Jarratt, Alex Scott. Horror, Australia 1982, 89mins, Cert 15.
Championed out of obscurity by Quentin Tarantino, Kiwi director Tony
Williams’ only foray into the horror genre is a little gem of Ozploitation. Whilst
citing Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci’s LAST TANGO IN PARIS and 1900 as being
among his visual influences, Williams’ nifty slow burner also displays (perhaps
unwittingly) many cues from another Italian source of cinematic tradition,
namely the giallo.
Despite winning the best director award at the Stiges Film Festival in
1982, the film unjustly slipped below the radar for various reasons including
being a victim of the tax incentive scheme it was borne out of. I would also
suggest it’s not an easily marketable product, as evidenced by the films’
slightly misleading contradicting artwork (e.g. a little girl standing rigid
with a red ball by her side) and the tagline: “There is something evil in this
house.”
Granted there are gothic elements enlisted here. Firstly, there’s a spooky
old mansion - a retirement home named Montclare - inherited by Linda (Jackie
Kerin) from her late mother. There’s tree-felling flashes of lightning which
help illuminate a spiral staircase leading to a dust laden attic with a leaky
window and a child’s red ball. Taps are mysteriously left on in bathrooms and
candles are lit by unseen hands. However, there is a lot more happening at
Montclare beyond the supernatural trappings.
A childhood trauma, buried in Linda’s subconscious is about to resurface
as Montclare’s residents appear to be rather alarmingly prone to drowning in
the bath tub and Linda becomes convinced there’s someone or something else
stalking the corridors of the retirement home.
Utilising gliding steadicam (for the first time in an Australian
production) together with innovative crane and ambitious camera setups, the
visual palette achieved is at times akin to a fever dream. This ethereal
quality is further enhanced by the evocative electronic music of synth maestro
and early Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze (the producer originally
approached Vangelis: unavailable). Striking set pieces and memorable images
abound, a fountain’s water turns to blood, there’s a painting which signifies a
key character trait, sparkling crystals lit by lightning, misdirection glimpsed
through a window pane, raindrops rhythmically cascading down a windscreen – and
even a giallo-like silhouetted figure in raincoat and hat briefly glimpsed from
afar in the stormy night. Then there’s the good old well-worn feline jump-scare,
a hideously creepy child’s doll tumbling out of a stowed away box and a
red-coated figure which may or may not be a red-herring.
And as well as the numerous giallo references, there’s also a horribly
effective slow-motion visual nod to the classic French thriller LES
DIABOLIQUES.
The cast provide solid support as they pirouette around the gliding
camerawork. John (WOLF CREEK) Jaratt essays local hunk and Linda’s former
sweetheart Barney with a disarming level of open-shirted charm whilst trying in
vain to allay Linda’s suspicions as they crank through the gears right up to
full-blown hysteria.
There’s even a steadicam shot following the aforementioned moggy down a
corridor which reminded me of the husky tracking sequence in Carpenter’s THE
THING (1982)!
After a measured hour of build up, director Williams lets rip and the powder
kegs which have been kept in reserve are lit in a bloody and literally
explosive final third which also boasts a modest but admirable body count in a
dénouement which is suitably barmy, implausible and yet strangely satisfying
all at once. In many ways this perfectly summarises my thoughts on the film
itself. A real treat.
(Tip: try to avoid watching any of the trailers prior to first viewing –
they really give far too much away).
**** (out of 5*)
This review was originally published by FrightFest.
