''Crush'' is a 2009 Australian

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by Jeffrey Gerritsen and

John V. Soto John V. Soto is an Australian film director. Soto won Best Director for his film ''The Reckoning'' at the 2014 British Independent Film Festival, where the film had its UK premiere at Leicester Square on 9 May 2014. He has written and directe ...

. It stars

Christopher Egan Christopher Andrew Egan (born 29 June 1984) is an Australian actor. He played Nick Smith (Home and Away), Nick Smith in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' from 2000 to 2003, and David Shepherd on the NBC television drama ''Kings (U.S. ...

as Julian, an American martial arts champ house sitting a luxury home in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Julian's life unravels when he cheats on his girlfriend, Clare (

Brooke Harman Brooke Harman-Walker is an American-born Australian actress. Biography Born in Orange County, California and moving to Brisbane, Queensland as a young child, her first television role was at age eleven on the children's television series '' ...

) with Anna (

Emma Lung Emma Lung (born 14 January 1982) is an Australian actress. Early life and education Born in Sydney, Lung's father is half-Chinese; his father (Emma's paternal grandfather) was born near Beijing. Lung's mother is Scottish and French. Growing up ...

). It was released in Australia in April 2009. It was released on DVD in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

on 14 July 2010.

Plot

An international architecture student at

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

and martial arts champ, Julian finds work as a house sitter for the wealthy owners of a luxury home in

. His new job causes friction with his girlfriend Clare, who he was supposed to live with. The house and wealth it exudes open up a realm of opportunities for Julian, and he is seduced by the mysterious and attractive Anna. As time goes on, Anna becomes obsessive of Julian. Subsequently, his relationship with Clare falls apart, and he struggles to regain momentum in a martial arts championship. His academic life is threatened when his final university assignment disappears. When he speaks to the owner of the house, he mentions meeting the niece but is told that's impossible as she is away, and the name "Anna" gets a furious reaction. He asks a neighbour to shed some light on the conversation and it is revealed that a junkie died after getting into the house and falling down the stairs. He recognises Anna in the news photo. When she returns, he acknowledges that she is a ghost; her beautiful form turns into a monstrous

banshee A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is c ...

and tries to force him to kill himself so they can be together. Julian attempts to flee, but Anna traps him in the house, forcing him to hide. His friends and girlfriend come to check on him but are too late. Anna ambushes Julian and asks why he doesn't love her, in his last words he responds, "I'll never love you." just before the banshee pushes him down the stairs to his death, just like her when she was alive. Julian recovers in a hospital bed where a nurse is attending him. As she asks him who he would like to see, Julian asks for Clare. The nurse replies that he's answered incorrectly, revealing the silhouetted nurse to be none other than Anna and Julian is in fact dead. As the film ends, Anna promises to "take care" of Clare whilst kissing Julian in the afterlife.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, primarily in

. The area offered financial incentives according to the producer. Filming locations included South Perth,

Perry Lakes Reserve The Perry Lakes Reserve is a nature reserve located approximately west of , the capital city of Western Australia, in the suburb of . Within the reserve are two lakes, East Lake and West Lake, comprising approximately . In its current form, t ...

and West Perth.

Soundtrack

* "Waiting All Day" –

Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...

* "Ordinary Life" – Kristen Barry * "

Vampire Racecourse "Vampire Racecourse" is a song by The Sleepy Jackson released as the first single from their debut album '' Lovers''. The song peaked at #71 in Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovere ...

" –

The Sleepy Jackson The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist ...

* "Cigarettes and Suitcases" –

Something for Kate Something for Kate are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 1994 with Paul Dempsey on lead vocals and guitar, and Clint Hyndman on drums. They were joined in 1998 by Stephanie Ashworth on bass guitar and backing vocals. The grou ...

* "Animal, I'm Carrying" – Ravior * " Last Resort" –

Papa Roach Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther. After ...

* "

Bodies Bodies may refer to: * The plural of body * ''Bodies'' (2004 TV series), BBC television programme * Bodies (upcoming TV series), an upcoming British crime thriller limited series * "Bodies" (''Law & Order''), 2003 episode of ''Law & Order'' * ...

" –

Little Birdy Little Birdy were an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue. They gaine ...

* "Crazy" – Cordrazine * "Everything" –

Shihad Shihad are a rock band formed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1988. The band consists of founders Tom Larkin (drums, backing vocals, samplers), Phil Knight (lead guitar, synthesiser, backing vocals) and Jon Toogood (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), ...

Reception

The film received a generally positive reaction from Australian cinema magazine, '' Filmink''. "''Crush'' delivers most of what it sets out to do. A busy soundtrack enhances the experience (itself a rarity), while muscular production and the eye candy appeal of Egan and Lung (the film's biggest asset) push proceedings a notch or two above similar movies. ..it's all handled with enough flair to make the popcorn experience worthwhile."Film reviews
Filmink. April 2009 issue

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crush 2009 films 2009 horror films 2009 fantasy films 2009 psychological thriller films Australian horror thriller films Australian erotic thriller films 2000s erotic thriller films Films set in Western Australia Films shot in Perth, Western Australia 2000s supernatural thriller films Erotic fantasy films Films about stalking 2000s ghost films 2000s English-language films Films directed by John V. Soto