FORESHADOW

2013 / Director. Carmelo Musca.
Review by Jarret Gahan.

Jesse Milton (Justin Burford), once a wayward youth now thirty-something successful businessman suffers a sharp change to his idyllic lifestyle when he discovers his date dead upon his arrival at her house. Immediately he’s the key suspect in the investigation, in an effort to both clear his name and determine what actually transpired, Jesse enlists the help of his friends uncover the truth. What Jesse soon discovers is that there are supernatural forces are at work and those entities are responsible for derailing his life prior, back in his youth.

FORESHADOW feels more akin to the Australian genre films of the late-eighties like CASSANDRA (1986), THE DREAMING (1988), KADAICHA (1988) & OUT OF THE BODY (1989) than its contemporary counterparts. Aside from an obvious supernatural theme running through the aforementioned titles and FORESHADOW,  there is a heavy reliance on suspense and storytelling than merely show. That isn’t to say that the plot of FORESHADOW and those previously mentioned films is anything outstanding or original, just that they go about producing their brand of horror in a slightly different fashion. The story, whilst formulaic, is capably directed by Carmelo Musca (ZOMBIE BRIGADE), has varied set pieces, is evenly paced and is short enough in duration that it never outstays its welcome. The screenplay for the film is both uniquely and refreshingly Australian in that the dialogue is naturalistic in its colloquial tone without ever becoming parodistic or blatant (a difficult achievement in itself and potentially alienating for foreign audiences). The production of the film is competent, though uninspiring. From cinematography through editing, it’s well produced but lacks a point of difference to distinguish it as a film from just an Australian television program. The performances range from adequate to hammy with exception to Andrea Burdett who plays Joanne Peterson, Jesse’s friend who jealously pines for something greater with him, she ignites the screen with her warm and beautiful presence, hopefully we’ll see more of her onscreen in the years to come.


FORESHADOW may not break any new ground for Australian genre cinema but it’s an easy watch that offers something different from the recent slate of local Horror even if recycled from over a decade ago.

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