad.

So bad.. So very very bad

[Ben-25 · 1/10 · 19 May 2006]

I haven't seen this recently, so my comments are based on recollection. All I can remember from this movie when I watched it about 15 years ago, that it was immeasurably bad, I was only about 15 when I watched it.

If I saw this movie again now, I would actually be prepared for the poor quality, and may actually be able to laugh at it... "So bad it's good" shall we say. I used to get B-Rated horror films out for the enjoyment of poor quality, though I wouldn't want to disgrace even B-Rated horror flicks by putting this into the same category.

I also noticed that someone has rated this at a 10.. This has completely proved the accuracy (or lack of) for any internet voting device. I wonder if this person put the same thought into their electoral vote? Anyway, Back to the movie... Bad Bad Bad, so Bad... Watch it!

Bigfoot, bunyip or yowie?

[Chase_Witherspoon · 6/10 · 30 April 2011]

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".