Next of Kin

A slow but impressive mix of slasher and gothic horror, most of which takes place in a very sinister sanatorium, where an old family secret emerges. Of course, this is nothing revolutionary, but the strong point of this particular Ozploitation movie is how director Tony Williams seizes of the reins, and whose sense of atmosphere building and visual gadgets (memorable slow-motion shots and dream sequences) in conjunction with Gary Hansen's camera work and Klaus Schulze's vigorous soundtrack impresses. I was also surprised by the acting performance of the protagonist (Jacki Kerin), whom I found completely believable when expressing her rage and helplessness at the end, and I really hadn't seen such authentic hysteria for a long time (I am recalling now the classic escape scene with Marilyn Burns in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Quality obscure horror that I fully recommend. (06/01/2019)

All the time I was thinking: Is this an Australian horror? It has so much in common with Italian giallo, even with great music, that I had to make sure of it. Excellently tuned mysterious horror, which is labeled as a slasher, but the giallo label suits it better. It's not explicit, well, not much, but it is more atmospheric and scary. (21/01/2015)

Tony Williams manages to extract more than you would expect from an unknown director from a bland gothic haunted house tale full of hackneyed clichés. Just the fact that the film is set in the middle of the Australian outback makes it special in itself. It's an Australian film, but it feels very European. Most memorable, however, is its obscure atmosphere, evoking a sense of vague menace whose origins are not clear until the end of the film. The moments of greatest terror, shot in slow motion, have a surreal and otherworldly quality. The frequent steadicam passages through corridors and dreamy bathroom scenes are a little reminiscent of Kubrick's The Shining, but without feeling like the film is ripping it off. You can tell in every shot that it was carefully planned, and the sets of the house where the film takes place were all carefully tailored to everything. All that's missing to make Next of Kin a horror masterpiece is a more polished plot. The film wasn't seen by many audiences in its time, and if it wasn't for Quentin Tarantino (who considers it the best Australian film ever made), it would probably have fallen into obscurity. But it will finally be dusted off in full glory on Blu-ray this summer, along with other Australian genre gems. (14/05/2018)

Very well made Australian horror movie. In several scenes the atmosphere is so good that I felt hints of fear. Unfortunately, it drags quite a lot (not only) from the beginning. (23/06/2011)