Long Weekend *** (1978, John Hargreaves, Briony Behets) – Classic Movie Review 11,801

Director Colin Eggleston’s 1978 Australian psychological horror film Long Weekend stars John Hargreaves and Briony Behets.

Australian city couple Peter and Marcia (Hargreaves, Behets) have the strange kind of idea only people in movies ever seem to have: to save their marriage: they plan a back-to-nature weekend in a creepily deserted beach area. So off they go with their dog for the camping trip near the beach, where they show great disrespect for nature, especially Peter. This turns out not to be a good idea, as nature strikes back.

Long Weekend is a neatly shot, eerie and effective Aussie thriller, though, well played by Hargreaves and Behets, and its concern with green issues is right up to date.

It was made in March and April 1977 in Melbourne and Phillip Island, Victoria, and near Bega in south-east New South Wales.

It is the first feature script by TV writer Everett De Roche, inspired by a trip he took on an Easter weekend to an isolated beach in New South Wales. He wrote the script in ten days and showed it to Colin Eggleston, who got funding from Film Victoria and the Australian Film Commission. The ending was originally different as it involved animals and proved too difficult to shoot and was cut.

It premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in October 1978 and was released theatrically in Australia in 1979, but failed at the box office.

Australian director Jamie Blanks shot a remake of the film (aka Nature’s Grave) in 2008 starring James Caviezel and Claudia Karvan.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,801

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