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:

There is something evil in this house.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The upstairs rooms in the retirement home were done on a soundstage.

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Connections

Featured in Ozploitation Trailer Explosion (2014)

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Soundtracks

Death Of An Analogue
(uncredited)
with album "Dig It" (1980)
Released: September 1978
Written, Performed and Produced by Klaus Schulze
Published by Brain
Courtesy of Brain Musik GmbH

User Reviews

A stylish, creepy, overlooked horror film.

This film continues to scare the hell out of me.

It has been dismissed by some as a routine slasher film, but I whole-heartedly disagree, for a few reasons:

SUSPENSE: Much of the movie IS suspense...slow walks down hallways, heads looking around corners, far-off shots of indistinct figures. This really must be what it's like to go crazy, as Linda fears she is. Importantly, the suspenseful moments never cop-out, they do usually end in a satisfying chill...but the climax is wonderfully held off for the end.

MUSIC: The music is absolutely incredible in that early-80's, Tangerine Dream meets John Carpenter sort of way. It's perfect. Sometimes, it even transcends.

ACTING: The acting is pretty low-key, allowing us time to get interested in the characters, their quirks, their hang-ups. But when it comes time for the climax, the lead actress really lets loose, and it is most disturbing to be witness to such a total frenzy.

STYLISH CINEMATOGRAPHY: Moody hallways, strange camera angles & movements (particularly the long wall-hugging draw away from Linda's nervous eyes as she peers into the hallway, and the cameraman following the nonchalant cat down the hall), creepy focus changes and slow-motion moments.

SURPRISES: The ending will blow your head off. It's nice to see a heroine being sensible, capable, and strong (especially in 1982!!!)

For sure, it's not all good. Particularly weak is the link between the suspenseful bulk of the movie and the frantic climax...the storyline falls completely apart when it comes time to explain why everything has happened. Fortunately, we don't really care at that point, because it's all too freaking scary. If you can find it, SEE IT. Especially if you like horror films populated by realistic human beings (the old man Lance, telling endlessly dull stories about the war...Linda's fork tricks and sugar-cube pyramid...the father in the restaurant threatening to smack his son into the middle of next week). Few films have upset me as much as this one, and hopefully it will do that for you as well.

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