Razorback (1984)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers:

Peter Brennan (novel)
Everett De Roche (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

It's waiting outside and it can sense your fear. No nightmare will prepare you for it!

Plot:

A wild, vicious pig terrorizes the Australian outback. The first victim is a small child who is killed...

Plot Keywords:

Hunter | Pig | Dog | Animal Abuse | Animal Attack

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Gregory Harrison	...	Carl Winters
Arkie Whiteley	...	Sarah Cameron
Bill Kerr	...	Jake Cullen
Chris Haywood	...	Benny Baker
David Argue	...	Dicko Baker
Judy Morris	...	Beth Winters
John Howard	...	Danny
John Ewart	...	Turner
Don Smith	...	Wallace
Mervyn Drake	...	Andy
Redmond Phillips	...	Magistrate
Alan Becher	...	Counsel (as Alan Beecher)
Peter Schwarz	...	Lawyer (as Peter Schwartz)
Beth Child	...	Louise Cullen
Rick Kennedy	...	Farmer
Chris Hession	...	Television Cowboy
Brian Adams	...	Male Newscaster
Jinx Lootens	...	Female Newscaster
Angus Malone	...	Scotty
Peter Boswell	...	Wagstaff
Don Lane	...	Himself

Directed by
Russell Mulcahy

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter Brennan		novel
Everett De Roche		written by

Produced by
Hal McElroy	....	producer
Tim Sanders	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Iva Davies

Cinematography by
Dean Semler

Film Editing by
William M. Anderson

Production Design by
Bryce Walmsley

Costume Design by
Helen Hooper

Makeup Department
Bob McCarron	....	special makeup effects artist
Ivone Pollock	....	assistant makeup artist
Wendy Sainsbury	....	makeup artist
Mara Schiavetti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Fiona McConaghy	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stuart Freeman	....	first assistant director
Janet McIver	....	third assistant director
Arch Nicholson	....	second unit director
Ian Page	....	assistant director: second unit
Chris Short	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Nicholas McCallum	....	stand-by props: second unit
Marta McElroy	....	set dresser
Marilyn Pride	....	animatronics

Sound Department
Greg Bell	....	sound editor
Anne Breslin	....	sound editor
Helen Brown	....	sound editor
Peter Fenton	....	sound mixer
Ashley Grenville	....	sound editor
Phil Heywood	....	sound mixer
Ron Purvis	....	sound mixer
Karin Whittington	....	sound editor
Angela Zivkovic	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Brian Cox	....	special effects technician
Guillermo Masterchoto	....	pyrotechnician
Alan Maxwell	....	special effects assistant
Chris Murray	....	special effects supervisor

Stunts
Max Aspin	....	stunt coordinator
Glenn Boswell	....	safety stunt coordinator
Glenn Boswell	....	stunt double (as Glen Boswell)
Deanne North	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
Rick Bartsch	....	assistant grip
John Brock	....	focus puller: second unit
Craig Bryant	....	best boy
Alan Dunstan	....	electrician
Tex Foote	....	generator operator
Neil Gamblin	....	electrician
Bill Grimmond	....	camera operator: second unit (as Billy Grimmond)
Jonathan Hughes	....	first electrician
Carolyn Johns	....	still photographer
Peter Maidens	....	grip
Irvine G. McLaughlin	....	key grip
Andrew Mclean	....	assistant camera: second unit
John Morton	....	gaffer
Mark Nancarrow	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brendan Boys	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Ashley Grenville	....	assistant editor
Paula Lourie	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
David Thomas	....	special vehicle mechanic (as Dave Thomas)

Other crew
Gaye Arnold	....	continuity: second unit
Dale Aspin	....	animal wrangler
Elaine Crowther	....	production accountant
Gary Daly	....	publicist
John Faithful	....	caterer (as John Faithfull)
Sue Faithful	....	caterer (as Sue Faithfull)
Jeff Glasson	....	armorer
Bob McCarron	....	razorback designer
Deanne North	....	nurse
Ian Page	....	second unit coordinator
Daphne Paris	....	continuity
George Tsoutas	....	unit runner: second unit

Production Companies

• McElroy & McElroy
• UAA Films
• Western Film Productions

Distributors

• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Succéfilm AB (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Warner Bros. Pictures
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Broken Hill environs, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

McElroy & McElroy

Trivia:

A full-sized, fully animatronic model razorback was built at a cost of $250,000 and is seen for only one second.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

Soundtrack:

Blue Eyes

Under-appreciated 80s Classic

Razorback is one of the best Australian horror/action movies ever made. The direction is dazzling, the cinematography is truly remarkable and the cast is brimming with quality actors. Mysteriously, no one seems to care.

There is no denying that Razorback's basic plot premise is pretty ridiculous. In short, a giant boar (a Razorback) goes on a killing spree in a small outback town. This is about as unlikely as a giant shark terrorising swimmers ("Jaws") or a wet Japanese woman climbing out of a television set ("The Ring"). My point is that even the most ludicrous storyline can be overcome by excellent film-making and this is certainly the case with Razorback.

Razorback was the film that launched Russell Mulcahy's film career after making a name for himself directing music video clips for AC/DC, Queen and Duran Duran. Razorback reflects the same sensibilities that Mulcahy brought to his best video clips: frenetic pacing, flashy camera angles and stylish visuals. These qualities are almost disorientating during the film's action and horror sequences, making them all the more suspenseful and eerie.

Mulcahy's dizzying direction combines brilliantly with Dean Semler's superb cinematography. Semler seems to thrive on barren landscapes and he captures the harsh beauty of the Australian outback magnificently. The scene with the wooden horse bobbing up and down on the salt flat is mesmerising, as is the entire sequence of Carl hallucinating in the desert. Put simply, Razorback is one of the most beautiful horror films not made by an Italian giallo master.

The cast is equally accomplished, offering a smorgasbord of excellent Australian character actors. Judy Morris ("Phar Lap") does well as Beth, not being hampered too greatly by an American accent. Bill Kerr ("Gallipoli") seems to have appeared in every second Australian movie. He has one of his best roles as Jake. Chris Haywood ("Muriel's Wedding") is also memorable as the ultra vile Benny. American import, Gregory Harrison, does respectably as Carl and the late Arkie Whiteley is sweet as Sarah, a woman who inexplicably monitors boar movements in the middle of nowhere.

The special effects still hold up reasonably well and the creature effects for the Razorback are great. I love the close-up of its eye in the finale. There is not much gore, but what the film lacks in blood, it more than makes up for with constant action. Razorback begins with an action sequence and simply never lets up. There are car chases, kangaroo shootings, beatings, home demolitions and that just covers the first half of the film. Razorback is not a particularly scary film, but it compensates for this with eerie atmospherics and relentless tension.

In addition to the fine film-making, I also enjoy Razorback for its political incorrectness. The outback characters are arch stereotypes and just about every animal in town comes to a violent end. Benny and Dicko even run over Jake's dog for fun, which would be unimaginable in a film made today. Furthermore, the irony of an animal rights activist being eaten by a giant boar was not lost on me.

Razorback is an excellent genre film that deserves much wider recognition. I wish the Australian film industry would make more films like this. If Russell Mulcahy's upcoming "Resident Evil" instalment does well, he should consider making the long overdue sequel to Razorback.