Long Weekend

Director - Colin Eggleston (Innocent Prey)
Starring - John Hargreaves (Sweet Revenge), Briony Behets (Murder, She Wrote), and Mike McEwen (Death Cheaters)
Release Date - 1978
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Their crimes was against nature...and nature found them guilty"
Format - Blu-Ray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      Horror has so many sub-genres and regions that define them.  One that I tend to really enjoy but rarely venture to is the when nature attacks sub-genre.  Most of these films from the 70s and 80s were cheesy but they were extremely fun, However, most of the ones made in the 90s were horrible and filled with some of the worst CGI ever put on film.  I also like most of the Australian horror films that I have seen in my short life so when  I heard that Synapse was releasing the 1978 Australian when nature attacks flick Long Weekend I had to see it.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send me this solid release on blu.
     The film follows married couple Peter (Hargreaves) and Marcia (Behets) who have a little weekend vacation and head out into the Australian wilderness.  When they first arrive they hear noises of what sounds like someone crying.  Marcia freaks out and wants to go home but Peter refuses to leave.  He spends his time drinking, smoking, shooting his gun and spear gun, and littering.  He lets his presence known and the local wildlife has to pay the consequences.  However, they get sick of Peter and Marcia's shit and start taking matters in their own hands forcing the two to fight for their lives.
     A lot of people, especially horror fans in particular, dislike killer animal films.  That is usually because it is hard to make trained and domesticated animals look terrifying.  That is why modern films rely heavily on visual effects to make the beasts.  Sadly, Long Weekend suffered the same flaws when the film was unable to give the viewer menacing animals.  The acting in this one is another one that is hit or miss.  John Hargreaves delivers one hell of a performance and really made the film enjoyable.  He played a very convincing douche that has no regard for those around him and the environment.  His performance really made the film what it was.  Sadly, Briony Behets almost ruined the film for me.  Her performance is unhinged and she makes almost every scene (which is a lot) almost unwatchable.  Her reactions do not fit the mood of the scene and most of the time she is yelling which makes it hard for the viewer to understand what she is saying.  The film also has one real on screen kill and one that takes place off camera for a whopping total of two deaths.  The only on screen kill takes place is at the end of the film and is very unexpected.  The kill is awesome, however.  Sadly, the other kill that takes place off camera has so much fucking potential and the thought of not seeing it really pisses me off.  We watch horror for kills and when they take place off screen we are robbed of something we really enjoy.  The special effects in this one is limited due to the film only having two kills.  However, they are phenomenal when you consider the dead dugong they fire a few shots into.  It looks fantastic.  Finally, this release from Synapse has several special features including a remastered 1080p transfer.  This release also has commentary from Richard Brennan and Vincent Monton, interview with John Hargreaves, and theatrical trailer.  Overall, the Synapse release of the Long Weekend is another one from the upcoming masters of forgotten horror.  The film is a fun one to watch, it has a great new illustration for the artwork, and some, though not a lot, solid special features.  Check this one out!