Razorback (1984)

As a vicious wild boar terrorizes the Australian outback, the husband of one of the victims is joined by a hunter and a farmer in a search for the beast.

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers:

Everett De Roche, Peter Brennan (novel)

Stars:

Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whiteley, Bill Kerr

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A vicious wild boar terrorizes the Australian outback. The first victim is a small child who is killed. The child's granddad is brought to trial for killing the child but acquitted. The next victim is an American TV-journalist. Her husband Carl gets there and starts to search for the truth. The local inhabitants won't really help him, but he is joined by a hunter and a female farmer to find the beast.

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Plot Keywords:

hunter | cave | giant animal | pig | redneck | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Often noted was Russell Mulcahy's music-video-informed style: fast cutting, filters and strobe lighting. The New York Times ascribed a "bizarre, almost Dali-esque character" to the visuals.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jake Cullen: [to Scotty] Come on, off to bed. There, there, Scotty. Now, now, now, boy, it's alright.

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Alternate Versions

The uncut footage features a slightly longer version of Beth Winter's death. Jake Cullen has his face bitten off by the Razorback and is later seen with worms feeding off his rotting corpse. Dicko's death is much longer with more graphic shots of his leg in the Razorback's mouth and him spitting blood as he gets dragged away. The Razorback spits blood onto Carl Winter's face four times instead of two.

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Connections

Spoofed in Pig Hunt (2008)

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Soundtracks

Blue Eyes
Written and Composed by Elton John and Gary Osborne

User Reviews

A film that could have been better...and worse.

The best thing about this Australian production is Russell Mulcahey's direction which gives this admittedly doofy material a veneer of class. (Although he does have a tendency to overuse the fog machine.)

What this film has going against it however is Gregory Harrision's ineffectual performance as the "hero". I remember him spending most of the film getting beaten up and/or falling down.

If this had focused on the "Moby Dick" aspect of the storyline, that has a grizzled old man searching the outback for the killer boar that killed his baby, it would have been a bit stronger in the storyline department. As it is now, it's OK.

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Razorback

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

AUD5,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$89,331, 18 November 1984

Gross USA:

$150,140

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$150,463

Company Credits

Production Co:

UAA Films, McElroy & McElroy, Western Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1