Razorback **** (1984, Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whiteley, Bill Kerr, Chris Haywood, David Argue) – Classic Movie Review 2337

Director Russell Mulcahy’s brilliant, stupendously imaginative 1984 Australian horror film is razor-sharp, totally weird and completely scary. It is a notable example of the Ozploitation(Australian exploitation) movie.

Based on Peter Brennan‘s novel, writer Everett De Roche’s screenplay is all about a monstrous vicious wild boar running wild and terrorising the odd folks of a small town in the Aussie Outback. It’s 900lbs of marauding tusk and muscle!  The first victim is a small child, whose granddad is brought to trial for the killing, but acquitted.

The next victim is American TV journalist Beth Winters (Judy Morris), whose husband Carl (Gregory Harrison) arrives to search for the truth. The locals won’t help him, but a hunter and a female farmer help him to find the monster.

Director Mulcahy (Highlander) comes up with an eye-catching visual style, thanks to Dean Semler’s startling cinematography, a mood enhanced by the atmospheric art direction by Bryce Walmsley and Iva Davies’s jangly score. The acting, special effects and William Anderson’s editing are all first rate too.

Gregory Harrison, Arkie Whiteley, Bill Kerr, Chris Haywood, David Argue, Judy Morris and John Howard are the human stars, but the Razorback is the real star.

The full-sized, fully animatronic model razorback was built at a cost of $250,000 but is seen for only one second.

 Mulcahy said that the producer offered him the directing job after seeing the Duran Duran music video Hungry Like The Wolf that he directed.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2337

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com