Water Torture

The Plumber (Peter Weir, 1979)

Given the critical acclaim of Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and The Last Wave (1977), it is surprising to learn that Peter Weir, the leading figure of the Australian New Wave, would still have to resort to writing and directing a TV movie to make some cash. Consequently, his fourth feature would eventually be granted a theatrical distribution in the international market.

The Plumber (1979) is a 77-minute feature film that very much resembles a teleplay thanks to primarily being set in a single location. It centres on class conflict and male toxicity, and showcases the hypocrisies of its two main characters. Above all, the film serves as a spiritual forerunner to The Cable Guy (1996).

Jill Cowper (Judy Morris) is a postgraduate anthropologist residing on the university campus with her scientist husband Brian (Robert Coleby). She spends her days at home working on her Master’s thesis while Brian teaches and conducts nutritional research. He is determined to gain the attention of the World Health Organisation for his theory of Kuru, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by cannibalism, still being present among the tribes of Papua New Guinea. His obsession with this discovery occasionally leaves Jill feeling neglected and alone. An expensive watch for Jill, does little to compensate for her being home alone for the majority of the day.

Max (Ivar Kants) unexpectedly barges his way into Jill’s life as the university's plumber. However, his  invasive behaviour is a red flag; suggesting he could be a shady or dangerous individual. Jill finds herself feeling increasingly uneasy and threatened in her own home by the disruptive and overly friendly plumber. The annoying tradesman exhibits a complete lack of respect for her personal privacy. Max’s bizarre behaviour is evident from the outset as she suspects he may have taken a shower instead of doing any work. Hardly professional.

Max is quite vocal about his dislike for the social and intellectual higher-ups. He sees Jill as one of the elitists perched above the ivory tower of academia and class privilege. Thus, she is the recipient of his subtle, irritating comments and disapproving looks. On the other hand, Jill’s quiet exterior hides a woman who despises Max for his complete lack of sophistication; which is rather ironic, given her studies on primitive tribes.

The scenes between the two characters are remarkably awkward and sinister at times. Weir lets various details linger longer than necessary; achieving an uncomfortable atmosphere throughout the course of the film which feels intentionally exaggerated. Thus, The Plumber alternates between absurd comedy and psychological thriller territory. It’s bolstered by a choice selection of library tracks from the KPM vaults; notably the eerie Sea of Tranquility by Edgar Vetter and W. Merrick Farran, which really fits the bizarre tone of the film.

Weir’s inspiration for writing Max originated from a cab driver he met who resembled a long-haired John Lennon. It was during the Vietnam War, and the director was shocked to discover that his driver held abhorrent opinions on the conflict. The apparent contradiction of a peace-loving crusty of the flower power generation, revealed him to be an unapologetic fascist in a deceptive guise. This was how the plumber/wannabe folk-singer Max came to be. He wears a "Save the whale!" badge, but does he really mean it, or is it performative?

Additionally, the blue sticker on Max’s leather jacket that reads, “Liberal = Less Tax”, was a slogan by Australia’s conservative party, ironically known as The Liberal Party. Further contradictions are evident in Max’s rant to Jill when revealing he was once a burglar:

“Anyway, I only ever took from the rich. Bludgers living off the workers. Sucking the life blood of the country. Vampires. I’d tread on them if I could. Squash ‘em like snails. Wouldn’t give it another thought. That’s the way we saw it in Melbourne. We had principles. The crim scene in Adelaide’s just the opposite. Real capitalist.” — Max

Evidently, Max still acts like a burglar by entering Jill’s home via the hole in the bathroom ceiling when she tries avoiding him.

The most distressing aspect of Jill’s situation is the isolation she faces. Her concerns are not taken seriously by the supporting cast. Her friend Meg (Candy Raymond) appears to regard Max as a typical individual, while Brian is preoccupied with his work to notice anything. The gaslighting further exacerbates Jill’s mental health. 

Brian’s subplot concludes with a group of colleagues from the World Health Organisation being invited to the couple’s apartment for dinner. The menu features Jill’s speciality curry, which on this occasion, she’s accidentally made excessively hot. Keep in mind, their bathroom resembles an obstacle course, with scaffolding everywhere, and you have the makings for a classic comedy skit.

Although The Plumber may appear modest and limited in scope compared to Weir’s other films, it is an exceptionally entertaining and fascinating study of the classes. It achieves this in a relatively short runtime. That makes this a beaut, I reckon.

Currently, The Plumber is available to stream on both BFI Player and the Criterion Channel. It's also available as a bonus feature on Peter Weir's The Car That Ate Paris (1974), which was released recently on 4K UHD. Alternatively, there are old DVD copies about. 

Wave in Fright

The Surfer (Lorcan Finnegan, 2024 / 2025)

The redemption arc of the eccentric Nicolas Cage is one that will be discussed by film bros for many years. The Oscar winner and Hollywood A-lister fell from mainstream grace and spent years in straight-to-video hell, before emerging again an as an indie film hero. He had also become an internet icon, prior; thanks to comical videos and memes, putting him on similar pedestal to Chuck Norris and Keanu Reeves. And so, Cage essentially cashed-in on his unhinged performances, leading to a late career renaissance and garnering critical acclaim with the films Mandy (2018) and Pig (2021). His latest endeavour, the psychological thriller The Surfer (2024 / 2025), is another notable manic performance in his illustrious career.

Set in the fictional locale known as Luna Bay in Western Australia, our protagonist makes his entrance driving his son to a house he's eager to buy. This residential property has personal significance to Cage's character, as it was his former childhood home. It's eventually revealed why he ended up in California; hence the lack of an Aussie accent. The Surfer is eager to buy it. Like all midlife crises, looking to rekindle the good times of his past; including his love of surfing. Being a Nicolas Cage film, nothing is ever that easy. It's not long before he's facing the prospect of being gazumped over his childhood home. To make matters worse, the territorial bogans won't allow non-locals to catch the waves. "Don't live here; don't surf here". 

One would assume, given The Surfer's premise and Cage playing the action hero in the past, it would be heading into familiar territory; it doesn't. Instead, director Lorcan Finnegan opts for a surreal endurance, that's somewhere in between the fractured mental state of The Swimmer (1968) and the daylight horror of the Aussie nightmare Wake in Fright (1971). Furthermore, Cage spends much of the film trapped in a car park like a fly in a web. Finnegan absolutely relishes putting Cage through a gamut of suffering to it coming across as sadistic. Observing Cage gradually degrade to the point of having to rummage through bins for food, and drinking water from puddles littered with cigarette butts, is both tragic and farcical.

Yet, despite some heavy themes, The Surfer does not to really dwell into really psychological horror territory like those other films. It's first and foremost a vehicle accommodating Cage's comfort zone in going doolally. Therefore, Finnegan's film is equally an alternative comedy as it is a psychological thriller, in many respects.

Before long, Cage's dreams begin to shatter in a series of anxiety driven scenarios. A vagrant, credited in the film as the Bum (Nic Cassim), living in a broken down car, shares many ambiguous similarities with Cage's Surfer. The Bum warns our eponymous character that the leader of the local surf thugs is the one responsible for the death of his son, along with killing his dog, too. 

Scally (Julian McMahon), a men's surf guru, serves as the film's antagonist. Dressed in a hooded, red towel robe and sporting and a constant devilish smile, Scally puts the Surfer through the absolute ringer; where his entire world begins to collapse. It reaches the point where he even doubts his very existence given the grand conspiratorial scheme that seems to be against him. Even nature itself plays a part in crapping on the titular hero, as a parrakeet literally shit on him, along with a run-in he has with a rat; evoking the Australian ecological horror Long Weekend (1978).

The Surfer's biggest highlight is Cage charging to the beach wielding a "LOCALS ONLY" sign post as a weapon and confronting Pitbull (Alexander Bertrand), one of Scally's bully disciples. The fight results in Cage ramming a dead rat into the bully's mouth. "You eat it! Eat the rat!", the most quotable line in the entire film.

A difficult film to pin down. I enjoyed this a great deal, but it's definitely not for everyone; even I can admit to that. A very close friend of mine, who had seen it prior to me, absolutely hated it and warned me about it. Curiosity obviously got the better of me, and I was far more positive about it than him, as I found it a far more rewarding experience than many of the other films that have been released this year. Therefore, I can absolutely see The Surfer being considered a Marmite film. Personally, this is Cage's most entertaining film since Mandy, so make of that what you will.

Once Upon a Time in the Wasteland

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Considering George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is arguably be the greatest film of the 2010s, it would be safe to assume his return to a franchise (and genre) he spawned with the spinoff prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024), might be a tough act to follow. That thought rings true after seeing it. There's plenty to like about Miller's latest work; in fact, it's a highly impressive film, but it does fall short of its predecessor.

Cutting to the chase, the most obvious fault with the film is its run time. Quoting Chris Hemsworth's film-stealing villain, Dementus, "the question is, do you have it in you to make it epic?" Clocking in at a whopping two and a half hours, I'd say yes, but indulgently so. Pacing issues make it a downgrade to Fury Road's actions speak louder than words mantra. Structurely, Furiosa... is split into several chapters set over many years, with Anya Taylor Joy only making her appearance around the one hour mark as the titular heroine. Granted, Alyla Browne as child Furiosa is very good, and the continuous world building and lore of Miller's dystopian vision will never cease to be fascinating, but it's a stark contrast to the kinetic flow and narrative which Mad Max: Fury Road employed, which made it a masterpiece. Furiosa... is a distinct change.

Anya Taylor Joy does a sterling effort as an earlier incarnation of Charlize Theron's vengeful Vuvalini. In this current era of film making, it's a pleasant relief she wasn't turned into another boring girlboss. Her path of revenge isn't an easy road in the least. Her victories are earned. However, as previously noted, the real star is Chris Hemsworth relishing the opportunity as the villainous antagonist. Going completely against typecasting, it's fun to watch him being so charmingly over the top. Tasting Furiosa's tears and uttering "Sorrow is more piquant, zesty," as she's forced to watch her crucified mother being tortured, is so cartoonishly evil, it’s entertaining.

Much like its predecessor, it's a stunning looking film. The world of Mad Max is probably the most beautiful post-apocalyptic hellscape I've witnessed. The arid and desolate horizons are like twisted John Constable paintings. Of course, it wouldn't be Mad Max related without the freakishly insane looking vehicles. Dementus's chariot pulled by three choppers is another memorable entry that's on par with the Gigahorse and the iconic V8 Interceptor. Last, but not least, you really can't avoid how surreal the various tribal factions and folk look in these films. A minor complaint, but it's a real shame some visual FX shots look a bit shoddy. Composites, particularly near the beginning of the film, look very noticeable and are jarring at times. Flaws which were nowhere as immersion breaking as its predecessor.

The climax really exemplifies George Miller's steadfast portrayal of his road warriors over the decades. The final scenes between Furiosa and Dementus are reminiscent of vintage spaghetti westerns. The hunter stalking the prey amongst the sand dunes from afar. Picking off the pack until the big showdown, It's highly stylish and lends to an outcome which fuels the legends of the Wasteland.

In summary, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a great film. Prolonged, but great. One of the best motion pictures released so far this year. Too bad the film flopped as we'll probably never get Miller's next planned Mad Max film. Maybe if he helmed that first instead of a spinoff, then both projects would have stood a greater chance. Regardless of this, Miller's auteur actioners have been far superior to the usual blockbuster dross we're constantly bombarded with, and for that I'm grateful.

TV Hell

Late Night with the Devil (Cameron Cairnes & Colin Cairnes, 2023/2024)

Turns out the Cairnes Brothers' Late Night with the Devil (2023/2024) was worth the wait after my post regarding it.

Set on Halloween night in 1977, Late Night with the Devil kicks off with an introduction (narrated by the awesome Michael Ironside) to the seventies cultural zeitgeist, along with the background of its protagonist, chat show host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian). 'Night Owls' is an ailing late night chat show struggling with its ratings. Thus, a spooky Halloween gimmick is utilised to attract more viewers. This scenario results in a gradual descent into supernatural horror. If the set-up sounds a lot like the fantastic Ghostwatch (1992), that's because it takes obvious insipration from it; including a spin on Mr. Pipes.

Late Night with the Devil is a fun and wild ride throughout its lean ninety or so minutes run time (take note, editors!). Watching how events spiral from oddly uncomfortable to abject horror from start to finish, is what makes this such an entertaining work. It's fun watching Dastmalchian's performace switch infront of the camera and during the black and white behind footage; a novel format that I wasn't sure about at first, but quickly won me over. 

It's entertaining watching Dastmalchian's protagonist react to the oddball guests on the show; ranging from the hammy psychic, the paranormal debunker, and the parapsychologist with her patient - a demonically possessed teenage girl! Also really dug the host's sidekick, Gus McConnell (Rhys Auteri). Watching him grow increasingly disturbed to out right sticken with fear during various scenes was hilarious.

The technical use of various screen formats to seperate the live broadcast, behind the scenes footage, and the cinematic scenes, was an intelligent way for the viewer to consume these details. Along with the retro style set and vintage wardrode, the various television idents that appear, were also a nice aesthetic touch reflecting its period setting. These elements lend some real authenticity to its setting and makes it stand out from various other horror films set in the past which have failed to capture a nostalgic era from the past. Those films, like the V/H/S franchise for instance, come across as very amateurish and film schooly in comparison to Late Night with the Devil's meticulous attention to detail and execution.

Another attractive component to the film is Jack Delroy's intriguing backstory: His rise to celebrity fame is offset with the tragic death of his beloved wife. These two factors are interlinked with his involvment with a shadowy cabal consisting of powerful figures, worshipping a carving of an owl out in a secluded forest; reminscent of Bohemian Grove. Not a tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorist, but I absolutely love Faustian pact tales and secret societies in my movies, therefore, I feel me and Alex Jones might have the same love for Late Night with the Devil.

The charm of the film is it how it initiates this awkward atmosphere of a live television show going wrong and escalating into a sense of dread and eventual insane horror. It's amusing hearing the house band performing while being obviously rattled events going. The awkward laughs and applauses from the audience is another example. It's the kind of stuff I want to witness from a live television show going completely off the rails and Late Night with the Devil achieves that with a chef's kiss.

Overall, this is completely my kind of zone when it comes to horror. The lack of actual recognisable television presenters, like in Ghostwatch, might hinder it in terms of verisimilitude, but it's a notable effort in terms of striving for a sense of authenticity, nonetheless. Such a shame the film is a spring release instead of around the time of October, as its conceptual theme is perfect for the autumnal Halloween festivities. In this regard Late Night with the Devil is the best Halloween themed film since Deadstream (2022), and would make for a superb double-bill with it.

To the Devil a Trailer

Late Night With the Devil (Trailer)

Cameron Cairnes & Colin Cairnes, 2024

The Phillippou Brothers weren't the only siblings hailing from Australia with a horror film in 2023. Unfortunately, Cameron and Colin Cairnes's Late Night With the Devil (2023/2024) wound up doing the festival route while Talk to Me (2022/2023) found distribuition via wunderlabel A24 and subsequently became one of the highlights that year.

A trailer has recently been unveiled. No doubt the Cairnes Brothers are hoping for similar success with their seventies throwback to late night television. For the Brits out there, the film's premise strikes comparison with the supernatural spectacle of Ghostwatch (1992). The very reason this blipped its way on the blog's radar in the first place. 

The underrated David Dastmalchian as the late night talk show host, Jack Delroy, is a major plus as he's always been a "that guy" in his scene stealing minor roles. Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man was also one of the reasons The Suicide Squad (2021) proved be one of the few good comic books movies in recent years. This all makes Late Night With the Devil something of a must watch for your host, hopefully it lives up to its potential.

Mad with Joy

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Trailer)

George Miller, 2024

One of the most trimphant film making comebacks has to be George Miller's return to the Mad Max franchise after several decades. The troubled production history of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) was quickly forgotten once it hit movie theatres and made every typical Hollywood actioner look like they were from the dark ages thanks to its breathtaking stunts, spectacular vehicles and rampant mayhem – all set in what's arguably, the most beautiful realisation of a post-apocalyptic world ever seen on film.

Fast forward to the present day and George Miller is once more gearing up to release his latest chapter in the dystopian world of the road warrior next year. The new film is a prequel of sorts as it revolves around the origin of Mad Max: Fury Road's amazon(ian) driver Furiosa, originally played by Charlize Theron. The versatile Anya Taylor-Joy plays a younger version of the titular heroine this time around, and judging by its impressive trailer featuring a bent-nosed Chris Hemsworth as the villain and the return of Immortan Joe, this has me hyped for it already.

Two in the Bush

The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green, 2023)

When the trailer to Kitty Green's psychological thriller The Royal Hotel (2023), blipped its way onto my radar over the summer, it evoked serious Wake in Fright (1971) vibes for me. Thankfully, those nightmarish feelings were still present in the full length feature film.

Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are two young backpackers in Sydney, Australia who wind up broke after partying a bit too hard. Through the aid of a recruitment agency, the pair are offered jobs as barmaids in a remote mining pub in the Outback. With it being such a remote location, full of burly blokes, they're advised to only accept the offer if they're comfortable with receiving "a little male attention". Brillo-haired Hanna, the smarter of the two, accepts the vacancy with trepidation, while the more naive Liv accepts for the simply silly reason of getting to see kangaroos in the wild out there.

The Royal Hotel is essentially a strangers in a strange land type deal. Civilisation hasn't reached every corner of the globe and for our two female leads, they're in for a rude awakening. You can't get any ruder than The Royal Hotel's alcoholic owner Billy, played by a constantly scene stealing Hugo Weaving. Billy is an aggressive type of Aussie, who talks bluntly and calls Hanna "a smart cunt" when talks back to him condescendingly. The culture shock is very real. This clash of worlds is introduced in an amusing way initially, but as the film progresses it delves into far darker and hostile territory. This leads to some incredibly intense scenes throughout the film.

Green's film excels at generating a forboding sense of unease for Hanna and Liv, where you'll be forgiven for thinking this might be a horror film along the likes of the Outback classic Wolf Creek (2005). The film's obvious agenda is to showcase male toxicity in a backwater part of the world and villify them. But The Royal Hotel's overall message is applicable in a far broader context by contrasting the nature of those who are educated and civilised people against the rough around the edges folk eking out a living in a harsh environment.

Julia Garner and Jessic Henwick exhibit good chemistry together in their lead roles. Garner's cautious attitude increases with the same rate as Henwick's recklessness. The supporting cast aren't slouches either. They include: Romper Stomper's Toby Wallace as Kylie's #1 fan in the Outback; Snowtown's John Bunting in strong form as the psychotic Dolly; and lastly, the aformentioned Hugo Weaving who absolutely kills it.

Perhaps the one real flaw was its cop out ending. It's a slow burn psychological thriller, highly atmospheric, so I expect the tightly wound tension to snap in a quick and abrupt manner, that logically provides a believable outcome, but, without going into spoilers, did it really need that awful closing shot? It tarnishes what is otherwise a great film. Still, despite this erroneous error, it's still an overwhelmingly good film for the vast majority of its running time.

Dada Debaser Bonus Feature:

Did not know that The Royal Hotel was inspired by Pete Gleeson's slice of life documentary Hotel Coolgardie (2016). You can bet I was all over it the moment I found out. It's a feature worthy of a review itself as it's equally funny and horrifying with a randomly messed up post script to cap it off. Hotel Coolgardie also makes for an excellent double feature with The Royal Hotel as you can compare the exaggerated levels Kitty Green went with the source material. Ironically, it's very reminiscent of what certain exploitation film directors would do when inspired by real events.

Talk to the Hand

Talk to Me (Danny Philippou & Michael Phillippou, 2022/23)

The problem with Gen Z horror films is the tendency for it to be writtern or directed by a much older hack with a misconceived notion of what makes the TikTok generation tick. Resulting in either a poor modern update to an established franchise, or a generic cut and past new IP - both of which populated with a thoroughly reprehensible entourage of "relevant" characters. Fortunately, co-writers and co-directors, the Philippou brothers avoid this problem with their paranormal horror film Talk to Me (2023) as they've managed to flesh out successful characters and a compelling premise which is accessible to older heads like myself.

You would think that a a macabre hand with supernatural powers of serving as a conduit to the otherside would be kept under strict observation by science boffins in a secret lab rather than an alternative to spin the bottle at Aussie parties. The object in question is nothing more than a parlour game for stoned and intoxicated teens. Filming your mate summon an undead spirit and watching him do hilariously embarassingly acts whilst being possessed, like snogging the dog or bashing their skull in on household furninture, makes for a top night for Aussie zoomers. All in all, these different scenarios really make the audience feel like they're attendees at these soirees.

Credit to Sophie Wilde, who plays Mia with a degree of complexity and manages to avoid the trappings of many of her peers by handling grief in a rather professional and convincing manner. For such a young and relatively unknown performer, she does a sterling job. She comes as a refreshing alternative to the typical Mickey Mouse Club noname divas in made for Netflix and Shudder horror film shite, in my opinion. Despite her character's flaws, Wilde manages to present Mia as a likeable invidual in the film; which says alot when you include some of her dodgy actions later on.

The lore is what ultimately makes this film appealing. There are rules presented early on and the Philippous adhere to it throughout. Combine this with its young and believable cast and an intensely atmospheric setting full of dread, and you have a film which evokes similiar qualities to David Robert Mitchell's It Follows (2014); making this a winner.

Despite its plaudits, I've found A24 to be very hit and miss film production company. It's more or less Blumhouse for hipsters, or the first port of calling for nursery level cinephiles after growing up on a diet of Disney swill movies. However, every now and then, A24 does deliver a gem and Talk to Me is definitely one of them. The film's success is obviousy indebted to its cast and crew, but it deserves a shoutfor spotting some fresh talent and putting them on my radar. Keen to see where the Philippous along with Wilde will go from here. Perhaps these figures might signal a new wave in Aussie horror eventually, who knows?

Relive Kill Repeat

Triangle (Christopher Smith, 2009)

Decided to check out Christopher Smith's nun themed chiller, Consecration (2023) recently. Turned out to be a failure, just like Jenna Malone's British accent in it. I also noticed Smith recycled certain elements from his far superior film, Triangle (2009). Hence, the time was right to give this mindbending film a revisit.

Although it essentially spells things out for attentive viewers by the end credits, Smith's Triangle is a rewarding viewing experience for anyone who might consider themself an aficionado of head scratcher movies. Much like Aolus, the greek god of the four winds, the film runs at a breezy pace thanks to its perpetual time loop concept and all its glitches keep the film feeling fresh throughout.

Deja vu themed films will obviously incur comparisons to Groundhog Day (1993), but Triangle is a very different breed of film; its effects overlap with a past, present and future protagonist co-existing in the loop. There's also the overall tone of the film being much darker completely fixated on the psychological horror of its twisted concept. Smith's film also draws from greek mythology (the legend of Sisyphus) rather than a sci-fi concept that might have been alluded to by its title. Triangle's protagonist, Jess, a struggling mother to a young boy with autism, behaves very strangely from the onset, and things get even weirder for her and her sailing party after a freak storm leaves them adrift on their capsized yacht. A mysterious ocean liner becomes the main location for the oncoming surreal events to follow. Are Jess and her party caught in the legendary Bermuda Triangle? Who is the sackclothed psycho with a shotgun resembling The Phantom Killer? How did Liam Hemsworth land the role of Victor over his brother Chris? Most of these questions will be answered by the finale.

This nautical, noughties enigma is spearheaded by a killer performance from Aussie actress Melissa George as Jess. This was her decade since she progressed from bit part film roles after her stint in the Australian soap opera Home & Away as Angel Parrish, to becoming a bonafide scream queen with a spate of horror films in the 2000s: The Amityville Horror (2005), Turistas (2006) and 30 Days of Night (2007). To break it down by today's hack media, if they're female and in a horror film, they're automatically granted the moniker of scream queen by default. Them's the rules, apparently. Nevertheless, Melissa George's performance in Triangle is the major reason why she is honoured with Dada Debaser's coveted Best Scream Queen of the 2000s title. Her ability to act automatically makes her one of the better ones, which works to the film's advantage since she realling gets to flex some serious emotional range in the film while still looking great in her daisy dukes. She's phenomenally good in portraying Jess as a fractured and morally grey individual.

Never really noticed the plot holes that some critics have pointed out. My only real gripe; which is minor, are the references to The Shining (1980). The inclusion of the number 237 for both Jess's house and the cabin room felt completely unnecessary. Like some other films from this period, I was also worried the film's visuals might have dated it. Surpringly, the harsh lighting, which was so synoymous with that particular era, served the film incredibly well. Huge fan of the scenes shot on deck which highlight this since they're a prime example of daylight horror done right, in my opinion.

All in all, Triangle was already a great film to begin with, and seeing this again reinforces it as a perfect candidate to my belief that 2009 was an incredible year for cinema. Triangle ought to be considered as the climax to both Australian and British genre during the noughties renaissance. Despite enjoying some of his other movies, Christopher Smith never reached this level of quality again, therefore I consider it his magnum opus. Highly recommended.

Not Quite Hollywood

With Halloween around the corner, it's that time of the year where the boutique blu-ray labels attempt to shamelessly repackage the usual horror movies without so much as a new transfer and bare bones extras in an already oversaturated market. Australian label, Umbrella Entertainment at least get props for providing localised releases of familiar films. The humble Antipodean cinephiles have had to make do with expensive imports for their love of film as it's an under represented territory in comparison to the other world regions.

Loving Umbrella Entertainment's Aussie tinged homages for their latest products in their "G'Day of the Dead" big bundle. The Day of the Dead meets Crocodile Dundee mash-up looks like schlocky Troma cover art. Genuinely impressed by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre release paying tribute to the poster art from Wake in Fright; as it looks legit as hell. The best and most hilarious of the bunch is Frank and Julia Cotton from Hellraiser running through the bush, obviously parodying ozploitation classic Turkey Shoot. Humbly, but proudly feeling sweet that I've covered two of these films on my fledgling blog already.

What's equally hilarious to me are collectors with fat wallets on various social media moaning about these artworks and not having a didgeridoo that they're homage parodies.

To the Extreme

Props to the The Martorialist for putting me on to the television series Romper Stomper which served as a follow-up to Geoffrey Wright's 1992 film with the same name. Didn't even know about the show until just a few days ago, let alone it being aired in 2018. Naturally, I ended up binge-watching it. Television shows capitalising on revered films tend to have a habit of being shite, in my opinion. This mini-series, however, succeeds in bucking that trend. I wouldn't go as far as saying it is perfect from start to finish, but much like Cobra Kai, it invests in new elements without resorting to being disrespectful of its source material. The series is well written for the most part, and I personally commend it, especially in this day and age it highlighting the two sides of the extreme political spectrum as both being completely reprehensible. It's a shame there aren't any further episodes on the horizon as there were some great characters; new and old, along with important plot developments waiting to be expanded upon further. It's doubtful there will be a follow-up after this length of time, but we can keep our fingers crossed, right?

Since I'm waxing lyrical about Romper Stomper, I have one pertinent question regarding Hando's white jeans (not genes): aren't they Levis? After my recent revisit of the film, I spotted the label and red tab on his back pocket, and that's how undercover Daniel Radcliffe nearly got caught in Imperium (2016), innit?

Watership Down Under

Celia (Ann Turner, 1989)

Films set in the fifties are like waiting for a bus around here, as this is the third film I've reviewed this month which is set in that decade. Ann Turner's Lord of the Flies style drama, Celia, is located in rural Australia, where the film's titualar heroine is experiencing some serious growing pains. These problems are of the mental variety and range from: the bereavment of her grandmother; a thoroughly viscious school rival; and being tormented by fictitious creatures knowns as Hobyahs.

The setting deals with two important historical occurrences prominent in 1950s Australia: the communist hysteria known as The Red Scare, and the rabbit invasion which had plagued Australia's agricultural industry. The latter of which was so probelmatic that the Australian government went to such an extent, that the myxoma virus was introduced to thwart them. Both subplots do play an integral part in Celia's deteriorating mental state and aren't just there for the sake of flimsy historical dressing. With it being set in the past and along with its rural location, it seems parents weren't too concerned about their kids burning effigies of them at a quarry during all hours of the night. Also, as as much my desensitised self enjoys on-screen violence, even I had to raise an eyebrow at how savage these cheeky little scamps were to one another and that poor pet rabbit. Goes without saying, if you're an animal lover, you might want to avoid this one, as it has about as much compassion for animal welfare as an Italian jungle horror flick.

The performances are competent; especially from Rebecca Smart in the lead title role, since everything rests on her making this film so watchable. Apart from playing the character Melanie Black from the Aussie teen TV series Heartbreak High back in the day, it's too bad she wasn't in anything remotely significant ever since (from what I can tell, at least), but then again, despite its critical appraisal, the film was a commercial flop upon its release.

Really should state that I went into this film under the allusion that this would be a bonafide horror movie, solely on its inclusion in Severin's All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror deluxe box set, however, Celia is more of a dark drama. Already watched some other titles featured in the aforementioned box set: Otakar Vavra's Witchhammer (1970) and Ian Coughlan's Alison's Birthday (1981); where I shamelessly also used the 'down under' pun there, too. A very positive video on Celia came out recently by Marx Kermode for the BFI serves as another reason to check it out. Ultimately, it paid off, as it's another enjoyable entry in the killer kiddie canon.

Celia (Umbrella Entertainment Trailer)

(Ann Walker, 1989)

Was a Hero to Most

Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022)

Won't pretend that I've ever cared for Baz Luhrmann's films in the past, nor that I've ever understood their appeal, but I will concede that he's a film maker with a flamboyant and very unique style. It's this particular fashion and my curious interest for his latest film, Elvis, which has caused it to blip its way onto my radar. A twentieth century pop cultural icon with enough bloated folklore surrounding him to match his final resting state; marry it with Luhrmann's groteseque mix of hyperstylised visuals, and you have a junkfood banquet worthy of my consumption.

Kudos to Austin Butler for pulling off Elvis's quirks and mannerisms without making it seem like a cheesy cabaret act impression. He resembles Shakin' Stevens when really close up, but there are times when he's a dead ringer for the king. This becomes apparent when actual archival footage of the titular singer are blink-and-you-will-miss-it edited into the film, and you're left wondering who's who at times. So impressive is Butler in the role that I wouldn't be at all surprised if his name cropped up during Oscar season. Tom Hanks is demonically grotesque as the manipulative and exploitative faux-American manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Hanks' Porky prosthetics make-up and dodgy Dutch accent are stupendously bizarre, but in Luhrmann's film, the Mephistopheles like character seems to be a natural fit.

Having Hank's Col. Parker narrate the film doesn't change the negative impressions for the character from villain to anti-hero or anything, but it does provide some insight into some of his motivations. This relationship between him and Elvis is why the film continued to keep me invested throughout its epic running time. A familiar tale of raw talent being controlled and exploitated by a very manipulative individual isn't exactly anything new, but it's a wholly entertaining retelling of it. It's all the more fascinating given it's based on such a recognisable icon. Seeing the golden goose being pimped and exploited is gutwrenchingly depressing at times, yet it makes for compelling viewing. An impoverished Southern boy with the voice, moves and sex appeal to send women into a screaming and orgasmic frenzy, who's gradual manifestation into a paranoid, drug-riddled, pathetically bloated slave of a man, is like the perfect example of the American Dream metamorphosised into the American Nightmare.

Luhrmann mixes the historical past with the present, which gives it an anachronistic vibe throughout its run time. This treatment is largely successful in the visual department, but it's taken to an annoying extreme with some of the soundtrack songs.  That's not all right, mama! Other misfires are Luhrmann's handling of important politically historical events and the racial turmoil of the era being treated with little to know real analytical depth; they're just filling in the check boxes, ironically à la Forrest Gump (1994). Cultural appropriation is addressed in a lukewarm manner here, since Elvis is portrayed as the naive Prometheus than a blatant plagiarist. His relationship with a fourteen year old Priscilla and his adulterous past are also treated with a degree of triviality, too. Can't honestly say these setbacks ruin the film for me, but they are relegated to minor footnotes whilst focused on the relationship between its two main characters.

Overall, despite some of its obvious problems, this is perhaps one of the most entertaining biopics I've watched since perhaps Oliver Stone's overtly indulgent The Doors (1991). It also marks itself as that rare time where I willingly went out of my way to see a Baz Luhrmann film (f**king hell!) and liked it. Granted, it's probably about as historcally accurate as Straight Outta Compton (2015), but considering I know next to nothing about the king of rock and roll than I do about the most dangerous band in the world, this was notches above in quality. Definitely a movie highlight this year, regardless.

Thatcher the Life Snatcher

Turkey Shoot (Brian Trenchard-Smith, 1982)

Certain films are criminally consigned to the trash pile while exhibiting high doses of entertainment that far out reach their arthouse cousins. Brian Trenchard-Smiths ozploitation classic, Turkey Shoot is one such film. The beauty of this antipodean masterpiece rests solely on its brazenly unashamed attitude to immerse the viewer in a melting pot of various film subgenres and hope for the best. Remarkably, it succeeds, because after forty years, there really hasn't been an exploitation film of this calibre to cover so many bases. Chin-stroking kino heads would probably be thankful, I would imagine.

The film's plot revolves around a not too distant future where an oppressive totalian regime controls its people and places its undesirables in brutal reform camps. One such camp, run by a sadistic warden, hilariously named Thatcher, takes the initiative of running a death hunt with his elitist friends in pursuing and executing prisoners with a three hour headstart. It's Down By Law (1986) meets The Most Dangerous Game (1932) on paper. However, being an ozploitation movie in its DNA, prepare for some spectacularly surprising moments like Alph, a werewolf looking cannibal employed as muscle by one of the hunting party members.

What initially started out on page as a lavish historical prison drama, Turkey Shoot fatefully ended up in the hands of writer and director, Brian Trenchard-Smith; the man who gave us BMX Bandits (1983) and Leprachaun 4: In Space (1994). Trenchard-Smith took the original script and turned it into an Orwellian sci-fi treatment. Of course, Turkey Shoot happened to be a troubled production where pages of the script were ripped due to pre-production having being drastically shortened due to renewed budget constraints. Its cast, were none the wiser that this would turn from a dystopian science fiction film and result into an outlandish extravaganza from exploitation cinema. Cast members Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey and Lynda Stoner were none too happy with the constant changes while working on the film; in Hussey's case, she became traumatised having to work in the bush under such horrible conditions. Foreign actors given lead roles in Australian films wasn't anything new; the classic Hitchcockian thriller, Road Games (1981) also performed a similar casting decison with Stacey Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. This trend really parrallels what was going on in UK and European territories, too.

Turkey Shoot (Trailer)

(Brian Trenchard-Smith, 1982) 

Despite the dystopian setting, Turkey Shoot doesn't dwell too much on any poignant social commentary, instead it borrows elements from a veritable trove of exploitative sub-genres. Some scenes are reminiscant of Jack Hill's 'Women in Prison' movies, while others evoke the Italian 'Jungle Horror' era, ala Cannibal Holocaust (1980). It's a bizarre concoction which makes it a unique yet thrilling over-the-top viewing experience with never a dull moment. For those reasons alone, all the various gripes cast members had says more about them, in my opinion; in fact, some of them ought to be grateful they have Turkey Shoot in their otherwise forgettable resumes.

Can't say I've ever had the time nor the inclination to sit through all of Trenchard-Smith's films, but of those I have seen, Turkey Shoot is undoubtedly my favourite. Producer, Anthony I. Ginnane submitted the film to the A.F.I (Australian Film Institute) as a defiant fuck you for their pretentiousness towards Australian film; an attitude that failed to keep the hey day of ozploitation cinema at bay. Overseas, Roger Corman bought the U.S. film rights and released it in 1983 under the name Escape 2000. Still think the alternative U.K title, Blood Camp Thatcher, is the best of the lot, and should be its official name. Avoided it like the plague, but Ginnane produced a 2014 remake, with the big Aussie veteran, Roger Ward, the only actor from the original film appearing in it. 

Dada Debaser wholeheartedly recommends the original to the uninitiated simply for the pleasure of witnessing a film spiralling into such a ludicrously entertaining spectacle, that it's impossible not to admire the sheer audacity of it. Classic ozploitation!

Druid Come from a Land Down Under?

Alison's Birthday (Ian Coughlan, 1981)

Originally planned to give Robin Hardy's classic The Wicker Man (1973) a watch over the May bank holiday, but for one reason or another, I didn't get the chance. On the plus side, another folk horror film managed to sate my desire for pagan hijinks in the form of Ian Coughlan's relatively obscure Alison's Birthday (1981) from Australia.

The film begins when a trio of unconvincing looking school girls (they look like they're in their thirties), hold a Poundland ouija board session; one of whom is Alison, our film's heroine, played by none other than Mad Max Rockatansky's missus (Joanne Samuel) before she wound up as Toecutter's roadkill. One of the girls is possessed by the spirit of Alison's father, who warns her not to make any plans for her nineteenth birthday before it all ends tragically for her.

Jump to three years later and it's almost Alison's nineteenth birthday and who should ring her out of the blue? It's only her creepy aunt and uncle out in the boondocks; who happen to have a mini Stonehenge site plonked at the bottom of their garden. They convince her to come celebrate her birthday with them. You would think that a ouija summoning session which ended with the horrific death of her friend,  warning her to stay put would still run fresh in Alison's mind. No chance. She relunctantly goes with her boyfriend, Peter (Lou Brown). Anyone who has seen Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby (1968) and Richard Donner's The Omen (1976) should have an idea where this film is heading as Coughlin's film is very much a hybrid of the two classic films.

As deriviatve as it all might sound, it's a very enjoyable slow burn horror that has heaps of great atmosphere, particularly the Mirne ritual scenes (with Alf Stewart's wife) and it's blessed with a very memorable finale. Australia produced some top quality genre films during the late seventies and early eighties and while Alison's Birthday is hardly on the same level as Long Weekend (1978), Patrick (1978) or even Road Games (1981), this definitely feels like a quality effort from that era, regardless. 

It's a real shame that this film is only currently available on Severin's freakishly expensive box set, All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror. Would have loved to have copped this box set if had been more affordable, since there are a bunch of other movies on there like Eyes of Fire (1983) and Kier-La Janisse's feature documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021) that I'm desperate to see. Perhaps the YouTube gods will bless us with a rip of them, since that's how I wound watching an obscure title like Alison's Birthday in the first place.