Director: Ian Coughlan
Year: 1981
Country: Australia
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Folk Horror
Plot:
Just before her nineteenth birthday, a woman and her boyfriend head to her grandparents’ house to prepare for the celebrations, but as they spend time at the house realize that something might not be right with the party and must get her to safety when the truth about everything is finally revealed.
Review:
There was quite a lot to like with this one. Among the more likable factors here is the intriguing and enjoyable setup here surrounding the mysteriousness of her upcoming birthday. The fact that everything that happens one she and her boyfriend arrive, from the overly touchy-feely manner they tend to her and ensure that nothing upsets or disturbs her, including the obvious attempts at brushing aside any questions or queries she has about the objects found around a house she grew up in or being spooked by the sudden appearance of her great-grandmother she never knew she had suddenly sitting beside her bed in a wheelchair. These factors all create a highly enjoyable setup that plays quite nicely with the unraveling mystery investigation into the history of the cult in the area.
As well, there’s also a lot to like with how these elements combine together with the series of supernatural attacks throughout here that build up quite nicely. Starting with the ominously creepy and chilling seance that features their friend getting possessed and warning her away from the party before the shocking ending, this one features some rather enjoyable aspects to the main storyline on display. As their malicious intent is slowly unraveled including holding her against their will, drugging and hypnotizing her into submission for their plans, the film picks up quite nicely as the time-table to save her grows near resulting in the group becoming more and more intent on keeping him out of the area and letting their plans fall through.
That all comes to a head with the fantastic finale which is incredibly fun and chilling. Realizing what the cult is actually trying to accomplish and barely surviving the cult’s attempts to wipe him out and prevent his stopping the ceremony, the film’s high-energy race to interrupt the final ceremony offers quite a lot to like. There’s a nice counter to get into the house and then sneak into the ceremony to rescue her which also includes the film’s main shining grace with the fantastic twist ending which is dark, chilling, and utterly unexpected which is rather intriguing how it all plays out. Given that this all works incredibly well despite the absolute lack of anything resembling blood, gore, or even sleaze is a fun testament to the film and how great it is.
There isn’t much to dislike with this one as the few flaws aren’t that detrimental. There’s basically only the film’s slow-going pace that holds this one back, as this one takes so long to get going that some might lose interest in what’s happening. Since there are no deaths or anything of that sort happening at all here, all the films’ attempts at trying to throw him off their scent come mainly from dialogue rather than action so it never develops the kind of intensity that would be expected from this kind of storyline. The lack of action isn’t detrimental here with the stellar quality of the build-up to the finale and what’s potentially going on but that still remains a possibility, along with the aforementioned lack of blood or sleaze here which are the only issues here.
Overview: ****.5/5
A highly enjoyable and chilling folk-horror effort that features more than enough positives to overcome the few minor elements which drag this one down, this is one of the better entries in the style overall. Those who are into the folk-horror approach here, appreciate slow-burn films or are curious about the country's genre output, while most others who are turned off by the few minor flaws should heed caution.
This review ran as part of our coverage of the 2021 edition of the virtual Nightstream Film Festival. Click the banner below to check out the other reviews for our coverage:
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