This movie was pretty good, I must say. I was attracted to it mainly because of the cover of it but when I watched it, it was better than I had expected. Tessa Humphries played a pretty good part which was both realistic and actually thought out (unlike many other movies' characters). The main problem with this, however, was that the plot had so many twists that it lost me somewhere. That wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the movie, however, and I hope that I see another like it. Since it lost me midway through, though, I have to rate this one a 6.
15 Reviews
When covering your eyes just doesn't work.
lost-in-limbo11 January 2007
Cassandra is a young woman who lives with her wealthy photographer father and fashion designer mother. She finds out accidentally about her father's affair with a fashion model, but this is a minor problem that's facing her. She is now having unsettling nightmare visions. These visions are somewhat connected to her past and strangely the present. Her parents seem terribly uncomfortable about her obsession of what she is seeing and her discovery about their family's secret.
Pure visionary is brought to the screen in director Colin (Long Weekend) Eggleston's very moody and seriously spooky minor budget Australian thriller "Cassandra". I hadn't seen it in ages, but its still visually arresting and stylishly done with its ominous punch and novel techniques. There's patient handling all round and that creeps up in its torpid pacing, which unquestionably has some flagging spots. But this subtleness makes way for some forebodingly suspenseful set pieces that provide quick and concise jolts with grisly intension, but without the real need of showing us. For some that factor might be a huge downer, but how they fuse the violence with the disquieting material and chilling atmosphere payed dividends in the set-up. This was helped a lot by Ian Mason's unworldly hum-dinger of a music score that was effectively placed to achieve unbearable tension with cunning unease. Gary Wapshott's kinetic photography gracefully glides and professionally frames some beautifully striking locations. There was a true addiction to POV shots here, though they were neatly staged. The complicatedly progressive (but unoriginal) story by Colin Eggleston, Christopher Flitchett and John Ruane works upon the little things by trying to surprise the viewer with outlandish twists and wayward developments. It's flawed, as it does chop and change a bit and lose sight of its intriguing mystery to fall in the final third. With common slasher traits (red herrings get a real work out) and a predictable revelation that limps into a sudden climax that's plain dumbfounding. A slasher film at heart it is, but it's trying to be much more and it does come off (well sort of) in parts. Most of the performances are nicely judged and credible. Debut actress Tessa Humphries works the role of Cassandra terrifically and invokes a compelling turn. Shane Briant and Briony Behets are substantially good in their parts as the parents.
Substance might be little, but this effort is a surprisingly decent exercise and has some imagination in its editing and visuals flashes to share. Well worth the look.
Pure visionary is brought to the screen in director Colin (Long Weekend) Eggleston's very moody and seriously spooky minor budget Australian thriller "Cassandra". I hadn't seen it in ages, but its still visually arresting and stylishly done with its ominous punch and novel techniques. There's patient handling all round and that creeps up in its torpid pacing, which unquestionably has some flagging spots. But this subtleness makes way for some forebodingly suspenseful set pieces that provide quick and concise jolts with grisly intension, but without the real need of showing us. For some that factor might be a huge downer, but how they fuse the violence with the disquieting material and chilling atmosphere payed dividends in the set-up. This was helped a lot by Ian Mason's unworldly hum-dinger of a music score that was effectively placed to achieve unbearable tension with cunning unease. Gary Wapshott's kinetic photography gracefully glides and professionally frames some beautifully striking locations. There was a true addiction to POV shots here, though they were neatly staged. The complicatedly progressive (but unoriginal) story by Colin Eggleston, Christopher Flitchett and John Ruane works upon the little things by trying to surprise the viewer with outlandish twists and wayward developments. It's flawed, as it does chop and change a bit and lose sight of its intriguing mystery to fall in the final third. With common slasher traits (red herrings get a real work out) and a predictable revelation that limps into a sudden climax that's plain dumbfounding. A slasher film at heart it is, but it's trying to be much more and it does come off (well sort of) in parts. Most of the performances are nicely judged and credible. Debut actress Tessa Humphries works the role of Cassandra terrifically and invokes a compelling turn. Shane Briant and Briony Behets are substantially good in their parts as the parents.
Substance might be little, but this effort is a surprisingly decent exercise and has some imagination in its editing and visuals flashes to share. Well worth the look.
Great set up and mood, terrible plot
udar551 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Cassandra (Tessa Humphries) is having bizarre nightmares about her childhood, seeing a woman shoot kill herself with a shotgun. Her parents (Natalie McCurry and Shane Briant) are worried, but only because they feel Cassandra may unearth some buried family secrets. Things get worse when someone starts stalking them and the seemingly psychic Cassandra can see the murders happen in her mind. This is a frustrating Aussie horror flick from Colin Eggleston (LONG WEEKEND). Frustrating in the sense that the film has a giallo-esque style with smooth camera work and great editing, but a terrible flimsy plot. You will guess the killer and twist 20 minutes in. How? Well, there are only 5 major characters - 1 is the lead, 2 are shown being stalked, 1 is the obvious red herring, and 1 is there for no reason. I've had more suspenseful games of Clue. Also, the film has a wacky logic like when, after the first murder, neither of the parents see fit to tell the cops that Cassandra's twin brother (who is the killer) was released from a mental home just a few weeks ago. D'oh! This is made even worse when Cassandra talks to him at his job and he utters lines like, "I feel like I've known you my entire life." A real shame as this is an extremely well mounted production.
Cassandra's dreams
Cujo1089 August 2010
Australian charmer about Cassandra, a young woman who wonders about a curious nightmare she keeps having. Her problems soon get much worse, however, as she begins seeing visions of murder from the killer's point of view.
This film is predictable, especially if you've seen one of my favorite slashers, but it's still compelling throughout. This is due in large part to a talented cast and the assured direction of one Colin Eggleston, director of the magnificent Long Weekend. The opening moments of the film are particularly stylish as we see a streak of images through a continually blinking eye, the eyelids evoking the feel of a camera shutter. Another of my favorite scenes comes towards the end, and I'll just say it involves fire. We also get a quality score, at varying times eerie and beautiful. Of the three Eggleston films I've seen (Innocent Prey being the third), this is my least favorite, but that's certainly not a slight against it.
This film is predictable, especially if you've seen one of my favorite slashers, but it's still compelling throughout. This is due in large part to a talented cast and the assured direction of one Colin Eggleston, director of the magnificent Long Weekend. The opening moments of the film are particularly stylish as we see a streak of images through a continually blinking eye, the eyelids evoking the feel of a camera shutter. Another of my favorite scenes comes towards the end, and I'll just say it involves fire. We also get a quality score, at varying times eerie and beautiful. Of the three Eggleston films I've seen (Innocent Prey being the third), this is my least favorite, but that's certainly not a slight against it.
supernatural flick
trashgang5 April 2011
Easy to find but only on VHS. Was it worth hunting down? Well, it's a weird one to review. There isn't really that much blood in it but it is more about the supernatural. There is indeed some decapitation and some stabbing but mostly the horror is done off screen. The acting is believable and the movie is watchable but it was made just at the end of the slashers and again it shows a bit why it all declined after 1985. But still, the movie is as I said enjoyable and it's the sometimes fast editing and repeating score that keeps you attracted. The director Colin Eggleston only made a few flicks but I haven't seen others from him. If you are into the supernatural with a twist then I surely recommend it.
Cassandra
HorrorFan19841 July 2022
A young girl named 'Cassandra' is rattled by recurring nightmares involving a fire and a murder at the hands of little child in this 1986 offbeat slasher.
The film starts with a dream of a woman shooting herself after being coaxed by her young son to "do it". Our lead character Cassandra (who was a little girl in the dream that witnessed everything) wakes up from it. We find out that she's been having these dreams for quite some time. Puzzled by these dreams, and getting no help from her parents when she asks questions, Cassandra decides to investigate it further. Her parents try to sway her from looking into it, and it's not hard to tell that they know more than they're letting on.
Cassandra's father Stephen meanwhile is cheating on his wife Helen with one of the models he works with and has gotten her pregnant. Late one night, the model is murdered by an unseen assailant brandishing a large butcher knife. The cops believe it was either Helen or Cassandra who did it for revenge because of the affair. Not long after that, we see the stalker attack Helen late at night in her art studio.
There is something very haunt and eerie about the way 'Cassandra' is filmed, including the unnerving musical score playing in the background at almost all times. Very nice work by director Colin Eggleston. I thought one of the murder scenes near the beginning of the film was well done too, very 80's slasher-like with a classic jump scare. All of the stalking scenes were effective throughout. Where 'Cassandra' suffered was in it's writing. As the film slowly trudged along, the story got muddled and the audience gets introduced to way too many twists and turns.
All in all, 'Cassandra' was a fine Australian slasher flick that's worth at least one watch. Actress Briony Behets who played the mother Helen was a standout in the cast which featured a few not so good performances.
5/10.
The film starts with a dream of a woman shooting herself after being coaxed by her young son to "do it". Our lead character Cassandra (who was a little girl in the dream that witnessed everything) wakes up from it. We find out that she's been having these dreams for quite some time. Puzzled by these dreams, and getting no help from her parents when she asks questions, Cassandra decides to investigate it further. Her parents try to sway her from looking into it, and it's not hard to tell that they know more than they're letting on.
Cassandra's father Stephen meanwhile is cheating on his wife Helen with one of the models he works with and has gotten her pregnant. Late one night, the model is murdered by an unseen assailant brandishing a large butcher knife. The cops believe it was either Helen or Cassandra who did it for revenge because of the affair. Not long after that, we see the stalker attack Helen late at night in her art studio.
There is something very haunt and eerie about the way 'Cassandra' is filmed, including the unnerving musical score playing in the background at almost all times. Very nice work by director Colin Eggleston. I thought one of the murder scenes near the beginning of the film was well done too, very 80's slasher-like with a classic jump scare. All of the stalking scenes were effective throughout. Where 'Cassandra' suffered was in it's writing. As the film slowly trudged along, the story got muddled and the audience gets introduced to way too many twists and turns.
All in all, 'Cassandra' was a fine Australian slasher flick that's worth at least one watch. Actress Briony Behets who played the mother Helen was a standout in the cast which featured a few not so good performances.
5/10.
Looks great
BandSAboutMovies1 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Don't ask me why, but it seems like a lot of this year's slasher month films are coming from the Land Down Under, where women glow and men plunder. Cassandra is from director Colin Eggleston, who also made Long Weekend and Fantasm Comes Again.
Our titular character keeps dreaming that her brother is a killer and her parents keep telling her that everything is normal, as it's not as said brother has escaped the asylum and has started killing everything he can*.
Also - her dad is a photographer and her mother is a fashion model, so there's that too. And to pile on the crazy, dad's having an affair and Cassandra has a psychic link with that aforementioned killer who keeps leaving "Who killed cock robin?" in blood at his murder scenes.
This is a film that isn't just content with stealing from Carpenter's Halloween but also The Eyes of Laura Mars.
This movie starts with a truly audacious dream sequence and has some real stalk and slash moments of suspense, but the true villain would be keeping secrets. If you go in expecting a straight-up slash, you'll be disappointed. But if you want something a bit more cerebral, this unheralded Australian entry is worth the download.
*Spoiler: They're also Australian for VC Andrews.
Our titular character keeps dreaming that her brother is a killer and her parents keep telling her that everything is normal, as it's not as said brother has escaped the asylum and has started killing everything he can*.
Also - her dad is a photographer and her mother is a fashion model, so there's that too. And to pile on the crazy, dad's having an affair and Cassandra has a psychic link with that aforementioned killer who keeps leaving "Who killed cock robin?" in blood at his murder scenes.
This is a film that isn't just content with stealing from Carpenter's Halloween but also The Eyes of Laura Mars.
This movie starts with a truly audacious dream sequence and has some real stalk and slash moments of suspense, but the true villain would be keeping secrets. If you go in expecting a straight-up slash, you'll be disappointed. But if you want something a bit more cerebral, this unheralded Australian entry is worth the download.
*Spoiler: They're also Australian for VC Andrews.
Well-shot supernatural slasher with a humdrum plot
yourmotheratemydog71523 August 2016
CASSANDRA, one of the last films by LONG WEEKEND helmer Colin Eggleston, is a supernatural slasher about a young woman (helpfully named Cassandra) who is being plagued by terrifying nightmares of a woman shooting herself and a scary little boy. Her parents are both being rather unhelpful about the problem, but when people in town start getting sliced and diced, it's revealed they've been keeping a lot from young Cassandra...
The film starts promising with a creepy, visually arresting dream sequence, and it's obvious that Mr. Eggleston knows what he's doing in the director's chair. When it wants to be, CASSANDRA is atmospheric and good-looking.
Unfortunately, it's relentlessly over-padded with snoozy scenes of photography shoots and marital drama, then spoiled by predictable plot happenings (I hesitate to even call them twists, due to how obvious they are). By the end, the film has become a ho-hum late-80s slasher, and not a fun one to watch either.
Not easy to recommend to anyone outside of Ozploitation and slasher completists. It's really not too bad, but you've seen it all before many a time and it's definitely not worth tracking down a VHS copy. Just watch LONG WEEKEND again instead.
The film starts promising with a creepy, visually arresting dream sequence, and it's obvious that Mr. Eggleston knows what he's doing in the director's chair. When it wants to be, CASSANDRA is atmospheric and good-looking.
Unfortunately, it's relentlessly over-padded with snoozy scenes of photography shoots and marital drama, then spoiled by predictable plot happenings (I hesitate to even call them twists, due to how obvious they are). By the end, the film has become a ho-hum late-80s slasher, and not a fun one to watch either.
Not easy to recommend to anyone outside of Ozploitation and slasher completists. It's really not too bad, but you've seen it all before many a time and it's definitely not worth tracking down a VHS copy. Just watch LONG WEEKEND again instead.
Slow-moving Aussie horror
Leofwine_draca22 March 2023
CASSANDRA is a slow-moving psychological horror flick from Australia that's notable for featuring former Hammer stalwart Shane Briant in a supporting role playing the main character's father. This one is about a young woman plagued by nightmares in which a boy eggs his mother to kill herself. Could they actually be memories instead? It takes a very long time to actually find out, and until that point we get a very long-winded and dialogue-heavy movie that doesn't really go anywhere. The performances are okay, with the usual Aussie naturalism, and the dream sequences are quite stylish. But until the slasher film ending, very little happens here.
Creepy Aussie slasher with some bizarre themes.
ThrownMuse27 March 2007
Meet Cassandra. She's just an ordinary big-haired 80s Aussie gal living a ho-hum life until one day she stumbles upon her photographer father making out with his model. Unfortunately, discovering this affair (and her mum's lackadaisical reaction to it) is the least of her troubles. More concerning is her horrific nightmares about a familiar woman shooting herself in the face at the urging of some creepy kid! With some investigating she learns that her family may be harboring more than a few dark secrets.
Colin Eggleston, who helmed the minor Aussie classic "Long Weekend" (1978), directs this 80s slasher that's obviously influenced by many of the popular American horror films from the 80s. The film does suffer (or maybe it's enhanced, depending on how you like your 80s horror) from a dated feel during some of the scenes--a photo shoot where the model dances to bad music and strikes poses quickly comes to mind. The performances aren't particularly great. The girl who plays Cassandra gives a deadpan delivery and her character isn't nearly as interesting as the others, which is sort of a big pitfall if the film is named after her. Briony Behets plays Cass's mum and goes into weird territory with the role--all wild smiles and crazed eyes during the scenes where the character should be scared. I like Behets as the lead in Long Weekend, but I know she bugged a lot of other viewers of that film. If you didn't like her there, you'll probably hate her in this one.
So what makes this movie worthwhile? Cass's dream, which features a creepy kid growling creepy things in a creepy voice, is an excellent and horrifying opening sequence that immediately grabs you and makes you want to stay with the film. The editing is fast and flashy, but this works in its favor and enhances the fright factor (unlike in many recent films, where it just makes you wish you had a Dramamine.) Even though it starts to feel like a typical derivative slasher, it eventually goes into some unexpected and twisted territory with regards to the subject matter, which I can't get into without spoiling. It doesn't dwell on these themes--they are simply there, and there's something unsettling about that. There are also several situations in the film (for example, one character's reaction to their stalker when they're being chased with a knife) that set it apart from your typical 80s horror fare. I found myself rewinding the tape and watching some scenes a couple times.
By the time the story came full circle, I was left pretty surprised by what I had seen. Sure, there are some flaws and a lot of it feels dated or doesn't make any sense, but overall it's a darn frightening slasher with some unique plot elements. I totally dug it, but keep in mind that I'm a bit of an Aussie horror fanatic.
For trivia buffs: the poem "Who Killed Cock Robin?", recited in the movie by the creepy dream kid, was sampled by the band My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult in their song "Do You Fear for Your Child?"
Colin Eggleston, who helmed the minor Aussie classic "Long Weekend" (1978), directs this 80s slasher that's obviously influenced by many of the popular American horror films from the 80s. The film does suffer (or maybe it's enhanced, depending on how you like your 80s horror) from a dated feel during some of the scenes--a photo shoot where the model dances to bad music and strikes poses quickly comes to mind. The performances aren't particularly great. The girl who plays Cassandra gives a deadpan delivery and her character isn't nearly as interesting as the others, which is sort of a big pitfall if the film is named after her. Briony Behets plays Cass's mum and goes into weird territory with the role--all wild smiles and crazed eyes during the scenes where the character should be scared. I like Behets as the lead in Long Weekend, but I know she bugged a lot of other viewers of that film. If you didn't like her there, you'll probably hate her in this one.
So what makes this movie worthwhile? Cass's dream, which features a creepy kid growling creepy things in a creepy voice, is an excellent and horrifying opening sequence that immediately grabs you and makes you want to stay with the film. The editing is fast and flashy, but this works in its favor and enhances the fright factor (unlike in many recent films, where it just makes you wish you had a Dramamine.) Even though it starts to feel like a typical derivative slasher, it eventually goes into some unexpected and twisted territory with regards to the subject matter, which I can't get into without spoiling. It doesn't dwell on these themes--they are simply there, and there's something unsettling about that. There are also several situations in the film (for example, one character's reaction to their stalker when they're being chased with a knife) that set it apart from your typical 80s horror fare. I found myself rewinding the tape and watching some scenes a couple times.
By the time the story came full circle, I was left pretty surprised by what I had seen. Sure, there are some flaws and a lot of it feels dated or doesn't make any sense, but overall it's a darn frightening slasher with some unique plot elements. I totally dug it, but keep in mind that I'm a bit of an Aussie horror fanatic.
For trivia buffs: the poem "Who Killed Cock Robin?", recited in the movie by the creepy dream kid, was sampled by the band My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult in their song "Do You Fear for Your Child?"
Good twin/bad twin
Chase_Witherspoon17 December 2022
Thin plot somewhat compensated by the ever-eerie atmosphere and capable acting, demonstrates how far an idea can travel given the right aesthetic. Former Hammer-Horror alumni Briant is haunted by a dark family secret which manifests in the gory nightmares of his daughter Humphries, but are they fragmented repressed memories of a violent episode in her distant youth, or something more paranormal.
Joining the aforementioned is Briony Behets as the long-suffering matriarch and Veteran Kit Taylor playing a confounded police detective, with Jeff Truman his trusted partner. Good to also see Tim Burns (Mad Max) and Natalie McCurry (Chances) in supporting roles adding considerable depth to an impressive local cast.
Moody and visually stylish, there's a palpable tension and lingering unease present in this quintessentially 80s psycho-thriller, and although it's considered an Ozploitation film, both the plot and its characters are ostensibly location neutral, and non-distinctly Australian (making it potentially more commercially accessible).
Plenty of shocks - some very effective - and enough gore to satisfy a casual horror fan, whilst the plot is lean and the mystery a little shallow, Director Egglestone delivers a watchable thriller whose momentum and pacing successfully defies its otherwise overlong 94 min runtime resulting in a satisfying genre Oz-shocker well worth a look.
Joining the aforementioned is Briony Behets as the long-suffering matriarch and Veteran Kit Taylor playing a confounded police detective, with Jeff Truman his trusted partner. Good to also see Tim Burns (Mad Max) and Natalie McCurry (Chances) in supporting roles adding considerable depth to an impressive local cast.
Moody and visually stylish, there's a palpable tension and lingering unease present in this quintessentially 80s psycho-thriller, and although it's considered an Ozploitation film, both the plot and its characters are ostensibly location neutral, and non-distinctly Australian (making it potentially more commercially accessible).
Plenty of shocks - some very effective - and enough gore to satisfy a casual horror fan, whilst the plot is lean and the mystery a little shallow, Director Egglestone delivers a watchable thriller whose momentum and pacing successfully defies its otherwise overlong 94 min runtime resulting in a satisfying genre Oz-shocker well worth a look.
A surprisingly good Australian slasher movie
Kurwa-Monger31 May 2004
Prepare to be shocked ladies and gentlemen, because I've gone and done the impossible. That's right, as shocking as it may seem, I've finally found an Australian slasher movie that's actually worth a carrot. No, seriously! After the vomit inducing mess that was To Become One, the less than intriguing Cut and the now legendary titan of trash, Houseboat Horror, I was beginning to think that it was just too much to ask of our cousins down-under. Cassandra is here to change all that however, because astoundingly enough, it's actually quite good. Well, measured up against those three humongous humdingers, it's truly a cinematic treasure. It's lucky enough to be one of the rare few psycho-killer flicks that have an endearing macabre sheen, which measures up nicely with the killer leaving a broken doll beside his victims in The Baby Doll Murders and the spooky appearance of that creepy dolly in the classic Curtains. Cassandra's leading nut-nut has taken a shine to writing 'who killed cock robin' on the wall at the scene of his gruesome slashings. Of course, there's bound to be some kind of deluded motive for this psychotic creativity, and it's down to us viewers to figure out the not so obvious connection
It begins with cool credit sequence that boasts a notable theme tune and a great graphic for the title. Following that, we're given one of the creepiest openings that I ever remember witnessing in a slasher flick. A young girl is shown throwing stones into a lake beside a remote cabin in the woods. A car pulls up outside the hut, and out steps a woman and a creepy looking child who's singing the nursery rhyme, 'who killed cock robin?' Next we see inside the cabin, and the woman is turning a shotgun on herself in a suicide bid, while the boy mutters 'do it' in a spooky voice reserved only for maniacs. The young girl jogs up to the hut in excellent steadi-cam, but arrives too late. The woman had already pulled the trigger. It's a great launch for the feature, which is skilfully photographed and smoothly edited, giving it enough power to keep your hopes raised for the rest of the movie. For some reason that I cannot put into words, it brought to my mind the spooky commencement from that all but forgotten horror classic, Alison's Birthday. At first I wondered if the two movies shared some kind of connection, other than both hailing from similar parts of the world? But I haven't managed to find any notes that would confirm this to be true, so I guess it's just a coincidence.
Next we learn that the spooky occurrence was only a dream, one that has been plaguing the beautiful Cassandra (Tessa Humphries) quite regularly just lately. It seems so realistic that she believes it may be a memory recollection from her childhood, but she's confused and just can't remember the truth. She asks her mother and father if she could have ever witnessed a similar course of events, but they suspiciously convince her that it's all in her mind. To be honest, they look as if they have more skeleton's in their closet than the local morgue has corpses, so I wouldn't be surprised if they turn out to be hiding a few shocking secrets beneath their obviously false exterior. Cassie's father is a photographer with more than just a 'photographic' eye for the ladies, and pretty soon we learn that he's shoulder deep in an affair with one of his projects. Cassie catches her father and Libby together, just as the model was in the middle of telling him that she's fallen pregnant. On top of her continuous restless nights, that's not what the troubled youngster needed to hear at that particular time. She heads to the local bar, where she pours her heart out to her friend Robbie, who lends a sympathetic ear.
The following night, Libby heads out to a remote beach house after an argument with Steven over why he wont tell his missus that he's blown her up. (Why do you think honey?) After an extremely gratuitous shower, an unseen maniac creeps into the house in superb first person cinematography, picking up a bread knife en route a la Michael Myers. Some time later, Steve discovers her corpse in his bed with her throat slashed from ear to ear. He also finds a creepy message left at the scene by the killer, which reads: 'who killed cock robin?' The police turn up and question everybody, and we find out that Cassie witnessed the murder through a psychic link that she mysteriously shares with the killer. From here on out the majority of the runtime resolves around the mystery, as we learn more about the characters and their shady backgrounds. And boy have they got shady backgrounds! To break up the dialogue, Eggleston chucks in some suspense as the shadowed maniac puts in another appearance. This time, he tries unsuccessfully to murder Cassie's mother in yet another sequence that's packed with credible tension.
Eventually the assassin manages to get everyone that's on his list of would-be victims in the same place around the same time, including the unfortunately unsuspecting heroine. After a cool decapitation by shovel (the first I remember seeing), and another brutal murder, it's left up to Cassie to try and save herself and her family from his malevolent rage.
It's looks a little more than obvious that Colin Eggleston was greatly inspired by the American titans of eighties horror, such as John Carpenter and Sam Raimi. Previously, he had penned the screenplay for 1980's slasher misfire, Stage Fright, and to say that he had 'borrowed' the basic plot pointers from Halloween would be a considerable understatement. He unearthed a lot more potential once behind the camera, but still kept the references pouring thick and fast. Check out some of the fast flowing photography in the dream sequence, which clearly owes a great deal to Raimi's first-person-possession from The Evil Dead. Still, don't hold that against the man, I mean, you show me a slasher movie that doesn't steal from its fellow genre-men and I'll show you a pink elephant with wings and a driving licence! As a matter of fact, Cassandra's imaginative use of the camera is perhaps its most alluring attribute. Take for example the first murder, which packs a great deal of suspense into a short sequence and skilfully manages to keep the tension running high all the way through. We look on in traditional hand-held shots as the victim climbs into bed, leading us to successfully believe that we're watching from the eyes of the killer. However as the camera zooms in on the female, the knife appears from a different location than the one we were expecting, which provides a great jolt and a decent shock-tactic that can be credited as one of Eggleston's own.
Let's just say for argument's sake that Stage Fright was Eggleston's Halloween. Then I guess Cassandra could quite easily be labelled as his Eyes of Laura Mars. The two movies share a great deal, most notably of course, the use of a psychic link between the killer and heroine. It's been a while since I've seen Mars, so I didn't notice many other similarities that I could immediately remember. But I'm pretty certain that it was somewhere on his list of inspirations before he sat down to pen the screenplay for this closely themed thriller. Thankfully, this has a lot more going for it than some credible photography and a few beautiful locations. Ian Mason's screeching score helps to provide the tense atmosphere, and Josephine Cook edits with a praise-worthy confidence that was one of the strongest elements in the brilliance of the opening sequence. It's also stylishly produced for an underground slasher flick, and doesn't deserve to have become as rare since it's initial release. I had never even heard of Cassandra until I found the recent DVD in my local newsagent's bargain bucket. Later I learned that it was briefly released in the United Kingdom sometime in 1987, but vanished from existence pretty soon after.
Another slice of trivia worth noting (well, kind of) is the fact that this was the movie debut of actress Tessa Humphries. Don't worry if you don't immediately recognise that name, because chances are if you watched chat shows throughout the eighties in the United Kingdom, then you'll probably be more familiar with her father. She's none other than the daughter of the owner of the biggest pair of specs in the world, Dame Edna! Luckily for us, the family resemblance is totally non-existent and she's actually an attractive young woman. Despite obvious limitations as an actress, she at least holds up fairly well with the rest of the cast that had some previous acting experience. However, watching them fumble through the script like a plank of wood in a forest may prevent that from sounding like much of a compliment. But surprisingly enough, the lack of any truly outstanding performances really didn't spoil the movie too much, and I still thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
There are of course a few flaws to be found throughout the runtime that may ruin the story for the more critical viewers. As I said previously, it isn't greatly acted, and some may find the character driven dramatics a slightly disappointing alternative to a numerous body count. It's also pretty easy to guess whom it is that's actually killing everyone, and I was expecting a slightly more intelligent conclusion than the mediocre and somewhat uninspired result that we ended up with. But the odd stylish sequence lifted this above the majority of its counterparts, and almost every murder is surprisingly neatly staged. Suspense is one of the toughest things to be found in underground slasher movies, but Colin Eggleston successfully manages to create quite a few credible sequences that give the movie a noteworthy professional sheen. As far as Australian stalk and slash efforts go, it's actually one of the best of its kind...
It begins with cool credit sequence that boasts a notable theme tune and a great graphic for the title. Following that, we're given one of the creepiest openings that I ever remember witnessing in a slasher flick. A young girl is shown throwing stones into a lake beside a remote cabin in the woods. A car pulls up outside the hut, and out steps a woman and a creepy looking child who's singing the nursery rhyme, 'who killed cock robin?' Next we see inside the cabin, and the woman is turning a shotgun on herself in a suicide bid, while the boy mutters 'do it' in a spooky voice reserved only for maniacs. The young girl jogs up to the hut in excellent steadi-cam, but arrives too late. The woman had already pulled the trigger. It's a great launch for the feature, which is skilfully photographed and smoothly edited, giving it enough power to keep your hopes raised for the rest of the movie. For some reason that I cannot put into words, it brought to my mind the spooky commencement from that all but forgotten horror classic, Alison's Birthday. At first I wondered if the two movies shared some kind of connection, other than both hailing from similar parts of the world? But I haven't managed to find any notes that would confirm this to be true, so I guess it's just a coincidence.
Next we learn that the spooky occurrence was only a dream, one that has been plaguing the beautiful Cassandra (Tessa Humphries) quite regularly just lately. It seems so realistic that she believes it may be a memory recollection from her childhood, but she's confused and just can't remember the truth. She asks her mother and father if she could have ever witnessed a similar course of events, but they suspiciously convince her that it's all in her mind. To be honest, they look as if they have more skeleton's in their closet than the local morgue has corpses, so I wouldn't be surprised if they turn out to be hiding a few shocking secrets beneath their obviously false exterior. Cassie's father is a photographer with more than just a 'photographic' eye for the ladies, and pretty soon we learn that he's shoulder deep in an affair with one of his projects. Cassie catches her father and Libby together, just as the model was in the middle of telling him that she's fallen pregnant. On top of her continuous restless nights, that's not what the troubled youngster needed to hear at that particular time. She heads to the local bar, where she pours her heart out to her friend Robbie, who lends a sympathetic ear.
The following night, Libby heads out to a remote beach house after an argument with Steven over why he wont tell his missus that he's blown her up. (Why do you think honey?) After an extremely gratuitous shower, an unseen maniac creeps into the house in superb first person cinematography, picking up a bread knife en route a la Michael Myers. Some time later, Steve discovers her corpse in his bed with her throat slashed from ear to ear. He also finds a creepy message left at the scene by the killer, which reads: 'who killed cock robin?' The police turn up and question everybody, and we find out that Cassie witnessed the murder through a psychic link that she mysteriously shares with the killer. From here on out the majority of the runtime resolves around the mystery, as we learn more about the characters and their shady backgrounds. And boy have they got shady backgrounds! To break up the dialogue, Eggleston chucks in some suspense as the shadowed maniac puts in another appearance. This time, he tries unsuccessfully to murder Cassie's mother in yet another sequence that's packed with credible tension.
Eventually the assassin manages to get everyone that's on his list of would-be victims in the same place around the same time, including the unfortunately unsuspecting heroine. After a cool decapitation by shovel (the first I remember seeing), and another brutal murder, it's left up to Cassie to try and save herself and her family from his malevolent rage.
It's looks a little more than obvious that Colin Eggleston was greatly inspired by the American titans of eighties horror, such as John Carpenter and Sam Raimi. Previously, he had penned the screenplay for 1980's slasher misfire, Stage Fright, and to say that he had 'borrowed' the basic plot pointers from Halloween would be a considerable understatement. He unearthed a lot more potential once behind the camera, but still kept the references pouring thick and fast. Check out some of the fast flowing photography in the dream sequence, which clearly owes a great deal to Raimi's first-person-possession from The Evil Dead. Still, don't hold that against the man, I mean, you show me a slasher movie that doesn't steal from its fellow genre-men and I'll show you a pink elephant with wings and a driving licence! As a matter of fact, Cassandra's imaginative use of the camera is perhaps its most alluring attribute. Take for example the first murder, which packs a great deal of suspense into a short sequence and skilfully manages to keep the tension running high all the way through. We look on in traditional hand-held shots as the victim climbs into bed, leading us to successfully believe that we're watching from the eyes of the killer. However as the camera zooms in on the female, the knife appears from a different location than the one we were expecting, which provides a great jolt and a decent shock-tactic that can be credited as one of Eggleston's own.
Let's just say for argument's sake that Stage Fright was Eggleston's Halloween. Then I guess Cassandra could quite easily be labelled as his Eyes of Laura Mars. The two movies share a great deal, most notably of course, the use of a psychic link between the killer and heroine. It's been a while since I've seen Mars, so I didn't notice many other similarities that I could immediately remember. But I'm pretty certain that it was somewhere on his list of inspirations before he sat down to pen the screenplay for this closely themed thriller. Thankfully, this has a lot more going for it than some credible photography and a few beautiful locations. Ian Mason's screeching score helps to provide the tense atmosphere, and Josephine Cook edits with a praise-worthy confidence that was one of the strongest elements in the brilliance of the opening sequence. It's also stylishly produced for an underground slasher flick, and doesn't deserve to have become as rare since it's initial release. I had never even heard of Cassandra until I found the recent DVD in my local newsagent's bargain bucket. Later I learned that it was briefly released in the United Kingdom sometime in 1987, but vanished from existence pretty soon after.
Another slice of trivia worth noting (well, kind of) is the fact that this was the movie debut of actress Tessa Humphries. Don't worry if you don't immediately recognise that name, because chances are if you watched chat shows throughout the eighties in the United Kingdom, then you'll probably be more familiar with her father. She's none other than the daughter of the owner of the biggest pair of specs in the world, Dame Edna! Luckily for us, the family resemblance is totally non-existent and she's actually an attractive young woman. Despite obvious limitations as an actress, she at least holds up fairly well with the rest of the cast that had some previous acting experience. However, watching them fumble through the script like a plank of wood in a forest may prevent that from sounding like much of a compliment. But surprisingly enough, the lack of any truly outstanding performances really didn't spoil the movie too much, and I still thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
There are of course a few flaws to be found throughout the runtime that may ruin the story for the more critical viewers. As I said previously, it isn't greatly acted, and some may find the character driven dramatics a slightly disappointing alternative to a numerous body count. It's also pretty easy to guess whom it is that's actually killing everyone, and I was expecting a slightly more intelligent conclusion than the mediocre and somewhat uninspired result that we ended up with. But the odd stylish sequence lifted this above the majority of its counterparts, and almost every murder is surprisingly neatly staged. Suspense is one of the toughest things to be found in underground slasher movies, but Colin Eggleston successfully manages to create quite a few credible sequences that give the movie a noteworthy professional sheen. As far as Australian stalk and slash efforts go, it's actually one of the best of its kind...
Effective, Though Muddled
horror777730 August 2001
CASSANDRA is a solid, suspenseful film that all horror fans should see. It has some wonderful, suspenseful moments that are very effective. Its main problem is that it suffers from being boring and muddled at times. I understand that the director couldn't do nonstop action/horror scenes in all places throughout the film, but I just wish that at times I didn't feel like I was watching Daytime TV. I mean, the relationship between the mother and the daughter. And the husband was having an affair. But putting that aside, everything else about this film was very well done and very effective. I was actually introduced to Austrailian Horror by mistake, only because my friends are so big on the MAD MAX series. Anyway, CASSANDRA is not really cliche-ridden, and that is good. It has some effective moments that will make you look over the muddled ones. **1/2out of****Worth at least one or two looks.
TERRIBLE!!!
lthseldy11 January 2001
I was expecting more from this movie but all I got was a boring film. This movie has bad actors, slow moving script about a lady that keeps having the same dream about her mothers suicide when she was six. Through most of the movie this dream is the main focus and then she tries to find out who the little boy is that watches his mother kill herself and supposebly edges her into doing it. The answer to that is quite obvious during most of the movie. As I watched this movie I found myself saying "Common, just get to the little boy and get over it!!!" But when the movie was over I found that I had wasted my $1.50. Don't waist yours!!!! Avoid it!!
*1/2 out of 4.
brandonsites198119 August 2002
Dad is having an affair. Mom and daughter do not get along. And then the daughter begins to have visions of someone in the family killing people. The first half is a fast paced, scary little thriller. However, it runs out of steam by the second half and has way too many twists and suffers from your usual movie cliches. Rated R; Nudity, Violence and Profanity.
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