Thanks to the film industry, the world at large knows to fear our crocodiles and serial killers. So, what’s next on the list of Australia fauna (yes, I just classified John Jarratt as an animal) to receive the horror flick treatment? The adorable Tasmanian Devil.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, US cable channel Syfy has begun production on a straight-to-TV horror film featuring Tasmanian’s iconic critter. It’s being filmed in British Columbia, Canada — the same place as Syfy’s other endeavours, including Stargate (originally MGM) and Battlestar Galactica — and will star Jericho’s Kenneth Mitchell and Danica McKellar of The Wonder Years fame.
Here’s the film, in a nutshell:
[The movie] centers on base jumpers in a remote Tasmanian national park who are pursued by grizzly bear-sized Tasmanian Devils, creatures who protect the land from intruders.
While I’m all for science fiction, I’m not so sure about portraying the poor Tasmanian Devil as a large and ferocious beast, given that 90 per cent of the population has be decimated by the Devil Facial Tumour Disease, a figure significant enough for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to flag it as “Endangered”.
Perhaps I’m being a little harsh — who knows, they might include a subtle message about the Devil’s plight. Or not.
[Hollywood Reporter, via TV Tonight]