''Lemon Tree Passage'' is a 2014 Australian horror/thriller film that was directed by
David James Campbell and is his feature film
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. The film received an Australian release and stars
Andrew Ryan,
Tim Phillipps
Tim Phillipps is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his roles in the soap opera ''Neighbours'', drama series '' Bed of Roses'' and the movie '' Animal Kingdom''. He has also appeared in the American television series '' Once Upon a Time' ...
,
Pippa Black
Pippa Black (born 16 October 1982) is an Australian actress. From 2005 to 2009, Black played Elle Robinson in the soap opera '' Neighbours''. Black played Tonya in the NBC series '' Outsourced'' from 2010 to 2011.
Career
Black appeared in the t ...
,
Jessica Tovey, and
Tim Pocock
Tim Pocock (born 24 October 1985) is an Australian actor and pianist best known for his role as a teenage Scott Summers in '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', as well as Ethan Karamakov in the ABC television series ''Dance Academy'' and NBC's '' C ...
as a group of backpackers that find themselves in the midst of strange occurrences. The movie's premise is based upon an urban legend that claims that if a motorist speeds along Lemon Tree Passage Road in
Lemon Tree Passage, New South Wales, they will see a ghost.
Plot
Oscar (
Andrew Ryan) and Geordie (
Tim Phillipps
Tim Phillipps is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his roles in the soap opera ''Neighbours'', drama series '' Bed of Roses'' and the movie '' Animal Kingdom''. He has also appeared in the American television series '' Once Upon a Time' ...
) are two Australian friends who decide to take a group of American backpackers, Amelia (
Pippa Black
Pippa Black (born 16 October 1982) is an Australian actress. From 2005 to 2009, Black played Elle Robinson in the soap opera '' Neighbours''. Black played Tonya in the NBC series '' Outsourced'' from 2010 to 2011.
Career
Black appeared in the t ...
), Maya (
Jessica Tovey), and her brother Toby (
Tim Pocock
Tim Pocock (born 24 October 1985) is an Australian actor and pianist best known for his role as a teenage Scott Summers in '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', as well as Ethan Karamakov in the ABC television series ''Dance Academy'' and NBC's '' C ...
), home with them. Oscar is keen on scoring with the beautiful Amelia while the shy Geordie finds himself becoming attracted to Maya. As the night progresses the Americans are introduced to Geordie's brother Sam (Nicholas Gunn), and Maya begins to suffer terrible nightmares. The group ultimately decides to try to summon the ghost of Lemon Tree Passage, only to find that this spurs on more strange occurrences.
Cast
*
Jessica Tovey as Maya
*
Nicholas Gunn
Nicholas Gunn is a classically trained songwriter, lyricist, and music producer. He is known for his originating instrumental works and his current works featuring vocalists from the electronic music space across Trance, Melodic House, and Chill ...
as Sam
*
Pippa Black
Pippa Black (born 16 October 1982) is an Australian actress. From 2005 to 2009, Black played Elle Robinson in the soap opera '' Neighbours''. Black played Tonya in the NBC series '' Outsourced'' from 2010 to 2011.
Career
Black appeared in the t ...
as Amelia
*
Tim Phillipps
Tim Phillipps is an Australian actor perhaps best known for his roles in the soap opera ''Neighbours'', drama series '' Bed of Roses'' and the movie '' Animal Kingdom''. He has also appeared in the American television series '' Once Upon a Time' ...
as Geordie
*
Andrew Ryan as Oscar
*
Tim Pocock
Tim Pocock (born 24 October 1985) is an Australian actor and pianist best known for his role as a teenage Scott Summers in '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', as well as Ethan Karamakov in the ABC television series ''Dance Academy'' and NBC's '' C ...
as Toby
*
Piéra Forde as Brianna
Production
''Lemon Tree Passage'' was inspired by an urban legend surrounding a road by the same name in
Port Stephens, which was the focus of a segment aired on ''
Today Tonight
''Today Tonight'' is an Australian current affairs television program produced by the Seven Network. It aired from January 1995 to November 2019 in Adelaide and Perth. Editions in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were previously produced befor ...
'' in 2010. Director Campbell penned the script with Erica Brien and the bulk of the film's footage was shot in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
during September 2012.
Additional footage, which included the addition of another character, was shot in March 2014.
Financing for the film was raised privately.
Reception
''ScreenRelish'' gave a mixed review for ''Lemon Tree Passage'', panning the film overall and stating that it was "a film that wants to send shivers down your spine (and certainly the promotional artwork does that in spades), but your brain is too preoccupied trying to figure out what’s going on, that it ultimately proves to be a somewhat dissatisfying experience." ''
SBS'' wrote that while Campbell "
ulledhis weight" as a director, the film's script was flawed and that it was overall uneven.
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 2396436
2014 films
2014 horror films
Australian horror thriller films
Films shot in Australia
2014 horror thriller films
2010s English-language films