comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
,
sexploitation
A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit s ...
and
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
s – made in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
after the introduction of the R rating in 1971. The year also marked the beginnings of the
Australian New Wave
The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began in the ea ...
movement, and the Ozploitation style peaked within the same time frame (early 1970s to late
1980s
File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...
).
Ozploitation is often considered a smaller wave within the New Wave, covering a wide range of genres from sexploitation, biker films, horror and even martial arts.
The origin of the term "Ozploitation" is credited to the documentary '' Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!''. This 2008 feature explores Ozploitation films made during the Australian New Wave. The film includes interviews with numerous figures involved in Ozploitation, as well as fans of the genre, including American director
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
, who coined the phrase "Aussiesploitation", which director Mark Hartley then shortened to "Ozploitation".
Background
Australian horror film production trebled from fewer than 20 films in the 1990s to over 60 films between 2000 and 2008. According to one researcher, "global forces and emerging production and distribution models are challenging the 'narrowness' of cultural policy – a narrowness that mandates a particular film culture, circumscribes certain notions of value and limits the variety of films produced domestically. Despite their low-culture status, horror films have been well suited to the Australian film industry's financial limitations, they are a growth strategy for producers, and a training ground for emerging filmmakers".
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...
Libido
Libido (; colloquial: sex drive) is a person's overall sexual drive or desire for sexual activity. Libido is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Biologically, the sex hormones and associated neurotransmitters that act u ...
Petersen
Petersen is a common Danish patronymic surname, meaning ''"son of Peter"''. There are other spellings. Petersen may refer to:
People In arts and entertainment
* Adolf Dahm-Petersen, Norwegian voice specialist
* Anja Petersen, German operatic s ...
Stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
The True Story of Eskimo Nell
''The True Story of Eskimo Nell'' (retitled ''Dick Down Under'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1975 Australian western comedy film produced, directed, and written by Richard Franklin, and starring Max Gillies as Deadeye Dick and Serge Lazareff as ...
Scobie Malone
Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary.
History
Named after the jockey Scobie Breasley, Malone made his first appearance in Cleary's 1966 novel '' The High Commissioner''. Cleary says he ...
'' (1975)
*''
Inn of the Damned
''Inn of the Damned'' is a 1975 Australian western horror film, directed by Terry Bourke. It has been called Australia's first "horror Western".
Plot
In 1896, a crazed woman and her husband run an inn in eastern Victoria and take revenge for th ...
'' (1975)
*''
Australia After Dark
''Australia After Dark'' is a 1975 documentary directed by John D. Lamond. It was his first feature.
Production
The film was inspired by such movies as ''Mondo Cane'' which Lamond deliberately copied:
I borrowed a 16mm print of it and ran it on a ...
End Play
''End Play'' is a 1976 Australian thriller film directed by Tim Burstall and starring George Mallaby, John Waters and Ken Goodlet. It was an adaptation of the 1972 novel ''End Play'' by Russell Braddon. It was made by Hexagon Productions.Moran ...
'' (1976)
*''
Fantasm
''Fantasm'' is a 1976 Australian softcore pornographic film, directed by Richard Franklin under a pseudonym. It was followed by a sequel, ''Fantasm Comes Again'', the following year, directed by a pseudonymous Colin Eggleston.
Plot
German psy ...
'' (1976)
*''
Deathcheaters
''Deathcheaters'' is a 1976 Australian action adventure film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring John Hargreaves and Grant Page.
Plot
Steve and Rodney are two ex-Vietnam commandos who do stunt work for television. They are hired by ...
Fantasm Comes Again
''Fantasm Comes Again'' is a 1977 Australian softcore pornographic film. It is the sequel to '' Fantasm'' (1976) and was the first feature directed by Colin Eggleston.
Plot
Journalist Libbie is taking over the "Dear Collette" sex advice column ...
'' (1977)
*''
The FJ Holden
''The FJ Holden'' is a 1977 Australian film directed by Michael Thornhill. ''The FJ Holden'' is a snapshot of the life of young teenage men in Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia in the 1970s and deals with the characters' difficulty in recon ...
Summer City
''Summer City'' (also known as ''Coast of Terror'') is a 1977 Australian drama thriller film, filmed in Newcastle, Australia. The film also features Mel Gibson in his debut role.
Plot
In the early 1960s, Sandy, Boo, Scollop and Robbie drive to ...
Stunt Rock
''Stunt Rock'' is a 1978 Australian mockumentary musical action film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring Grant Page.
Plot
Australian stuntman Grant Page accepts a job on an American television series and travels to Los Angeles, where h ...
The Last of the Knucklemen
''The Last of the Knucklemen'' is a 1979 Australian film directed by Tim Burstall.
Plot
The story involves a gang of rough miners. Tom ( Peter Hehir) turns up at the mine looking for a place to hide. He allies himself with the mining foreman Tar ...
'' (1979)
*''
Thirst
Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drinking, drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmol ...
The Chain Reaction
''The Chain Reaction'' is a 1980 Australian science fiction thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an e ...
'' (1980)
*''
Nightmares
A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
Harlequin
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the '' zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian '' commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditional ...
'' (1980)
*''
Race for the Yankee Zephyr
''Race for the Yankee Zephyr'' (also known as ''Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr'') is a 1981 action adventure film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence.
Plot
Gibbie Gibson (Donald ...
Roadgames
''Roadgames'' (stylized as ''Road Games'') is a 1981 Australian thriller film directed by Richard Franklin and starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film follows a truck driver travelling across Australia who, along with the help of a ...
'' (1981)
*''
Pacific Banana
''Pacific Banana'' is a 1981 Australian bawdy comedy film which reunites the star and writer of ''Alvin Purple''.The Survivor'' (1981)
*''
Mad Max 2
''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role ...
The Killing of Angel Street
''The Killing of Angel Street'' is a 1981 Australian thriller film loosely based on the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) green bans against development in inner Sydney city waterside suburbs. It briefly touches on the real-life disappearance of ...
Turkey Shoot
A turkey shoot is an opportunity for an individual or a party to take advantage of a situation with a significant degree of ease.
The term likely originates from a method of hunting wild turkeys in which the hunter, coming upon a flock, intention ...
'' (1982)
*''
Attack Force Z
''Attack Force Z'' (alternatively titled ''The Z Men'') is a 1982 Australian-Taiwanese World War II film directed by Tim Burstall. It is loosely based on actual events and was filmed in Taiwan in 1979. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festiv ...
Freedom
Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving one ...
'' (1982)
*''
Next of Kin
A person's next of kin (NOK) are that person's closest living blood relatives. Some countries, such as the United States, have a legal definition of "next of kin". In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, "next of kin" may have no legal d ...
'' (1982)
*''
A Dangerous Summer
''A Dangerous Summer'' (aka ''Flash Fire'') is a 1982 Australian crime film drama film directed by Quentin Masters and starring Tom Skerritt, Ian Gilmour, Guy Doleman and James Mason.
Production
The film was inspired by the Sydney bush fire ...
'' (1982)
*''
Crosstalk
In electronics, crosstalk is any phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel. Crosstalk is usually caused by undesired capacitive, i ...
Midnite Spares
''Midnite Spares'' is a 1983 Australian action film starring Gia Carides, James Laurie, Max Cullen, Graeme Blundell, Bruce Spence, David Argue and Jonathan Coleman.
Plot
Steve Hall (James Laurie) is a young sprintcar driver from Toowoomba wh ...
Innocent Prey
''Innocent Prey'' is an Australian erotic thriller film which was shot in 1984 but was released in 1991.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p290
Plot
Cathy Willis arrive ...
Hostage
A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...
'' (1983)
*''
Coming of Age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
One Night Stand
A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
Melvin, Son of Alvin
''Melvin, Son of Alvin'' is a 1984 Australian comedy film. It is a sequel to ''Alvin Purple'',David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p.309 but also was released in the Unite ...
'' (1984)
*''
Fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
Frenchman's Farm
''Frenchman's Farm'' is a 1986 Australian horror mystery film.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p294-295
Filming started 17 February 1986."Australian Productions Top ...
Windrider
WindRider LLC is a United States manufacturer of sailing dinghy and trimaran sailboats
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing bo ...
'' (1986)
*''
Frog Dreaming
''Frog Dreaming'' is a 1986 Australian family adventure film written by Everett De Roche and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. It starred Henry Thomas, Tony Barry, Rachel Friend and Tamsin West.
Plot
An American boy, Cody (Thomas), whose paren ...
'' (1986)
*''
Run Chrissie Run!
''Run Chrissie Run!'' (also known as ''Money Hunters'' and ''Moving Targets'' in the US) is a 1984 Australian action thriller film, directed by Chris Langman. Graham Hartley adapted the script from the novel ''When We Ran'' by Keith Leopold.
Th ...
'' (1986)
*''
Dead End Drive-In
''Dead End Drive-In'' is a 1986 Australian dystopian action film about a teenage couple trapped in a drive-in theatre which is really a concentration camp for societal rejects. The inmates, many of whom sport punk fashion, are placated with a st ...
Howling III
''Howling III'' (also known as ''Howling III: The Marsupials'' and ''The Marsupials: The Howling III'') is a 1987 Australian horror film and the sequel to '' The Howling'', directed by Philippe Mora and filmed on location in and around Sydney, Au ...
'' (1987)
*''
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...
Les Patterson Saves the World
''Les Patterson Saves the World'' is a 1987 Australian comedy film starring Barry Humphries as his stage creations Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage.
Plot
The uncouth Sir Les Patterson teams up with Dame Edna Everage (both played by Ba ...
'' (1987)
*''
Running from the Guns
''Running from the Guns'' (originally known as ''Free Enterprise'') is a 1987 Australian crime thriller film directed by John Dixon and starring Jon Blake, Mark Hembrow, Nikki Coghill, Terence Donovan, and Peter Whitford. It is a buddy action ...
Coda
Coda or CODA may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* Movie coda, a post-credits scene
* ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television
*''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...
The Dreaming
The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...
To Make a Killing
''To Make a Killing'' (also known as ''Vicious'' and ''Wild Boys''Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p159) is a 1988 Australian drama thriller film written and directed by Karl Zwicky and co-written ...
'' (1988)
*''
Incident at Raven's Gate
''Incident at Raven's Gate'' (also released as ''Encounter at Raven's Gate'') is a 1988 science fiction arthouse feature film directed by prominent Australian director Rolf de Heer.
The cast of ''Incident at Raven's Gate'' includes long-term Aus ...
'' (1988)
*''
Kadaicha
''Kadaicha'' (also known as ''Stones of Death'') is a 1988 Australian horror film directed by James Bogle who called it "just very commercial stuff".
Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds
''Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds'' is a 1989 Australian independent post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure film directed, produced and written by Alex Proyas, which was marking its first feature debut. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in wh ...
'' (1989)
*''
Houseboat Horror
''Houseboat Horror'' is a 1989 Australian slasher film that was shot on video, and then released to video in 1989. It is often described by critics and audiences as one of the worst Australian films ever made.
Plot
A film crew composed of m ...
Death in Brunswick
''Death in Brunswick'' is a 1990 Australian black comedy/romance starring Sam Neill, Zoe Carides and John Clarke. It is based on the 1987 comic novel of the same name by Boyd Oxlade.
At the APRA Music Awards of 1991, "Death in Brunswick" won ...
'' (1990)
*''
Sher Mountain Killings Mystery
''Sher Mountain Killings Mystery'' is a 1990 Australian film directed by Vince Martin and Phillip Avalon. This film is categorized as an "Ozploitation" horror film. The synopsis for this film is “Nobody trusted that the Gem has mysterious pow ...
Fatal Bond
''Fatal Bond'' is a 1991 Australian erotic thriller film, directed by Vince Monton, starring Linda Blair and Jerome Ehlers. It was filmed in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, New South Wales, including Narrabeen Caravan Park.
Synopsis
Leonie ...
Signal One
''Signal One'' (also known as ''Bullet Down Under'') is a 1994 Australian crime film directed by Rob Stewart and starring Christopher Atkins, Mark Jackson, Richard Carter, and Virginia Hey. It is a buddy cop movie.
Production
The film was kno ...
Cubbyhouse
''Cubbyhouse'' is a 2001 Australian horror film, directed by Murray Fahey and starring Joshua Leonard (of ''The Blair Witch Project'' fame) and Belinda McClory (''The Matrix''). It screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.
It was produced b ...
'' (2001)
*''
Risk
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environm ...
Undead
The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated b ...
'' (2003)
*''
Visitors
Visitor, in English and Welsh law, is an academic or ecclesiastical title.
Visitor or Visitors may also refer to:
Geography
* Visitor (mountain), a mountain in eastern Montenegro
* Lake Visitor, a mountain lake in eastern Montenegro
Literature
...
'' (2003)
*''
Lost Things
''Lost Things'' is a 2004 Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally ...
Wolf Creek Wolf Creek may refer to:
Bodies of water Missouri
* Wolf Creek (Beaver Creek tributary)
* Wolf Creek (Cane Creek tributary)
* Wolf Creek (Cave Creek tributary)
* Wolf Creek (Elkhorn Creek tributary)
* Wolf Creek (South Grand River tributary)
* ...
'' (2005)
*''
Rogue
A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior.
Rogue or rogues may also refer to:
Companies
* Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon
* Rogue Arts, a film production company
* Rogue Entertainment, a software co ...
Acolytes
An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used ...
Triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...
'' (2009)
*''
Prey
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
Blame
Blame is the act of censuring, holding responsible, or making negative statements about an individual or group that their actions or inaction are socially or morally irresponsible, the opposite of praise. When someone is morally responsible for ...
Bait 3D
''Bait 3D'' is a 2012 3D horror disaster film directed by Kimble Rendall based on the screenplay by John Kim and Russell Mulcahy. It featured Sharni Vinson, Phoebe Tonkin, Xavier Samuel, Julian McMahon, Cariba Heine, Alex Russell, Lincoln ...
Wolf Creek 2
''Wolf Creek 2'' is a 2013 Australian horror film co-written and directed by Greg McLean. The film is a sequel to the 2005 film '' Wolf Creek'' and stars John Jarratt, reprising his role as Mick Taylor. It was released on 30 August 2013 at the V ...
Turkey Shoot
A turkey shoot is an opportunity for an individual or a party to take advantage of a situation with a significant degree of ease.
The term likely originates from a method of hunting wild turkeys in which the hunter, coming upon a flock, intention ...
Plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
Lead Me Astray
''Lead Me Astray'' is a 2015 Australian crime thriller film written and directed by Tom Danger and starring Jace Pickard, Alannah Robertson & Tim Page. This was filmed in Gosford, New South Wales.
Plot synopsis
A young student has a violent ...
Infini
''Infini'' is a 2015 Australian science fiction film directed by Shane Abbess and starring Daniel MacPherson, Grace Huang, and Luke Hemsworth.
Plot
In the early 23rd century, an emergency is declared on a mining station ''O.I. Infini'' and a s ...
Red Billabong
''Red Billabong'' is a 2016 independent Australian horror thriller film, written and directed by Luke Sparke in his feature debut. Based on an Australian legend, ''Red Billabong'' follows two estranged brothers who find themselves stalked by ...
Red Christmas
''Red Christmas'' is a 2016 Australian horror film written, directed, and produced by Craig Anderson.
Plot
A family gathers together to celebrate Christmas. Amidst the celebrations, a mysterious, cloaked stranger, "Cletus" arrives the house an ...
Fags in the Fast Lane
''Fags in the Fast Lane'' is a 2017 Australian action adventure comedy film directed by Josh "Sinbad" Collins and starring Chris Asimos.
Plot
Kitten informs her son Beau that her car got stolen by a grotesque burlesque gang, sending him on a jo ...
'' (2017)
*''
Cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tra ...
Boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
Nekrotronic
''Nekrotronic'' (formerly ''Nekromancer'') is a 2018 Australian comedy science-fiction horror film. It was co-written and directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, and stars Ben O'Toole and Monica Bellucci. It tells the story of demons that steal people's ...
Australian New Wave
The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began in the ea ...
*
B movie
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
*
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president ...
*
Cinema of Australia
The cinema of Australia had its beginnings with the 1906 production of '' The Story of the Kelly Gang'', arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received internat ...