The first half is a generic slasher film that follows the sex-and-death formula dutifully, has waaaay too much filler and suffers from a strange lack of central characters; the glimpses of gratuitous nudity are virtually all this half has going for it. Then the killer is revealed, and the rest of the film looks as if it was made by a different director; one who knows a thing or two about suspense, and how to actually quicken your pulse. There are two major confrontations with the killer, and they are both particularly well-handled. I really don't know what happened midway through production, but just as you're ready to give up on the movie, it surprises you by turning out not-too-bad after all. By the way, be careful when you read some of the other reviews for this movie, they include some pretty big spoilers! (**)
33 Reviews
Sex equals death.
lost-in-limbo13 March 2010
By reputation "Bloodmoon" doesn't seem to stand up so well, nonetheless it just seemed to draw me in (well captivating poster artwork helps a lot too) and since it just got a local DVD release (thanks to the 2008 documentary "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!") it was easy to get a hold of. It turned out to be competently stylish, but a generically penned (if sexually charged) Aussie slasher that after the opening sequence it seems to find itself in soapy TV material. This aspect is rather distracting and stodgy, before it finally goes on to build a head of steam for the last half hour of outrageous acts and jarring suspense. While not particularly successful as a whole, as it can be sloppy it still kept me watching. Something about the choice of locations constructs an effective small coastal town atmosphere (very similar to that of 1981 quirky Australian slasher "Dead Kids") and it's lit with moody visual shadings by director Alec Mills. The stalk and slash scenes are actually well executed and framed, especially in the latter half with a couple twisted acts of uncontrollable violence
but when the focus (during some long periods) is on the dramas / antics of the locals and a group of neighbouring boarding schools (girls and boys -- who are on heat with constant flashes of female nudity) the suspense is truly forgotten about and its kept grounded with an authentic flavour but the cheesy handling doesn't help and so did the lack of any development of recurring characters / side-stories. The patchy story doesn't really offer any surprises (well maybe one moment --- a death towards the end) and the revelation of the killer midway though shouldn't really come as a surprise. Actually I thought it was better off unmasking the killer, because it was obvious but their choice of weapon a piece of barb wire would leave an unpleasant mark. The performances are surefooted with the likes of Christine Amor (immensely dominating), Leon Lissek (unusually picture-perfect), Ian Williams and Helen Thomson. Australian music composer Brian May has crafted out some stunning scores, but on this occasion it isn't one of his best in what is a vibrant, but heavy-handed arrangement. When it was being ominous it worked, but for those softer and playful cues it doesn't come off. It just lacked the fineness. Nothing sensational, but a better than labelled slasher.
Blood moon on the rise.
dbdumonteil4 August 2018
Compared to other serial killer stories, this one is above average ; when "Friday the thirteenth "and stuff like that consists of killing teenagers one by one, teenagers we hardly know before they get slain.
Here,there is a decent screenplay and chiefly , the screenwriters did create characters ;even though we guess who the killer is long before the end ,his behavior makes sense .If the youngsters are rather bland and conventional, the adult characters have some substance : the nun (the ending sees her play the part of the sister of "vertigo" ), the nymphomaniac headmistress and her impotent husband,the biology teacher , the policeman .
The rivalry between the wealthy students who" will become doctors and lawyers and the prole ones" is not fully exploited and it's too bad;but good scenes such as the maleficent relationship between the teacher and his wife, the two girls who try to see the tests before the exam so as to get only As make up for it.
Pretty good entertainment in this Australian thriller.
Here,there is a decent screenplay and chiefly , the screenwriters did create characters ;even though we guess who the killer is long before the end ,his behavior makes sense .If the youngsters are rather bland and conventional, the adult characters have some substance : the nun (the ending sees her play the part of the sister of "vertigo" ), the nymphomaniac headmistress and her impotent husband,the biology teacher , the policeman .
The rivalry between the wealthy students who" will become doctors and lawyers and the prole ones" is not fully exploited and it's too bad;but good scenes such as the maleficent relationship between the teacher and his wife, the two girls who try to see the tests before the exam so as to get only As make up for it.
Pretty good entertainment in this Australian thriller.
Not as bad as people make out
RareSlashersReviewed2 February 2004
Not to be confused with Bloody Moon, Jesus Franco's gore feast of 1980; this Australian lensed slasher imitates the popular killer on campus' plotline that's so frequently used by its US counterparts. It's fairly amusing just how much Alec Mills tries to make this as American as he possibly can, but thankfully he refrains from asking the cast to perform unconvincing accents. As a matter of fact, the characters that are actually supposed to be from the States still speak in flawless Aus! Hmmm!
In the small town of Coopers Bay, there are two Hi-schools situated right next door to each other. There's Winchester, an all boys comprehensive and St Elizabeth's, a girl's only Catholic faculty. They are separated by woodland where pupils from both can meet and engage in things that they'd rather their teachers didn't witness! An unseen killer begins murdering the youngsters as they fornicate, strangling them with a length of barbed wire before removing their eyes and burying them under the soil. Mary, the daughter of a Hollywood movie actress, becomes involved when the killer targets her and Kevin, her boyfriend. But who is this twisted psychopath and why does he want to kill all the kids?
Blood Moon opens with a terrific score courtesy of Brian May and some superb cinematography. The dense woods in which the kids are pursued is brilliantly lighted and I was immediately rather impressed by the general production. After a couple of murders, were introduced to a predictable troupe of troublesome teens and our obvious final girl. There's an interesting subplot that sprouts as one of the local poor kids falls for Mary, the daughter of an actress. The rich Winchester boys hate the local working class, so it's almost like a homage to Romeo and Juliet or West side story but without the Rock and Roll (Instead we get reach for the earplugs' Heavy Metal!). Shakespeare and the slasher genre, what a combination! I bet the poor author would turn in his grave!
There's one really gruesome if not graphic murder, involving a desk, a young girl's head and a deranged killer! But aside from that, there's hardly any gore and most of the killings are left to our imagination (boo!). The performances are fairly poor throughout, although Leon Lissek gives a decidedly nasty portrayal. Although it mostly keeps things directly by the book, there are a few twists that you probably won't guess and we also get some background on the reasons for the killer's insanity.
British born Alec Mills' lackadaisical direction left a lot to be desired and he failed to generate as much suspense as was needed. He's better when he works as a camera man as he did on Return of the jedi and various James Bond movies through the seventies and eighties. It's a fairly slow-moving story, but when the killer is revealed things begin to perk up right up until it ends rather suddenly leaving one or two unanswered questions. Like what happened to Kevin? Did he survive? Even though the bodies start piling up toward the finale, the story certainly could have benefited from a few more excursions into the well-lighted woodland with the killer and his length of deadly barbed wire. As it stands, there was too little horror and an excessive amount of teen frolics that didn't really do the movie any favours.
You can ignore most of the bad reviews that slate Blood Moon; it really isn't all that bad. Its just that its not particularly memorable, the sort of film that you'll watch once and forget about immediately after. Perfect for some late-night slicing shenanigans on the TV, but hardly worth the effort of hunting down. As far as Australian slashers go, it manages not to feel as cack-handed as Houseboat Horror, To Become One or the over-rated Cut, but then that's still not much of a worthy compliment. Oh and make sure to place them earplugs back in as soon as you see the end credits. The last songs a killer: `Blood moon is rising, stay home tonight' and `Blood Moon arising over building and over hill, take care if you will!' You get the picture!
In the small town of Coopers Bay, there are two Hi-schools situated right next door to each other. There's Winchester, an all boys comprehensive and St Elizabeth's, a girl's only Catholic faculty. They are separated by woodland where pupils from both can meet and engage in things that they'd rather their teachers didn't witness! An unseen killer begins murdering the youngsters as they fornicate, strangling them with a length of barbed wire before removing their eyes and burying them under the soil. Mary, the daughter of a Hollywood movie actress, becomes involved when the killer targets her and Kevin, her boyfriend. But who is this twisted psychopath and why does he want to kill all the kids?
Blood Moon opens with a terrific score courtesy of Brian May and some superb cinematography. The dense woods in which the kids are pursued is brilliantly lighted and I was immediately rather impressed by the general production. After a couple of murders, were introduced to a predictable troupe of troublesome teens and our obvious final girl. There's an interesting subplot that sprouts as one of the local poor kids falls for Mary, the daughter of an actress. The rich Winchester boys hate the local working class, so it's almost like a homage to Romeo and Juliet or West side story but without the Rock and Roll (Instead we get reach for the earplugs' Heavy Metal!). Shakespeare and the slasher genre, what a combination! I bet the poor author would turn in his grave!
There's one really gruesome if not graphic murder, involving a desk, a young girl's head and a deranged killer! But aside from that, there's hardly any gore and most of the killings are left to our imagination (boo!). The performances are fairly poor throughout, although Leon Lissek gives a decidedly nasty portrayal. Although it mostly keeps things directly by the book, there are a few twists that you probably won't guess and we also get some background on the reasons for the killer's insanity.
British born Alec Mills' lackadaisical direction left a lot to be desired and he failed to generate as much suspense as was needed. He's better when he works as a camera man as he did on Return of the jedi and various James Bond movies through the seventies and eighties. It's a fairly slow-moving story, but when the killer is revealed things begin to perk up right up until it ends rather suddenly leaving one or two unanswered questions. Like what happened to Kevin? Did he survive? Even though the bodies start piling up toward the finale, the story certainly could have benefited from a few more excursions into the well-lighted woodland with the killer and his length of deadly barbed wire. As it stands, there was too little horror and an excessive amount of teen frolics that didn't really do the movie any favours.
You can ignore most of the bad reviews that slate Blood Moon; it really isn't all that bad. Its just that its not particularly memorable, the sort of film that you'll watch once and forget about immediately after. Perfect for some late-night slicing shenanigans on the TV, but hardly worth the effort of hunting down. As far as Australian slashers go, it manages not to feel as cack-handed as Houseboat Horror, To Become One or the over-rated Cut, but then that's still not much of a worthy compliment. Oh and make sure to place them earplugs back in as soon as you see the end credits. The last songs a killer: `Blood moon is rising, stay home tonight' and `Blood Moon arising over building and over hill, take care if you will!' You get the picture!
Christine Amor can Really Make A Scene!
ThrownMuse11 March 2007
Teenagers on a college campus are brutally murdered while doing the dirty. This starts out as a typical crap 80s slasher snoozer. For the first 40 minutes I kept thinking to myself "Wow, the late 80s/early 90s was an even WORSE time for style and horror in Australia than it was in the US!" Teenagers with side-ponies stripping out of their stonewash jeans are everywhere! The theme of this slasher seems to be a killer with a circular barbed wire thingie that he uses to choke, causing his victims to see a, um, bloodmoon? I have no idea. What I DO know is that about halfway through, this movie turns from a below-average slasher, to a fabulously trashy episode of "Dynasty Down Under," thanks to the camped-out performance by the hilarious Christine Amor (who was likewise the only good thing about the Linda Blair crapfest "Dead Silence". Oh yeah, be careful because most reviews (and even the Netflix envelope) feature spoilers, but it doesn't really matter because the movie is only worth watching for the soap operatics in the second half.
Australia's attempt at slasher
acidburn-109 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Plot = A private girls school St Elizabeth's becomes a terrifying place to be, when girls begin to get killed off by maniacal killer and quickly buried, the police become baffled at these disappearances in a small town in Australia.
This was Australia's effort at the ever growing popular slasher boom that started in the early 80's but unfortunately this came out in 1990, which was when the slasher boom simply died down, and this really didn't do anything to raise to dying craze.
Okay this isn't a bad movie I actually quite enjoyed it, although the murder scenes are either quite tame or off-screen which I hate, apart from the scene where a girl has her face smashed into a desk, which is this movie's main highlight in my opinion. But what annoyed me at times is the random interactions between the teen cast as some we see for the first part of the movie but when the killings start again we never see them again. And the fact that the killer is revealed quite early on.
The acting is fairly good by some, but fairly bad by others. Leon Lissik was quite enjoyable as the biology teacher Miles Sheffield who I really felt for when he was being cruelly dominated by his wife the head mistress, I also liked how his character quickly developed his true colours ranging really well. His wife Virginia (Christine Amor) did okay playing a total bitch but other than that she was a terrible actress. Helen Thomson played the final girl pretty well, very likable and attractive a character to root for and the nun played by Hazel Howman really kicked ass, especially in the end when she throws acid in the killer's face, she was cool.
All in all a routine slasher flick that won't break any new ground but was a fun waste of time.
This was Australia's effort at the ever growing popular slasher boom that started in the early 80's but unfortunately this came out in 1990, which was when the slasher boom simply died down, and this really didn't do anything to raise to dying craze.
Okay this isn't a bad movie I actually quite enjoyed it, although the murder scenes are either quite tame or off-screen which I hate, apart from the scene where a girl has her face smashed into a desk, which is this movie's main highlight in my opinion. But what annoyed me at times is the random interactions between the teen cast as some we see for the first part of the movie but when the killings start again we never see them again. And the fact that the killer is revealed quite early on.
The acting is fairly good by some, but fairly bad by others. Leon Lissik was quite enjoyable as the biology teacher Miles Sheffield who I really felt for when he was being cruelly dominated by his wife the head mistress, I also liked how his character quickly developed his true colours ranging really well. His wife Virginia (Christine Amor) did okay playing a total bitch but other than that she was a terrible actress. Helen Thomson played the final girl pretty well, very likable and attractive a character to root for and the nun played by Hazel Howman really kicked ass, especially in the end when she throws acid in the killer's face, she was cool.
All in all a routine slasher flick that won't break any new ground but was a fun waste of time.
Wretched slasher
fertilecelluloid5 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Wretched slasher from director Alec Mills should have had its negative impounded and burned by parliamentary decree. Mills, who shot some Bond films, shows no enthusiasm for the genre and doesn't have a clue about generating suspense. Despite the fact that the film had a reasonable budget, it is overlit and totally lacking in mood. There is little gore and most of the murders happen quickly and off-screen. The entire affair has an American feel to it, but the film was lensed in Queensland, Australia, and was released in that country with a William Castle-style gimmick -- patrons too terrified to watch the film all the way through could ankle it to the "chicken cage" in the cinema foyer and collect a refund. As slashers go, it's right down there with "Final Exam". Brian May clearly did this gig for the money, just like the director. Some of this film's producers would later be involved with "The Matrix" films, the godawful "Torque" and the very average "Hurricane Smith".
Only for completest of the genre
Friendend6 May 2010
Basically this is a horror movie done Australian style. I can tell you it doesn't add up to Wolf Creek. It's your basic whodunit serial killer type story. There's naked Australian girls and an average, run of the mill storyline as well. I would recommend this only to completest of the genre. I give it a 4 which is high. I guess the naked Australian girls is what made me take it up a few notches... Since I'm a collector of 80s horror movies I ended up having to give this a viddie. Not that I regret it or anything but I don't see myself pulling this one off the shelf again anytime soon. But still not all that bad for a one time view...
Not a great movie at all
screenhead-6411721 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
When this movie originally came out in 1990 A few friends and I went to see it. The feeling was that if it was not good then we could get our money back at he "Fright Break".
FYI, The "Fright Break" occured just before the most frightening part of the movie where the movie stopped and the lights came on and those who were "too frightened" to watch the remaining part of the film could take the "Chicken Walk" and follow the yellow lines to the exit and get their money back. This was apparently featured in some movies in the 60s.
Anyway, armed with this knowledge, in we went. The acting was not that good. Neither were the story or special effects. In fact it was one of the worst movies I had seen up til that point. Don't get me wrong, the director tried to use some tried and tested techniques but it all fell flat.
For example, there was a scene where a girl was just about to be strangled with the barbed wire (a nice original murder weapon) and as she screamed it switched to a choir. At this point an audience member expressed the same feelings that most of us probably had at that point. He jumped up, yelled "RIPPED OFF" and got an ovation. This was the best part of the movie.
At the "Fright Break" almost the whole audience got up and walked out. We passed in front of the next audience waiting to go in. One asked me if the movie was good. I said "well, let me pit it this way, the movie has not ended but the audience was leaving".
To make matters worse there was only 1 staff member at a small cardboard booth ready to issue refunds. Obviously they only expected a few people to want a refund. They were wrong. He panicked and ran for it as the mob descended on him. A few minutes later all the ticket lines were opened and refunds given.
The movie quickly disappeared from the theatres.
FYI, The "Fright Break" occured just before the most frightening part of the movie where the movie stopped and the lights came on and those who were "too frightened" to watch the remaining part of the film could take the "Chicken Walk" and follow the yellow lines to the exit and get their money back. This was apparently featured in some movies in the 60s.
Anyway, armed with this knowledge, in we went. The acting was not that good. Neither were the story or special effects. In fact it was one of the worst movies I had seen up til that point. Don't get me wrong, the director tried to use some tried and tested techniques but it all fell flat.
For example, there was a scene where a girl was just about to be strangled with the barbed wire (a nice original murder weapon) and as she screamed it switched to a choir. At this point an audience member expressed the same feelings that most of us probably had at that point. He jumped up, yelled "RIPPED OFF" and got an ovation. This was the best part of the movie.
At the "Fright Break" almost the whole audience got up and walked out. We passed in front of the next audience waiting to go in. One asked me if the movie was good. I said "well, let me pit it this way, the movie has not ended but the audience was leaving".
To make matters worse there was only 1 staff member at a small cardboard booth ready to issue refunds. Obviously they only expected a few people to want a refund. They were wrong. He panicked and ran for it as the mob descended on him. A few minutes later all the ticket lines were opened and refunds given.
The movie quickly disappeared from the theatres.
Bloodmoon
Scarecrow-8821 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Bloodmoon is one of those rare instances where a rather demandingly tedious first half is redeemed by a thoroughly satisfyingly suspenseful and shocking second half. The plot centers on an Australian community which contains a private boy's school and female boarding school right nearby each other and the students often engage in sexual activity and relations outside of classes. The headmistress and her pu$$ywhipped biology teacher husband of the St Elizabeth's Catholic School for Girls arrived from California fleeing a sordid situation where boy-girl couples were found slaughtered near a lover's lane. We discover that Virginia Sheffield likes young boys and that she has a psychological stranglehold over her husband, Myles(Leon Lissek)using his inability to sexually satisfy her as an object of ridicule, which in turn causes a psychotic mania which motivates a rage to kill girl-boy couples that make love(..have sexual rendezvous)in hidden places. The first section of the film plays like a saucy after-school special featuring local boys who often bicker and fight with the rich snobs of the private school, while the Catholic school girls get naked a lot, freely agreeing to meet males away for some action. Kevin Lynch(Ian Williams), a middle class local surfer with a kind heart, and American Catholic school student Mary Huston(Helen Thomson), whose mom is a Hollywood movie star with a career that seems more important than her daughter's life, blossoming romance is highlighted because Myles is fixated with her. Their relationship and well being will be threatened as Myles makes preparations to execute them, arranging a meeting between the two in the woods(..a place which separates both schools and is used as a means to hook up for making out and having sex). We also see how Myles is mistreated by Virginia who insults him, and this unpleasant relationship, and her naughty behavior with a male student from the private school, are peeks inside a very volatile marriage.
I think if the viewer can make it through the opening thirty or so minutes, where we are treated to the lives of school girls and boys, their misbehaving and other minor melodramas, the film rewards your patience when Myles goes off the deep end and we see the monster for the first time when he viciously attacks two female students who break into his biology class to steal exam questions and instead find a bottle of fingers and eyes, keepsakes of the psychopath from past "conquests." What makes the attacks as shocking is that the girls actually look like real teenage students and Myles just can not stop himself from really inflicting damage. He repeatedly bashes one poor girl's face into a table, several times after she's clearly dead. The chase of another girl, who hurts her ankle falling down steps attempting to flee frantically as the killer is in hot pursuit, only to reach the building's exit, locked by Myles as he buries the knife in her back, is another well established terror scene(..not to mention what she does to him with a cutting tool used for dissection, attempting to escape as he tries to assault her). He loves sticking blades into the torsos of girls as well. We see the aftermath of one teenage boy's murder, his eyes gouged out. The strangulations from a barbwire garrote aren't elaborated for effects, we simply know that this is a method for which he uses on them. One chilling scene has Myles sticking his knife into the stomach of a young girl used to set up Kevin's meeting with Mary, and we see her falter as blood runs down her shirt with the deranged madman escaping as the camera pans back..a very well designed and cold-blooded sequence which might be the best of the film. Great aftermath of acid to the face and Leon's toady bug-eyed killer is a very effective creep. Christine Amor as Virginia is quite a nasty piece of work, really cutting her husband to the bone with accurate skill..we can see that this has been occurring for quite some time, and the profound impact on Myles' behavior is quite visible. I think composer Brian May's work bugged me more than anything else. His music during the opening of the movie reeks of sugary soap opera and episodic television..and, while more effective during the suspense scenes at the end, the music can be so loud across the soundtrack that the dialogue is hard to hear. Not a bad Aussie attempt at the American slasher(..which, in essence, is a reworking of the Italian giallo sub-genre)..does feature enough gratuitous elements to satisfy the desired audience, I believe. A lot more nudity than I was expecting and the dialogue can be raunchy at times. The teens of the film are coming of age with a sexual awakening which does contribute to such lurid details provided throughout. The film also follows the small town chief as he eyes Myles as a possible suspect responsible for a growing number of student disappearances.
I think if the viewer can make it through the opening thirty or so minutes, where we are treated to the lives of school girls and boys, their misbehaving and other minor melodramas, the film rewards your patience when Myles goes off the deep end and we see the monster for the first time when he viciously attacks two female students who break into his biology class to steal exam questions and instead find a bottle of fingers and eyes, keepsakes of the psychopath from past "conquests." What makes the attacks as shocking is that the girls actually look like real teenage students and Myles just can not stop himself from really inflicting damage. He repeatedly bashes one poor girl's face into a table, several times after she's clearly dead. The chase of another girl, who hurts her ankle falling down steps attempting to flee frantically as the killer is in hot pursuit, only to reach the building's exit, locked by Myles as he buries the knife in her back, is another well established terror scene(..not to mention what she does to him with a cutting tool used for dissection, attempting to escape as he tries to assault her). He loves sticking blades into the torsos of girls as well. We see the aftermath of one teenage boy's murder, his eyes gouged out. The strangulations from a barbwire garrote aren't elaborated for effects, we simply know that this is a method for which he uses on them. One chilling scene has Myles sticking his knife into the stomach of a young girl used to set up Kevin's meeting with Mary, and we see her falter as blood runs down her shirt with the deranged madman escaping as the camera pans back..a very well designed and cold-blooded sequence which might be the best of the film. Great aftermath of acid to the face and Leon's toady bug-eyed killer is a very effective creep. Christine Amor as Virginia is quite a nasty piece of work, really cutting her husband to the bone with accurate skill..we can see that this has been occurring for quite some time, and the profound impact on Myles' behavior is quite visible. I think composer Brian May's work bugged me more than anything else. His music during the opening of the movie reeks of sugary soap opera and episodic television..and, while more effective during the suspense scenes at the end, the music can be so loud across the soundtrack that the dialogue is hard to hear. Not a bad Aussie attempt at the American slasher(..which, in essence, is a reworking of the Italian giallo sub-genre)..does feature enough gratuitous elements to satisfy the desired audience, I believe. A lot more nudity than I was expecting and the dialogue can be raunchy at times. The teens of the film are coming of age with a sexual awakening which does contribute to such lurid details provided throughout. The film also follows the small town chief as he eyes Myles as a possible suspect responsible for a growing number of student disappearances.
Seen this at cinemas with the infamous FRIGHT BREAK!
dazzaler4428 December 2018
Flaskback to 1990 at the Wollongong Town Cinemas where this movie being shown. You can notice some scenes were badly out to get the M rating for starters and the film felt like watching a "Home & Away" episode coz the performances were hammy as hell!
The first three quarters of film were borring to boot with a borring story and without any horror to be seen...
And then came on FRIGHT BREAK where the audience had the chance to leave this borrfest and have your money refunded by going to Chickens Corner located in the foyer. You had about 30 seconds with snippets of what's is promised to be a intense horror experience (which doesn't happen anyway).
Well it got a bit more gory without suspense and ended really weirdly which ended the audience booing the film off.
This film bombed badly in Australia and little wonder why
My favourite film of alltime
Breakers266 January 2003
It's sad this film hasn't seen more publicity, it's a great watch and just shows the Aussies do it better every time! Any film with Christine Amor has to be good and Leon Lissek is suitable weird in an offbeat role of the school teacher. I am now the proud owner of an authentic film script and it is my favourite piece of film memorabilia...if you ever see this film, watch it, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It lulls you into a false sense of security, you think you've seen it all before, then does the unexpected. Watch it!
Barbed wire garotte!
BA_Harrison3 June 2019
In the seaside town of Cooper's Bay, the students of Winchester Boys School are naturally drawn to the pupils of a nearby Catholic school for girls. They're not the only ones: a psycho lurks in the woods that separate the schools, lured by the thrill of the kill.
Aussie slasher Bloodmoon kicks off in shamelessly lurid fashion with a changing room full of barely legal schoolgirls in the buff, followed by a double murder, the young victims throttled with a barbed wire garotte, their eyes gouged out and fingers removed before being unceremoniously buried in the woods.
With such a gleefully trashy start, one might expect a real sleazy and splattery Ozploitation treat, but while there is still plenty of nudity to come, and a couple more mean-spirited murders (including a victim having her face repeatedly bashed into a desk!), the film doesn't live up to its early promise, becoming mired in a pedestrian plot that involves rivalry between social classes and a teen romance between pretty rich Catholic girl Mary (Helen Thomson) and 'townie' Kevin (Ian Williams).
The killer is suitably deranged (belittled by his wife and sexually frustrated, he takes out his pent up aggression on randy teens), the early-'90s trappings provide a few giggles (the hairstyles are particularly awful), and the rock band Vice, who play at the Winchester high school dance, are awesome, but in the end I felt just a tad disappointed by a plot that veers away from the horror just a touch too much.
Aussie slasher Bloodmoon kicks off in shamelessly lurid fashion with a changing room full of barely legal schoolgirls in the buff, followed by a double murder, the young victims throttled with a barbed wire garotte, their eyes gouged out and fingers removed before being unceremoniously buried in the woods.
With such a gleefully trashy start, one might expect a real sleazy and splattery Ozploitation treat, but while there is still plenty of nudity to come, and a couple more mean-spirited murders (including a victim having her face repeatedly bashed into a desk!), the film doesn't live up to its early promise, becoming mired in a pedestrian plot that involves rivalry between social classes and a teen romance between pretty rich Catholic girl Mary (Helen Thomson) and 'townie' Kevin (Ian Williams).
The killer is suitably deranged (belittled by his wife and sexually frustrated, he takes out his pent up aggression on randy teens), the early-'90s trappings provide a few giggles (the hairstyles are particularly awful), and the rock band Vice, who play at the Winchester high school dance, are awesome, but in the end I felt just a tad disappointed by a plot that veers away from the horror just a touch too much.
Not awful, not good
Insomniac_moviefan2 November 2002
Those were the days... Where this kind of slashers were a reason for staying home on a Friday night when being 12 or 13 years old.
I remember this movie airing on USA NETWORK almost every 6 months, but it wasn't until the 10th time it aired that I decided to watch it. The first 10 minutes are kind of creepy, then the movie gets boring until the expected end. The killer is no way scary, and even the plenty of gore and hot girls doesn't help "BLOODMOON" being a slasher to be remembered.
Just for die hard fans of the genre.
I remember this movie airing on USA NETWORK almost every 6 months, but it wasn't until the 10th time it aired that I decided to watch it. The first 10 minutes are kind of creepy, then the movie gets boring until the expected end. The killer is no way scary, and even the plenty of gore and hot girls doesn't help "BLOODMOON" being a slasher to be remembered.
Just for die hard fans of the genre.
So Many Subplots, So Little Story
arthurconnor4 August 2020
Bloodmoon tries to do something a bit different with the tried and true slasher formula, but instead of reinvigorating the classic tropes, it comes across as not being very interested in being a horror film at all.
You see, there's a murderer going around a small Australian town killing the students of an all-girls Catholic school and the boys of a school close by. There are a few red herrings and a lot of go-nowhere subplots involving forbidden romances, rocky marriages, and teachers sleeping with students. Tune in at the wrong time and you could easily confuse it for being a little known Aussie soap opera.
Bloodmoon is one that probably only slasher film completists will get any kicks out of. The murder scenes are cursory at best and lack any tension or suspense and a lot of the acting is less than ideal. There's also no main character, so the film feels aimless with no one to root for.
You see, there's a murderer going around a small Australian town killing the students of an all-girls Catholic school and the boys of a school close by. There are a few red herrings and a lot of go-nowhere subplots involving forbidden romances, rocky marriages, and teachers sleeping with students. Tune in at the wrong time and you could easily confuse it for being a little known Aussie soap opera.
Bloodmoon is one that probably only slasher film completists will get any kicks out of. The murder scenes are cursory at best and lack any tension or suspense and a lot of the acting is less than ideal. There's also no main character, so the film feels aimless with no one to root for.
Bland...
paul_haakonsen21 April 2024
Needless to say that I had never heard about this 1990 Australian horror movie titled "Bloodmoon" prior to sitting down and watching it here in 2024.
As I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance, and seeing it was a horror movie, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch what writer Robert Brennan and director Alec Mills had to offer.
The storyline in "Bloodmoon" was pretty bland. It was not a particularly interesting movie, much less an effective horror movie. Why? Well, there was just simply not enough going on throughout the course of the 100 minutes that the movie ran for, and that made the movie feel bland and somewhat pointless. There was nothing scary about the movie, unless you consider the lack of aforementioned things to be scary.
You actually have to sit through about 65 minutes of the 100 minute runtime before anything remotely interesting starts to happen. And by then, it was just simply too little, too late.
I wasn't familiar with the talents on the cast list. Though I will say that some of the acting performances were actually fair.
Visually then "Bloodmoon" was bland and nondistinctive.
The only thing impressive about "Bloodmoon" was that the music was composed by Brian May.
Not a great horror experience in any way. And a rather forgettable movie at that.
My rating of "Bloodmoon" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
As I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance, and seeing it was a horror movie, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch what writer Robert Brennan and director Alec Mills had to offer.
The storyline in "Bloodmoon" was pretty bland. It was not a particularly interesting movie, much less an effective horror movie. Why? Well, there was just simply not enough going on throughout the course of the 100 minutes that the movie ran for, and that made the movie feel bland and somewhat pointless. There was nothing scary about the movie, unless you consider the lack of aforementioned things to be scary.
You actually have to sit through about 65 minutes of the 100 minute runtime before anything remotely interesting starts to happen. And by then, it was just simply too little, too late.
I wasn't familiar with the talents on the cast list. Though I will say that some of the acting performances were actually fair.
Visually then "Bloodmoon" was bland and nondistinctive.
The only thing impressive about "Bloodmoon" was that the music was composed by Brian May.
Not a great horror experience in any way. And a rather forgettable movie at that.
My rating of "Bloodmoon" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.
This moon doesn't shine so bright
videorama-759-8593916 October 2014
Bloodmoon is one god awful horror flick, dreadful, and is just another reason, most horror films in the good ole land of Oz, suck. It reminds me heavily of two other horror films, Splatter University and Fatal Pulse. This film I sadly say, almost doesn't have one. The whole film is dreadful. Yes some beautiful co eds, real lovelies, are being disposed of by a sick knife slashing maniac, duhh.... you think it's one of the faculty? Even the killer's ties to sexy headmistress, Christine Amor who you could say, overacts a storm, had me in disbelief. Watching her go off at him when learning her husband's murderous habits, had returned, was painful. Oh, yeah the Bloodmoon challenge, a sort of suspended intermission, if trying to suspense it up, and failing a hundred percent, just holding the movie up. What was that about? I did like the boy and the girl, from different scholastic backgrounds, where the boy and his mates were having run ins with the other scholastic pricks from wealthier backgrounds. Honestly suspense failed me as everything else did in this bomb. I would say the whole thing in another context was a limited and in parts, unbelievable affair, mostly concerning our strange couple. Some moments of the movie were repulsively awful. The film somehow felt short sheeted as what went to film from script, where may'be there was a bit too much editing. Honestly, Bloodmoon, something that showed enthusiastic promise, sadly results in a unimpressive project on all fronts, that took a nose dive fast. Released in cinemas with a M rating, where an R 18+ went to video.
Home & Away Soap Opera Stuff
saint_brett29 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Am I in the horrors or the twilight zone?
'Blood Moon.' Didn't I watch this last night? A perpetual cycle of DeJa'Vu? Am I going to write the same review word for word?
'Nightmare on Elm Street' music kicks off the movie.
A ninja dressed in nun attire patrols a prestigious reform school for naughty girls.
This smacks of early 1980, but was released in 1990?
Unknown actress #1, Jackie, cries for Argentina while exclaiming, "It's not fair." What is she going to do next? Sing the Moving Pictures "What about Me?" song. Without direction or purpose in life, Jackie places herself in danger and walks right into Jason's wooded playground, and already the hunt is on.
The start hasn't even laid a plot for the rest of the movie to follow, and already, only two minutes in, two people are dead.
The ninja patrol officer talks to herself, which sets her up as a potential suspect.
Basically, the movie just drops you in a secluded school, and all these naughty British girls are all candidates for slaughter in a senseless movie.
It's been established by two former Bronski Beat members that we're in Winchester somewhere.
Bleak old Winchester soon turns into Summer Bay, where the River Boy gang members confront opposing invaders and brawl over the flavor of a slushy.
I bet all these actors went on to greener pastures with flourishing careers in the industry.
What is this movie trying to be - a horror, soap opera, comedy, or drama? Oh boy, this movie's in need of some Britannia Rescue roadside assistance. Either the movie or I am treading water here.
A ball takes place as filler just to showcase some 80s hairband songs, where it then rips off 'The Karate Kid' as a gang of elite baddies, led by Vanilla Ice, chases the invisible shower curtain character out into the parking lot, and another confrontation unfolds. Jack Vidgen there looks like a Ken Doll.
This is borderline 'Home & Away' TV quality acting as Sandy from 'Grease' rings her mother in Los Angeles, who's clearly masking a British accent.
She blabs something about not wanting to return to Australia; don't spoil it, Danny. Speak with deeper diaphragms, lady; you sound like a fairy. "Oh, Frenchie, do you think my dress is nice?" Oh boy.
Forgetting that it's supposed to be a horror movie, they throw in a quick, two-minute scene of two strangers being bopped off. One's strangled with a crown of thorns, the other assaulted by a tree.
Vanilla Ice proves how suave he is by sleeping with his science teacher, and I don't know how this enhances the storyline in any way, horror-wise.
Um, is this 'Puberty Blues' meets 'Blue Lagoon' and crosses with 'Home & Away' mixed with a smidgen of horror here and there?
An after-hours school scene ups the tempo, where the killer is revealed as an impotent, dumpy science teacher of no importance. He sees to it that two Summer Bay detention students fail his class by erasing them permanently for cheating.
None of that earlier 'Karate Kid' tit-for-tat business blended with any horror aspects. It only offsets any attempt at suspense.
There was no rhyme or reason why the science teacher committed any of these offenses.
The movie ends in a bloodbath, with bodies dropping everywhere.
The penguin ninja throws holy water on the science teacher, proving he's the work of the devil and not of this earth.
The science demon overcomes a melted face and arms himself with a sacred firearm locked in the holy trinity's lost and found cabinet, which is used to presumably, um, I don't know, as the movie just ends with hose water raining down on a house.
And for the record, there's not one reference in the entire movie why it's called 'Blood Moon.'
'Blood Moon.' Didn't I watch this last night? A perpetual cycle of DeJa'Vu? Am I going to write the same review word for word?
'Nightmare on Elm Street' music kicks off the movie.
A ninja dressed in nun attire patrols a prestigious reform school for naughty girls.
This smacks of early 1980, but was released in 1990?
Unknown actress #1, Jackie, cries for Argentina while exclaiming, "It's not fair." What is she going to do next? Sing the Moving Pictures "What about Me?" song. Without direction or purpose in life, Jackie places herself in danger and walks right into Jason's wooded playground, and already the hunt is on.
The start hasn't even laid a plot for the rest of the movie to follow, and already, only two minutes in, two people are dead.
The ninja patrol officer talks to herself, which sets her up as a potential suspect.
Basically, the movie just drops you in a secluded school, and all these naughty British girls are all candidates for slaughter in a senseless movie.
It's been established by two former Bronski Beat members that we're in Winchester somewhere.
Bleak old Winchester soon turns into Summer Bay, where the River Boy gang members confront opposing invaders and brawl over the flavor of a slushy.
I bet all these actors went on to greener pastures with flourishing careers in the industry.
What is this movie trying to be - a horror, soap opera, comedy, or drama? Oh boy, this movie's in need of some Britannia Rescue roadside assistance. Either the movie or I am treading water here.
A ball takes place as filler just to showcase some 80s hairband songs, where it then rips off 'The Karate Kid' as a gang of elite baddies, led by Vanilla Ice, chases the invisible shower curtain character out into the parking lot, and another confrontation unfolds. Jack Vidgen there looks like a Ken Doll.
This is borderline 'Home & Away' TV quality acting as Sandy from 'Grease' rings her mother in Los Angeles, who's clearly masking a British accent.
She blabs something about not wanting to return to Australia; don't spoil it, Danny. Speak with deeper diaphragms, lady; you sound like a fairy. "Oh, Frenchie, do you think my dress is nice?" Oh boy.
Forgetting that it's supposed to be a horror movie, they throw in a quick, two-minute scene of two strangers being bopped off. One's strangled with a crown of thorns, the other assaulted by a tree.
Vanilla Ice proves how suave he is by sleeping with his science teacher, and I don't know how this enhances the storyline in any way, horror-wise.
Um, is this 'Puberty Blues' meets 'Blue Lagoon' and crosses with 'Home & Away' mixed with a smidgen of horror here and there?
An after-hours school scene ups the tempo, where the killer is revealed as an impotent, dumpy science teacher of no importance. He sees to it that two Summer Bay detention students fail his class by erasing them permanently for cheating.
None of that earlier 'Karate Kid' tit-for-tat business blended with any horror aspects. It only offsets any attempt at suspense.
There was no rhyme or reason why the science teacher committed any of these offenses.
The movie ends in a bloodbath, with bodies dropping everywhere.
The penguin ninja throws holy water on the science teacher, proving he's the work of the devil and not of this earth.
The science demon overcomes a melted face and arms himself with a sacred firearm locked in the holy trinity's lost and found cabinet, which is used to presumably, um, I don't know, as the movie just ends with hose water raining down on a house.
And for the record, there's not one reference in the entire movie why it's called 'Blood Moon.'
Are you serious?
leaffall4 April 2023
Is this for real? It's an embarrassment of an Aussie film with shocking acting and worse photography. I am sure I know some of the actors but it wouldn't surprise me if they're not around now because of this thing called a movie. Typical slasher USA knock off with accentuated Aussie twang and laughable scenarios, I have to contemplate whether there's anything good about it. Maybe the water attack on the 'aholes' or the inevitable Aussie bush sex scene ruined by intrusive footsteps on crackling leaves or, wait, oh no, watch out! More than one young couple out there it seems. I'm still thinking..... one must consider and respect the importance of mass over the teen desires of true love and a peck on the cheek. Nothing need about this schlocker.
Home and Away meets Prom Night
Stevieboy66611 September 2022
Bloodmoon is an Aussie slasher movie, these were hugely popular in the late 1970's to the mid 80's but by 1990 the genre had all but run out of steam (or should that be blood!?). The plot centres around a Catholic boarding school for girls and a psycho who is killing courting couples engaged in night time sex at a nearby lovers' lane. The maniac's choice of murder is to garrote using barbered wire, sometimes followed by the gouging out of victims' eyeballs. The killings are quite brutal and bloody, they also include stabbing and one girl has her head smashed on a desk until she is dead. Within minutes we are treated to an all girl communal shower scene with some full frontal nudity, several sex scenes throughout the film also provide more nudity. The school is run by Head Teacher Virginia Sheffield (played by the very attractive Christine Amor), who likes to bed male students from a nearby boys' school on her days off, and her very creepy husband and science teacher Myles (Leon Lissek). Without giving anything away it is obvious who the killer is and their identity is revealed long before the end. Between moments of sex and horror the rest of the movie feels more like an Australian soap, filmed on the Gold Coast. One of the main characters is Kevin, he was played by Ian Williams who appeared in Aussie soap opera "Neighbours" for a couple of years. Despite being released in 1990 the film does have a cheesy mid-80's look, in particular a prom night scene that features a big haired soft rock band and some very corny dancing. Bloodmoon ticks all of the slasher movie boxes, it's not great but I have now enjoyed watching it twice now and will no doubt give it another viewing in the future.
The filmmakers reveal the killer by accident!?!
udar557 September 2009
Since I just watched Jess Franco's BLOODY MOON, my film addled brain logically felt this Aussie slasher is what I should watch next. Bad move, brain, bad move. A killer is offing girls at a private school, which spells trouble for our two lovebird leads. This is pretty standard stuff but the filmmakers absolutely blow it about 50 minutes in. Our killer - always in the shadows - wraps some barb wire around the next of a young guy and, inadvertently, steps into the light for a second and you see their face! They left it in but keep playing the "Who is this crazy killer?" angle for the rest of the film. Director Alec Mills is usually a DP who has done work on some big films (the two Dalton BOND flicks, for example) so the mistake is doubly embarrassing. Avoid, even if your brain tries to tell you a double feature of BLOODY MOON and BLOODMOON is a good idea.
1990 Australian horror Movie
agrademechanic27 October 2022
In my humble opinion given that we don't or can't spend the millions they do in the US, this flick is Aussie and I enjoyed it. Loved the 1988 VN Commodore Police car and the HQ Holden and all Aussie footprints.
I was pleasantly surprised by the 3 or 4 naked sex scenes which are always appreciated by us who love the naked human form subject to being over 18 I must add.
I agree with all previous positive opinions and comments by previous critics and commend them for seeing past the few corny bits and scenes that were not so memorable. The nay sayers are reminded that this production was not afforded the outrageous billions spent on other very poor movies such as APOCALYPSE and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS et al.
Best of all; this movie doesn't insult you with time wasted watching a bad movie that makes you wince with regret wishing you never started watching it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the 3 or 4 naked sex scenes which are always appreciated by us who love the naked human form subject to being over 18 I must add.
I agree with all previous positive opinions and comments by previous critics and commend them for seeing past the few corny bits and scenes that were not so memorable. The nay sayers are reminded that this production was not afforded the outrageous billions spent on other very poor movies such as APOCALYPSE and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS et al.
Best of all; this movie doesn't insult you with time wasted watching a bad movie that makes you wince with regret wishing you never started watching it.
Not bad
BandSAboutMovies7 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This Australian slasher is pretty unique in that is set in a rich Catholic school and has plenty of coming of age and students versus townies story beyond the slashing, which also feels a little but closer to the giallo than the slasher, despite giving away who the killer is early in the film.
It was even released into Australian theaters with a Willian Castle gimmick: the fright break, which gave audience members the opportunity to walk out and claim a refund before the big ending reveal.
Actually, I say that this is set in Australia but many of the characters claim to be from America, yet the accents are most definitely from a land down under.
I've seen some bad reviews for this, but I obviously have no taste and I loved that it had a killer dumb enough to keep eyeballs in the classroom and that it had a streak of sleaze, such as the teacher's wife who makes plans every Sunday to sleep with young boys and then insult her husband by revealing it all to him. It's got a glossy look to it, an ending where even the nicest people in the cast kept destroyed and a nun throwing acid in someone's face. These are all good things.
It was even released into Australian theaters with a Willian Castle gimmick: the fright break, which gave audience members the opportunity to walk out and claim a refund before the big ending reveal.
Actually, I say that this is set in Australia but many of the characters claim to be from America, yet the accents are most definitely from a land down under.
I've seen some bad reviews for this, but I obviously have no taste and I loved that it had a killer dumb enough to keep eyeballs in the classroom and that it had a streak of sleaze, such as the teacher's wife who makes plans every Sunday to sleep with young boys and then insult her husband by revealing it all to him. It's got a glossy look to it, an ending where even the nicest people in the cast kept destroyed and a nun throwing acid in someone's face. These are all good things.
Pretty Bad All Around
Michael_Elliott22 February 2013
Bloodmoon (1990)
* (out of 4)
Ozploitation about a serial killer going around an all girls Catholic school where he wraps a piece of barbed wire around the victim's necks. BLOODMOON is one of those films that seemed to build its reputation on hype and then when people actually saw the picture they realized that there really wasn't much to it. The idea of barbed wire being wrapped around someone's neck makes one think that you're about to view something graphic but that's certainly not the case. It almost seems as if the filmmakers watched a few American slashers and decided to copy them. It also seems like they read some negative reviews to stuff like Friday THE 13TH that put the films down for not having any sort of character development. It further seems that the filmmakers wanted to "get it right" so we're given non-stop scenes with so-called character development. There's no other way to put it but this movie is extremely bad from start to finish. There's an incredibly drawn out and downright boring dance sequence, which seems to run as long as the wedding sequence from THE GODFATHER. This scene just keeps going on and on and when it's over you realize that there wasn't a need for it. No need for it is something that most of these scenes here have going for them. The entire picture just drags along and at times you wonder if the filmmakers forgot they were making a horror film. The first hour drags by so poorly that most will probably hit the eject button. The majority of the death scenes take place off camera so we're not given too much there. What little blood there is comes from scenes showing the victim's missing their eyes. The film does offer up quite a bit of nudity but this here isn't enough to save the picture. Fans of the genre will probably be curious about this one due to its hyped reputation but sadly the film itself is quite poor and well worth skipping.
* (out of 4)
Ozploitation about a serial killer going around an all girls Catholic school where he wraps a piece of barbed wire around the victim's necks. BLOODMOON is one of those films that seemed to build its reputation on hype and then when people actually saw the picture they realized that there really wasn't much to it. The idea of barbed wire being wrapped around someone's neck makes one think that you're about to view something graphic but that's certainly not the case. It almost seems as if the filmmakers watched a few American slashers and decided to copy them. It also seems like they read some negative reviews to stuff like Friday THE 13TH that put the films down for not having any sort of character development. It further seems that the filmmakers wanted to "get it right" so we're given non-stop scenes with so-called character development. There's no other way to put it but this movie is extremely bad from start to finish. There's an incredibly drawn out and downright boring dance sequence, which seems to run as long as the wedding sequence from THE GODFATHER. This scene just keeps going on and on and when it's over you realize that there wasn't a need for it. No need for it is something that most of these scenes here have going for them. The entire picture just drags along and at times you wonder if the filmmakers forgot they were making a horror film. The first hour drags by so poorly that most will probably hit the eject button. The majority of the death scenes take place off camera so we're not given too much there. What little blood there is comes from scenes showing the victim's missing their eyes. The film does offer up quite a bit of nudity but this here isn't enough to save the picture. Fans of the genre will probably be curious about this one due to its hyped reputation but sadly the film itself is quite poor and well worth skipping.
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