Australian Horror Films
Australian Horror Films and Australian Horror Movies
When you think of Australia, it’s unlikely that horror films are the first things that come to mind. Heck, you might think of Midnight Oil or Jacko (“It’ll surprise ya…the new Energizer!”) before you start pondering Australian horror films. In order to jog your memory, I’ve compiled a list of Australian horror movies, many of which utilize the country’s wide open landscape to chilling effect.
And before you complain about the exclusion of Peter Jackson movies, keep in mind that he’s from New Zealand, not Australia. That’s like getting America and Canada mixed up.
- Rogue (2007) - When an American journalist (Michael Vartan) heads to the Northern Territory for a story, he winds taking an ill-fated river cruise in Kakadu National Park conducted by tour guide Kate Ryan (Radha Mitchell). But after investigating a distress signal, their boat is attacked by a massive underwater presence, and it soon becomes obvious that they’ve entered the territory of a giant crocodile. Trapped on a small river island that’s rapidly disappearing, the group must make a desperate attempt to reach shore before becoming the creature’s next meal. Better than you might think, Rogue also features an early appearance from Sam Worthington.
- Wolf Creek (2005) - Before he sat behind the camera for Rogue, Greg McLean helmed this tense horror flick about a trio of backpackers who run afoul of a psychopath (John Jarratt) in the lonely Australian outback. Inspired by true events, the film’s debut in the Northern Territory had to be delayed while the inspiration for Wolf Creek received his trial.
- Patrick (1978) - An important early work in Australian horror film history, Patrick revolves around a young man (Robert Thompson) who lies in a self-induced coma after killing his mother and her lover. But Patrick is very much awake, using his psychokinetic powers to reach out and influence the world around him. When he falls for a new nurse at the hospital, Patrick uses his powers to take control of her life while simultaneously preparing to ward off a murder attempt from a hospital employee who’s aware of his evil nature. Directed by Richard Franklin (Roadgames and Psycho II), who was a classmate of John Carpenter and George Lucas at USC.
- The Cars That Ate Paris (1974) - Mixing comedy and horror with social commentary, director Peter Weir directs this tale of a small Australian town named Paris where the locals intentionally cause car wrecks in order to scavenge the debris. When one of their victims survives, he’s adopted into the town and finds that Paris has problems of its own, especially a youth population that’s growing dissatisfied with the status quo.
- Next of Kin (1982) - No, not the Patrick Swayze film. I’m talking about the chilling ghost tale that counts Quentin Tarantino among its fans. Jacki Kerin stars as a young woman who inherits her mother’s property only to find that it’s been converted into a home for the elderly. That’s when the bodies begin to pile up, leading to a number of disturbing revelations and a blood-soaked climax.
- Saw (2004) - While you’d never know it, this franchise-launching film was actually a co-production between the United States and Australia. Easily the best of the series, it features two men (including Carey Elwes) locked in a room with a corpse and tormented by a serial killer known as Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). In order to escape, they’ll have to make hard choices that could cost them their lives (or body parts). Meanwhile, the twisted motivations of Jigsaw are slowly revealed. Danny Glover co-stars as a police detective on the trail of the killer.
- Razorback (1984) - One of the more memorable Australian horror films of the 1980s, Razorback stars Gregory Harrison as a vengeful husband seeking the massive boar responsible for the death of his reporter wife. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, whose impressive music video career included the first one ever played on MTV (“Video Killed the Radio Star”).
- Dead Calm (1989) - It’s probably more of a thriller than a horror film, but I still wanted to include this tension-filled masterpiece that first got Nicole Kidman noticed by the global cinematic community. She stars as a mother who’s recently lost her son, and she and her husband (Sam Neill) take their yacht out to relax and help with the grieving process. But things take a turn for the worse when they encounter Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane), a man who claims that his shipmates all died of food poisoning. He’s lying, of course, and the rest of the film is a desperate cat-and-mouse game. Based on the 1963 novel from Charles Williams.
- Thirst (1979) - While it didn’t make much of a splash at the box office, this offbeat vampire movie is worth a look for fans of Aussie cinema. Chantal Contouri stars as Kate Davis, a young woman kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as “The Brotherhood” who keep a farm for the express purpose of harvesting blood from normal folks. But Kate is far from normal. In fact, she’s descended from a line that can be traced all the way back to the monstrous Elizabeth Bathory. Will she join The Brotherhood or escape and put an end to their vile schemes?
- Undead (2003) - Michael and Peter Spierig helmed this bizarre Australian zombie movie featuring space aliens, triple-barreled shotguns, and the dream pairing of a farmer and a beauty pageant champ. While the included comedy sometimes falls flat and the genre-bending plot often works against it, it’s one of the few options available for those looking for zombie flicks in the land down under.
If you‘ve grown tired of Paul Hogan and Yahoo Serious, treat yourself to one of these Australian horror films. From Billy Zane terrorizing a topless Nicole Kidman to a comatose madman with psychic powers, you’ll have to wonder if everyone down under is out of their freakin’ minds. Just look at what happened to American-born Mel Gibson after living there for a few years.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 at 6:09 pm and is filed under Horror Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.