''Prey'' is a 2009 Australian

supernatural horror film Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of supernatural film and horror film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common them ...

directed by George T. Miller (though credited to Oscar D'Roccster), written by Miller and starring former ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

'' actress and

Rogue Traders Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. Before forming Rogue ...

lead singer

Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian singer, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting career in 1998 ...

, and American Jesse Johnson.by Mike Catalano
Joblo.com
2 October 2008, "Prey for shower". Retrieved 10 December 2008 The film is the last directed by Miller before his death in February 2023.

Plot summary

In April 1987, two North Americans disappeared in the West Australian desert on a 4WD holiday. They were never seen alive again. Their abandoned vehicles and unused supplies were found in sand dunes near an Aboriginal sacred site less than an hour away from the closest town. Two years later, in May 1989, the two men were both found dead of natural causes, on the same day, 1,000 miles apart back in North America. Twenty years after the original incident, 3 couples who set out on a surfing trip are lured into the same desert area, by a strange local whose master needs fresh victims to consume. Preconceived assumptions about friendship, undiscovered sexual liaisons, and false leadership come apart as the three couples realize that the vacation is over.

Cast

as Kate * Jesse Johnson as Gus * Natalie Walker as Ling * Ben Kermode as Matt *

Christian Clark Christian Clark (born 15 September 1978) is an Australian actor and business owner. Christian appeared in the role of Will Griggs in the Network Ten soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 2006 to 2007 and played Penn Graham in ''Home and Away'' in 201 ...

as Jason * Kristin Sargent as Annika *

Nicholas Bell Nicholas Bell (born 15 August 1958) is an English actor who has worked in Australia for more than 30 years. Bell works regularly with the Melbourne Theatre Company as well as with all the major television broadcasters in Australia, most notabl ...

* Pamela Shaw as Morgan Weismann *

Joe Hachem Joseph Hachem (; ; born 11 March 1966) is a Lebanese-Australian professional poker player known for being the first Australian to win the World Series of Poker main event, which earned him $7.5 million, then a record for all-time biggest tournam ...

as Motel Operator * Geire Kami as Patient *

Jennifer Hansen Jennifer Hansen is an Australian journalist and former news presenter on Network 10's ''Ten News'' in Melbourne. She presented the news at TEN alongside Mal Walden for more than 10 years - the pair becoming the longest serving news duo in Aus ...

as Waitress * Suhayb Lahdo as The Man * Dawn Klingberg as Kora * Stephen Beck as Pianist * Jacqueline Steward as Confused Girl * Zachary Schaefer as Bemused Pedestrian * Taylor Johnson as Internet Enthusiast

Production

The

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

had to be re-created in a

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

warehouse to save filming costs. In addition to a perforated eardrum which caused filming dates to be rescheduled, lead star Natalie Bassingthwaighte injured her ankle twice during filming, causing hassles regarding the physicality of her role. There was friction between the producers and director George T. Miller due to last minute script changes by Miller. Also, investor issues plagued the shoot and at one point the line-producers were hinting they were ready to walk. Bassingthwaighte was used in a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

shower that raised great controversy, but eventually made it to the final release.

Release

The film premiered on 5 May 2009 in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

, and was given a theatrical release on 9 May 2009 in Australia.

DVD release

The film was scheduled to have a U.S. DVD release on 13 July 2010 from

Xenon Pictures Xenon Pictures is an American film production and distribution company which releases titles produced by African-American filmmakers for African-American audiences. The label has distribution deals with numerous prominent filmmakers, such as Melv ...

under the new title "The Outback" or "Dreamtime's Over."Dorian Gray and The Outback Hitting DVD / The Prowler Hitting Blu-ray!
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References

External links

Official Website
*
''Prey'' Official Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prey 2009 films 2000s horror thriller films 2009 independent films 2000s supernatural horror films Australian independent films Australian thriller films Films scored by Dale Cornelius Horror films based on actual events Films set in 1987 Films set in 1989 Films shot in Melbourne Australian supernatural horror films Films directed by George T. Miller 2000s English-language films English-language horror thriller films English-language independent films