Australian Horror Films, 1973–2010
Average rating:
0 | rating | ![]() |
0 | rating | ![]() |
0 | rating | ![]() |
0 | rating | ![]() |
Your rating: -
Book Presentation:
This pioneering work provides in-depth coverage of 76 horror films produced in Australia, where serial killers, carnivorous animals, mutants, zombies, vampires and evil spirits all receive the “antipodean” cinematic treatment unique to the Land Down Under. Titles covered were released between 1973 and 2010, a period coinciding with the revival of the long-dormant Australian film industry in the early 1970s, and continuing into the second wave of genre production spurred by the international success of the 2005 chiller Wolf Creek. The Cars That Ate Paris, The Last Wave, Roadgames, Razorback, Outback Vampires, Queen of the Damned, Black Water, and The Reef are among the titles represented. Each film is covered in a chapter that includes a cast and credits list, release information, contemporary reviews and DVD availability, as well as a synopsis and in-depth notes about the story, filmmaking techniques, acting performances, recurring themes and motifs, and overall effectiveness of the film as a work of horror.
About the Author:
Peter Shelley is a playwright, screenwriter and author of several books on film. He lives in Umina Beach, Australia.
Press Reviews:
"thorough…filling an often under-examined niche"—Reference Reviews; "quite frankly one of the best books I have read on this genre…it was such a fun read, I could not put it down…fascinating…a must"—wickedchannel.com.
See the publisher website: McFarland & Co
> From the same author:
Neil Simon on Screen (2015)
Adaptations and Original Scripts for Film and Television
Subject: Technique > Adaptation
Grande Dame Guignol Cinema (2009)
A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother
> On a related topic:
Screening the Gothic in Australia and New Zealand (2022)
Contemporary Antipodean Film and Television
Dir. Jessica Gildersleeve and Kate Cantrell
The Screen Chills Companion, 1931–1939 (2025)
Films of the Golden Age of Hollywood Horror
The Politics of Monstrous Figures in Contemporary Cinema (2025)
Witches, Zombies, and Cyborgs Re-enchanting the Ends of the World
Sixties Shockers (2025)
A Critical Filmography of Horror Cinema, 1960-1969
by Mark Clark and Bryan Senn