Next of Kin (1982)

In a rest home for elderly people, a daughter reads her mother's diary. Soon events that are mentioned in the mother's diary begin to happen to the daughter.

Director:

Tony Williams

Writers:

Michael Heath (screenplay), Tony Williams (screenplay)

Stars:

Jacki Kerin, John Jarratt, Alex Scott

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacki Kerin	...	Linda
John Jarratt	...	Barney
Alex Scott	...	Dr Barton
Gerda Nicolson	...	Connie
Charles McCallum	...	Lance
Bernadette Gibson	...	Rita / Mrs Ryan
Robert Ratti	...	Kelvin
Vince Deltito	...	Nico
Tommy Dysart	...	Harry
Debra Lawrance	...	Carol
Kristine Marshall	...	Linda - aged 4
Simon Thorpe	...	CFA Speaker
David Allshorn	...	Service Club Man
Alan Rowe	...	Service Club Man
Matt Burns	...	Mr. Collins

Storyline

In a rest home for elderly people, a daughter reads her mother's diary. Soon events that are mentioned in the mother's diary begin to happen to the daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

old woman | old man | female protagonist | dead body in a bed | bathtub | 

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Taglines:

...she should never have returned.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jacki Kerin's hair was made a shade darker for this film.

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

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Soundtracks

Georg Trakl
(uncredited)
with album "X" (1978)
Released: October 31, 1980
Written, Performed and Produced by Klaus Schulze
Published by Brain
Courtesy of Brain Musik GmbH

User Reviews

Supreme suspense and stylish direction

Despite popular belief, Next of Kin isn't really a regular stalk and slash flick. There isn't much of a death count and Tony Williams doesn't waste time with constant self references to other genre pieces. However, the plot resolves around a psychotic intruder that's murdering the inmates of an old people's home, although the deaths are sporadic enough (we only see one) to keep the heroine believing that they're actually accidents.

The things that lift Next of Kin above its contempararies is the superb, noteworthy direction and great atmosphere. It's beautifully photographed, with some instantly exquisite camera movements that add a supreme energy and sense of professionalism that's rarely found in slasher movies from New Zealand or Australia. In fact, such a notable level of craftsmanship is rarely seen in any category addition. There are plenty of credible shots, the best being the woodland scenes in which we see the mysterious menace lurking in the distance amongst the trees, barely recognisable. It's fairly well acted - although not superbly -, and it works well to set up a creepy suspense fuelled environment. When the nut-job reveals himself, there's some brilliant chases and a few surprises.

Like I said, don't expect slasher cliches by the dozen, but if you keep your options open, you'll find Next of Kin to be fairly rewarding. Worth a look...

Details

Official Sites:

Directors website Distributors of DVD

Country:

Australia New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 1982 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Next of Kin

Filming Locations:

Overnewton Castle, Keilor, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmco Limited, The Film House, SIS

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1