WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
I’ll be honest, there isn’t much more I can say in regards to Kiwi horror than I did for Aussie horror a few months back. Maybe being from the same part of the world has caused this side-effect but as we all you know – you should never compare Aussies and Kiwis (someone will get offended). Truthfully, Kiwi horror seems to border more on the slightly weird than the slightly cheesy as you will see from some of the themes of the films below.
Killer Sofa
I can’t even begin to explain quite how weird this film is. I’m not even sure that I 100% understand what I watched. Now, that isn’t me saying it’s a bad film because it’s definitely better than I expected (and I expected BAD). The main thing I like is that it’s not a happy ending but it kind of is at the same time – I at least made sense of that. Obviously you can tell it was a straight to DVD film, the acting alone gives that away, and you’ll probably think it was made earlier than 2019 but please don’t let that mar your opinion of it.
The Devil’s Rock
I’ll be honest, I think this could have been a lot better. Until about 30-45 minutes in, it just feels like a prisoner of war film. Yes, the screams that can be heard on and off say there’s more to it but, in my opinion, it takes too long for the audience to discover the darkness behind those screams. However, once the reveal has happened they do up the ante a little but it’s not quite enough for me. The worst thing in my opinion is having a Kiwi actor playing a German character. His accent slipped some many times that it ended up being a little distracting.
Black Sheep
Truthfully, I remembered this film being funnier than it is. That’s not a criticism and I’m definitely not saying that it isn’t funny at all because it is. To relieve the tension and horror of what can only be described as zombie sheep (well The Daily Mail did compare it to Shaun of the Dead, so I can’t be far wrong), they use the simplest form of humour at certain points in the film and that my friends, is toilet humour. Come on, who wouldn’t find blowing up a barn by lighting a sheep’s fart funny? I guess what I’m trying to say is that this film is a great example of how morbid and base humour can work so well together! Also, it’s absolutely amazing.
What We Do in The Shadows
This is possibly my favourite film in this whole article. Truthfully, I think it is considered as a horror more because of its themes than actually being scary. Don’t get me wrong in the first scene, with Peter, I jumped when he moves because they have made him pretty creepy in comparison to the other four vampires in the film but other than that you will spend the majority of the 1 hour and 25 minutes laughing at how silly it can be. Now, I hadn’t seen this film for a while so when I watched the TV series Wellington Paranormal, I hadn’t made the connection because I didn’t remember Minogue and O’Leary appearing in this (made my day by the way).
The Frighteners
Please don’t let the accents, and the fact that they decided to make New Zealand look like middle America, fool you. This is actually a Kiwi horror film. From the great Peter Jackson no less (you know, the director of Lord of the Rings). Maybe the use of the word ‘horror’ is a bit loose but there are times that will shake your soul – pun completely intended (you’ll understand when you see the film). I don’t think Jackson could have picked anybody better to play Bartlett than Jake Busey, except maybe his father, because he even looks the part of a crazy man (no offence, Jake).
The Irrefutable Truth About Demons
In all honesty, when I found out that this film existed I felt like I couldn’t write an article about Kiwi horror films without it – mainly because it stars Karl Urban (massively underrated actor by the way). I’m not going to pretend it was easy to find because it wasn’t – it took a lot of searching! I’m not saying it’s an amazing film but it isn’t terrible either – just not a lot really seems to happen in the grand scheme of things. On top of that, the sex scene between Harry and Benny is pretty predictable (from the moment you meet her if I’m honest). Benny is also one of the best things about it because she’s so kookie, and weirdly relatable but that might just be me. The only thing is, I’m not sure I like the ending. Well, apart from what happens to Celia anyway.
