your favourite Australian horror films?

[Guillaume P]

my top 5!:

1: next of kin (tony Williams)
2: long week end (colin Eggleston)
3: harlequin (simon Wincer)
4: razorback (russell Mulcahy)
5: picnic at hanging rock (peter Weir)

[David Huber]

I always enjoyed THE LAST WAVE, although it may be difficult to watch now since the tsunami disaster.

[Jonathan Douglas]

Anyone seen Peter Weir's THE PLUMBER (1979) ? I read it's supposed to be a great psycho thriller. I'll go with PAHR as the best in Aussie horror, and the rare BACKSLIDING (1991) with Tim Roth is quite good too.

[Damian P]

VICIOUS! (1988) It's not really a horror film but it does carry elements of horror.
It's been years since I have seen it but I recall it being a good film with some strong brutality.

[Ed C]

The Long Weekend
Romper Stomper

[Aaron G]

The Boys
Ghosts of the civil dead - both these are more horrific than 'horror' ie: Blokes and monsters coming out of closets with knives and shit.
Body Melt (its total dreck, and is more 'camp' gore than horror, but sorta comes close)


and there's that 'Wolf Creek' film which seems to be setting the bar for 'Aussie' horror

sheeit..you guys have seen more Aussie horror s than me and I'm aussie (also coz most aren't even worst watching)

[Jesper Maintz]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Douglas

Anyone seen Peter Weir's THE PLUMBER (1979) ? I read it's supposed to be a great psycho thriller.

I have the VHS of THE PLUMBER but didnt really like it, when I saw it some 10 years ago - it felt like the TV movie it was, and pretty boring as well...

Of course, my memory is a bit faded and it might be better than what I remember - isnt it included as a bonus on the THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS dvd?

[Paul Casey]

Originally Posted by Jesper Maintz

I have the VHS of THE PLUMBER but didnt really like it, when I saw it some 10 years ago - it felt like the TV movie it was, and pretty boring as well...

Of course, my memory is a bit faded and it might be better than what I remember - isnt it included as a bonus on the THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS dvd?

Yeah. I have the Cars/Paris dvd and The Plumber is on it. Cars is great, but The Plumber isn't as good. It's entertaining, but a little longish.

[Brett Evans]

Around the late 1970's-early 1980's producer Antony I. Ginnane was involved in a number of fairly good Australian made horror films. He often imported people like David Hemmings and Robert Powell to act or direct in some of them. The films I quite like from his stable are:

HARLEQUIN

SNAPSHOT

THIRST

PATRICK

TURKEY SHOOT (ESCAPE 2000)

DEAD KIDS

[Dusan S]

BODY MELT
UNDEAD
INTERVIEW (more thriller than horror movie)

[gordon_campers]

Razorback is a great bloody film, some great cinematography by Dean Semler

[Vincent Pereira]

I like VICIOUS too. I have it on VHS, I'd love to see this get a DVD release.

DEAD KIDS is not an "Australian horror film". For one thing, it was filmed in New Zealand. For another, it had an American writer, director, and cast. It was only filmed in NZ for financial reasons, so it doesn't even really qualify as a New Zealand film.

Vincent

[Eric A]

Gotta add my love for PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK. If any film can define the word atmosphere, this is it!

[Mike T]

Hmmm, from an Aussie...

THE LAST WAVE - coz it's creepy, has kadaicha men and is about the apocalypse
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK - coz even though it's only a PG here, it still scares me
NEXT OF KIN - spooky, Argento-esque and a great score by Klaus Schulze
FRENCHMAN'S FARM - coz I come from smalltown rural Oz and ghost stories on farms wig me out; this is so scary I refuse to watch it again
THE LONG WEEKEND - one of the scariest films I've ever seen...period
ROAD GAMES - Great Richard Franklin flick with a cameo by Aussie stuntman extraordinaire Grant Page and some nasty stuff with meat trucks...
RAZORBACK - only in its uncut form though; rivettingly captures the desolation and unearthly qualities of the outback
HARLEQUIN - creepy, political and with a corker sting in the tail
THE HAUNTING OF HEWEY DOUWKER - made for TV scary from the late seventies; so frightening to watch as a child I never made it to the end!

I'm sure there's some others -- but that's all I can think of right now! I wish some enterprising Aussie filmmaker would do either a yowie, brownjack or dropbear film...they'd really clean up!

[Todd Bowman]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned DEAD CALM? Not exactly horror but one of the best suspense thrillers of the 80's

What about DEATH WARMED UP (1985)? It's been years since I've seen it but i remember thinking it was good, loopy fun. Was that an Australian or New Zealand production?

On the not-so-favortie side of things there was also the recent slasher film, CUT, but that wasn't particularly good. HOWLING III dealt with marsupial werewolves in Australia but I have no idea if that would be considered "Australian Horror."