Australia and horror films have a complicated history. With harsh restrictions put in place from 1948-68 to censor what kind of viewing material was available to general audiences, most films with any element of the occult or ultra-violence would become tucked away. All of this would however eventually lead to a horror boom in the Australian film industry that would begin in the 1970s with films likePeter Weir’sPicnic at Hanging Rock.
As the Aussie horror scene continued to gain a cult following over the passing decades, it was perhaps the release ofWolf Creekin 2005 that would change everything when it became the first genuine Australian-made horror film to score major domestic commercial success. Now a flourishing scene with over five decades worth of terrifying films to dive into, let’s take a look at the scariest films they have to offer down under.
10’Bloody Hell' (2020)
After a man with a mysterious past flees his home to escape his own personal hell, he arrives somewhere much worse. In a manic effort to survive this new horror, he turns to his newly personified conscience. A blatant and completely over-the-top grind-house feature that’s overflowing with gore, dark comedy and just a pinch of social commentary,Bloody Hellis one hell of a ride.
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A brilliant return to form for directorAlister Grierson, the filmmaker behind majorHollywood underwater-horror featureSanctum,Bloody Hellcomfortably grounds itself in the B-film territory and pushes into its bizarre premise with just the right amount of pressure.
9’The Loved Ones' (2009)
When Brent (Xaiver Samuel) turns down his awkward classmate Lola’s (RobinMcLeavy) invitation to the school Prom, she quickly plots an elaborate and violent revenge party in his honor. Tasmanian directorSean Byrne’sdebut film,The Loved Oneswould achieve official selection at over twenty international film festivals and brought home the People’s Choice Award in the Midnight Madness Category at the Toronto International Film Festival.
As many other horror film villains do, Lola also has a troubled backstory that hardly excuses her absurd actions. Seen by her pairs as an outcast and treated as such, her eventual breakdown does make you feel slightly sorry for her. A sentiment that quickly evaporates after she begins lobotomizing people. Regardless McLeavy’s performance as Lola is as entertaining as it is bloody.
8’Next Of Kin' (1982)
After reading her mother’s diary, Linda begins to experience a strange string of coincidences when the events of her mother’s diary begin to manifest themselves in the rest home. Hailed as a classic of the Australian New Wave movement,Next of Kinis a true product of its time that builds and builds in suspense and earns its mind-blowing conclusion.
Directed byTony Williamsand featuring a spellbinding synth-centric musical score typical of its creatorKlaus Schulze,Next of Kinis a slow burn that holds the viewer ransom, leaving them wondering whether Linda has simply gone completely insane.
7’Relic' (2020)
Following the disappearance of her elderly mother Edna, Kay along with her daughter Sam, rush to the families decaying country home where clues of Edna’s increasing dementia remain scattered around the house. Returning just as suddenly as she had disappeared, Edna’s behavior begins to turn volatile, leading Kay and Sam to believe that an insidious presence may be lingering in the house.
First-time writer/directorNatalie Erika James’Relicis an unforgettable new spin on the haunted-house movie, that uses the already terrifying notion of a family member contracting dementia and opens it up with the intention to explore the horror of it all. Peering at the disease through the perspective of the victim and of their loved ones,Relicis an intelligent film that doesn’t exist solely for a cheap scare.
6’Picnic at Hanging Rock' (1975)
Adapted for movie screens by legendary Australian directorPeter Weir(The Truman Show)fromJoan Lindsay’soriginal 1967 novel,Picnic at Hanging Rockis the dreamlike gothic period piece responsible for putting the Australian New Wave cinema movement on the map.
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Set on St. Valentine’s Day in the year 1900, the film centers on the mysterious circumstance surrounding the disappearance of three students and their headmistress after they visit an unusual local volcanic formation known as Hanging Rock. For horror fans fond of unsolved mysteries,Hanging Rockoffers an enigma that will haunt viewers eternally.
5’The Invisible Man' (2020)
Brought to the screen by Melbourne-born directorLeigh Whannellfollowing the success of his 2018 Science Fiction Action hitUpgrade,The Invisible MantakesHG Wells’classic horror monster and reinvents it for a modern audience. Centered around Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss), as she desperately attempts to escape her past, only to find she is being relentlessly stalked by the ghost of an ex-lover she believed to be dead.
While its story may be miles removed from HG Wells original work, the premise remains just as frightening in this psychological thrill ride. Elevated by the always brilliant Elisabeth Moss, Cecilia’s constant and desperate struggle to convince those around her of the impending danger she faces turns the atmosphere of the film from tense to hopeless and back again.
4’Wolf Creek' (2005)
Based on the gruesome tales of two of Australia’s most notorious serial killers, writer/directorGreg McLean’sWolf Creekmade waves across the horror community upon its released in 2005. Set in the unforgiving vastness of the Australian outback, several tourists undergo hell after unwittingly accepting help from a psychopathic killer.
Packed to the bloody rafters with grotesque torture and gore,Wolf Creekis an unsettling slasher that is as bleak as it is well-made. Elevated above mediocrity by a perfectly executed build up in the first act, the film is then carried by the phenomenal performance of its completely insane killer.
3’You Won’t Be Alone' (2022)
Macedonian-Australian film writer and directorGoran Stolevskimakes his debut withYou Won’t Be Alone.Set in an isolated village in 19th century Macedonia, a young witch assumes the form of a peasant she accidentally kills. An act that will ignite a deep-seated curiosity in her to experience life inside the bodies of others.
Stolevski’s stylistic approach gives the film a tranquil and dream-like quality, and in this stillness the beauty and horror of what’s on-screen takes root. As each entrancing shot passes byNoomi Rapace’sBosilka narrates softly, whispering into the ear of the viewer, bewitching them just as she has her onscreen victims.
2’Talk To Me' (2023)
Aussie YouTube stars turned feature film directorsDannyandMichael Philippouare making waves in the horror community after revealing their first featureTalk To Meearlier this year at Sundance Film Festival. A supernatural horror flick oozing with originality,Talk To MefollowsSophie Wilde’sMia, as she and her friends become obsessed with a new party craze, communing with spirits via a mysterious embalmed hand, until the boundaries between the spirit world collapse.
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Acquired shortly after its initial festival run by Indie juggernautsA24,Talk To Medoes a lot to justify its simple premise. With an outstanding performance from Wilde whose demanding and intense physicality carries entire scenes on its back, and certainly enough sinister spectacle to satisfy even the most depraved of horror fans.
1’The Babadook' (2014)
Perhaps the most popular horror film to ever come out of Australia,The Babadookfollows Amelia (Essie Davis) a single widow mother and her son Sam (Noah Wiseman) who struggle against a dark presence in their home after the strange appearance of a nightmarish book.
A dark shadow in the shape of a man with piercing white eyes, a long black coat, a top hat and arms that extend far beyond the reach of any humans is the nightmarish form created for the Babadook by artistAlexander Juhasz. Quickly becoming a celebrated horror monster in the same vein asTheConjuring’sValek orBela Lugosi’sDracula, the Babadook has most recently been spotted in the sixth entry of the classic slasher franchise,Scream.
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