''Incident at Raven's Gate'' (also released as ''Encounter at Raven's Gate'') is a 1988

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

directed by prominent

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n director

Rolf de Heer Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951) is a Dutch Australian film director. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in the Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old.

. The cast of ''Incident at Raven's Gate'' includes long-term Australian stage and screen actor

Max Cullen Maxwell Phillip Cullen (born 29 April 1940) is an Australian stage and screen actor. He has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film '' Spider and Rose'' and the television series '' The ...

as a policeman and

Terry Camilleri Terrance Camilleri (born 7 November 1949) is a Maltese-born Australian actor who has performed actively in both the United Kingdom and United States. He is best recognised for portraying Emperor Napoleon I in the blockbuster comedy film '' Bi ...

as an astrophysicist attached to

Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...

, investigating unexplained radar signals in a remote

South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which includes some of the most arid parts ...

country town.

Plot

At Raven's Gate, a farming property, enthusiastic hydroponicist Richard Cleary (

Ritchie Singer Ritchie Singer is an Australian actor. Singer portrayed executive producer Richard Shapiro in the fictionalized 2005 American television movie/docudrama '' Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure'', based on the creation and behind the scenes ...

) is trying innovative farming practices. He is also trying to accommodate his brother Eddie ( Steven Vidler), newly out of jail and more interested in Richard's wife Rachel (Celine Griffin) than in working on the property. Strange events on the property and a minor crime in the town attract policeman Taylor (

) and Special Branch investigator Cummings (

). Eddie has the misfortune to cross local cop Skinner (

Vincent Gil Vincent Gil (1939 – 21 August 2022), also credited as Vince Gil (sometimes misspelled with double L), was an Australian film and television actor, Gil best known for his portrayal of the character ''Nightrider'' in the 1979 Mel Gibson film ...

), for dating the target of his affections, barmaid Annie ( Saturday Rosenberg). Tensions in personal relationships and mysterious events (bird kills, disappearing water supplies) build. Raven's Gate is assaulted by an alien force, and a number of deaths occur amongst the protagonists. The film closes with the stunned survivors Eddie and Rachel standing outside Raven's Gate homestead, newly restored by Special Branch, and the soundtrack playing the Easybeats' song "

Friday on My Mind "Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group the Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, No. ...

Cast

as Richard Cleary * Steven Vidler as Eddie * Celine Griffin as Rachel *

as Taylor *

as Special Branch Investigator Hemmings *

as Skinner * Saturday Rosenberg as Annie

Production

''Incident at Raven's Gate'' is a genre-crossing film: part thriller, part science fiction, and part psychological drama. It was shot on location and made in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, with

South Australian Film Corporation South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed ...

support, for a budget of . The filmmakers say only $1.1 million was spent on the actual film, and the rest were fees for executive producers, writers and producers. It was co-produced by de Heer and Marc Rosenberg, who wrote the script from a screenplay by James Michael Vernon. It was filmed in South Australia's

Riverland The Riverland is a region of South Australia. It covers an area of along the Murray River, River Murray from where it flows into South Australia from New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria downstream to Blanchetown, South Australia ...

and

Murraylands The Murraylands is a geographical region of the Australian state of South Australia (SA); its name reflects that of the river running through it. Lying due east of South Australia's capital city, Adelaide, it extends from the eastern slopes ...

, and

Carrington, New South Wales Carrington is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, and is named after Lord Carrington, governor of New South Wales in 1887 when the area was proclaimed a municipality. Carrington had a population of almost 2,000 in 2016. Orig ...

Critical reception

The movie achieved only limited release and did not receive the critical acclaim of many other de Heer films. It nevertheless managed three nominations at the 1988

Australian Film Institute Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industr ...

. ;Other reviews *Hutak, M. (1989). 'Incident at Raven's Gate', ''Film News'', April, no. 3. *Stratton, D. (1988). 'Incident at Raven's Gate', ''Variety'', August.

Notes

References

External links

''Incident at Raven's Gate''
at Rolf de Heer's production company Vertigo Productions
''Incident at Raven's Gate''
at Oz Movies * {{DEFAULTSORT:Incident at Raven's Gate Australian science fiction films Films set in South Australia 1988 films Films directed by Rolf de Heer 1980s English-language films Films scored by Graham Tardif