The 10 best Australian thrillers ever made

Australia is a continent with a deep cinematic tradition, creating some of the most gripping and intense thrillers of all time. Filmmakers and creators use what’s on their doorstep, combining expansive landscapes and unique cultural traditions with captivating outback stories to produce some incredible films. The unique aesthetic provides the backdrop for films focused on isolation, violence and survival in one of the harshest climates on the planet.

Popular Australian thrillers effectively convey these themes masterfully, as Picnic at Hanging Rockwhich explores the use of the cruelty and mystique of the Australian bush to elevate its intricate narrative, and The Nightingalewhich focuses on Aboriginal cultures and Tasmanian history to contextualize its history. All Australian thrillers have their own distinct style, whilst delivering a consistently mature and suspenseful thriller with perfectly paced, perfectly paced endings that keep the audience hooked until the credits roll.

10

Killing Field (2016)

Starring Harriet Dyer and Ian Meadows

Damien Power Killing is a horror thriller revealed in a non-linear narrative that brings a sense of ominous dread from the first minute of the film. It stars Harriet Dyer and Ian Meadows and tells the story of a couple who take a romantic trip to a remote beach campsite to celebrate New Year’s Eve and meet some locals. They soon discover a lost and injured child and an abandoned camp-turned-crime scene nearby, and realize that some of the friendly faces they met at first may not be who they appear to be.

Despite this being Power’s first feature film directorial debut, the structure, acting and pacing are all handled expertly, delivering a terrifying and tension-filled thriller. The use of a disjointed narrative that goes back and forth in time adds an incredible source of terror as the viewer quickly learns elements that the protagonists have not yet discovered. Killing It has beautiful cinematography and utilizes the outback spectacularly, which contrasts with the brutal and often persistent violence that contributes to the thrilling atmosphere.

9

Road Games (1981)

Starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis

Set on the highways of rural Australia road games tells the story of truck driver Pat Quid (Stacy Keach). Quid is driving on his route when he begins to suspect that the driver of a green van he has followed on several occasions is the serial killer who has been picking up and killing hitchhikers. in the area. What follows is a high-stakes cat-and-mouse affair with Quid, with the help of a hitchhiker (Jamie Lee Curtis) to track down and apprehend the would-be killer.

Described as a “cross between an angst-filled ’70s road movie and a Hitchcock thriller…” (via Timed out), this provides the perfect summary of this Australian classic. road games plays on the expansive, isolated countryside to add a sense of paranoia and dread to the story, while expertly developing the characters and their emerging relationships with each other. The viewer is left as much in the dark as the potential victims, and the narrative is a tense, gripping psychological drama that keeps answers at bay.

8

These Final Hours (2013)

Starring Nathan Phillips and Angourie Rice

Zak Hilditch These final hours is an apocalyptic science fiction thriller that sees a man named James (Nathan Phillips) aim to navigate a world that has begun to fall apart. The film takes place ten minutes after an asteroid hits Earth, and the resulting damage will destroy Perth (and the world) within 12 hours.then everything was thrown into total chaos. James leaves his loved ones in search of one last party, but along the way, he ends up saving a girl who is searching for her lost father in a film that captures the absurdity and despair of impending doom.

The film’s timing and setting provide the perfect backdrop to create a piece of cinema that has an incredibly moving sense of doom and destruction. The chemistry between the two leads, Phillips and Angourie Rice, is electric and captures what feels like a really genuine and authentic look at the collapse of society and how different people would react to the news. Although it is a gripping end-of-the-world film, it still has haunting moments of beauty and humor, and the sense of dread is wonderfully prolonged until the horrific climax that is promised throughout the film.

7

Snow City (2011)

Starring Daniel Henshall and Lucas Pittaway

Based on the horrific true crime case ‘Bodies in Barrels Murders’ that took place across South Australia in several cities and suburbs. Snow city tells the dark story of Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), who lived an abusive life before falling under the spell of John Justin Bunting, who protected him from sexual abuse at the hands of his family.. John, alongside Robert Joe Wagner and James Spyridon Vlassakis, committed a series of gruesome murders before leaving the bodies to rot in a collection of barrels in an abandoned bank vault in Snow city.

Taking on the story of one of Australia’s most horrific and infamous serial murder cases was always going to make for a thrilling and gruesome film. In more ways than one, the harrowing realism presented is incredibly effective, with the murders and disposal of bodies being meticulously shot, as well as using locals with minimal to no acting experience for many of the roles. This combination leads to an authentic look at a brutal story that truly focuses on the interpersonal dynamics that led to such a tragedy occurring.

6

The Wanderer (2014)

Starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson

The Wanderer is another film that effectively showcases the arid Australian outback as the basis for a dystopian, apocalyptic landscape. The film follows Eric (Guy Pearce), who forms an unlikely partnership with Rey (Robert Pattinson) after Eric is in an accident and has his car stolen. The two men begin a journey to recover the car, but are faced with a series of issues and combatants in a lawless society that is crumbling into ruins.

In a film that has many high points, the wonderful chemistry between Pearce and Pattinson has to be the main highlight. Pearce’s brooding, domineering performance pairs perfectly with Pattinson’s calmer, more nuanced portrayal of a participant who is only partially willing.. The narrative is full of tension, as the mission they are on seems destined for failure, as does the world around them, and the raw, minimal visual experience takes the unnerving atmosphere to new heights.

5

Deadly Calm (1989)

Starring Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman

Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by author Charles Williams, Deadly Calm follows the story of a young couple (Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill) who lose their young son in tragic circumstances. Spending more time alone at sea due to depression and feelings of isolation, they come across a stranger (Billy Zane) who has abandoned his boat. which began to sink. In what appears to be a chance encounter, things suddenly take a deadly turn as all is not as it seems with the enigmatic stranger they saved from drowning.

Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman gives one of her first performances in this tense psychological thriller. The film has an undercurrent of fear and tension, as the isolated and claustrophobic ocean setting provides the perfect tones for the feelings of the characters involved. It’s a gripping story told in a unique way, with the lead stars’ performances producing a compelling energy and the story’s twists and turns maintaining a thrilling pace throughout the 95-minute running time.

4

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Starring Rachel Roberts and Dominic Guard

This classic Australian mystery film, based on the novel of the same name by Joan Lindsay, is an iconic piece of media that helped spearhead the emerging ‘Australian New Wave’ era of cinema in the 70s and 80s.The story of a group of students and their teacher who go for a picnic at a local ancient volcano-turned-attraction, Hanging Rockwhen a series of bizarre and terrifying situations and supernatural influences lead to his mass disappearance.

Commercially and critically, Picnic at Hanging Rock was a huge success for Australian cinema, as it is widely considered one of the jewels in its cinematic crown. The film mixes many key elements that are quintessentially Australian, such as the iconic location, the mystical elements of deeply rooted indigenous culture, and the captivating and realistic situations that can produce such an authentic experience through the screen. The haunting visuals and suggestive sexual undertones help create a standout film that stands the test of time.

3

Animal Kingdom (2010)

Starring Jacki Weaver and Joel Edgerton

David Michôd’s feature film directorial debut, animal kingdomis a crime drama partly based on a true story of the crimes allegedly committed by the Melbourne Pettingill family.. It tells the story of a young man (James Frecheville) who becomes involved in his grandmother’s intimidating and manipulative criminal enterprise after his mother overdoses. He becomes caught between doing what is right and what is wrong and plunges further into a world of drugs, assaults and other criminal activities.

The film features a cast of talented Australian actors, including Guy Pearce, Jacki Weaver and Joel Edgerton. animal kingdom offers an unfettered look into Melbourne’s dark underworld and an unflinching look at a crime family who will do anything to stay on top. It’s a potent combination of incredible acting from the entire cast, intricately intertwined narratives and high-stakes moral dilemmas that make it one of the best and most suspenseful films ever released in Australia.

2

The Proposal (2005)

Starring Guy Pearce and Ray Winstone

Set in 1880s Australia in the outback wilderness, John Hillcoat’s The Proposal tells the fascinating story of Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce), who faces an impossible dilemma. After a shootout with the police, Burns is in prison and his younger brother faces execution for his part in the shooting. The lawman (Ray Winstone) offers Burns a deal that he can save his younger brother’s life if he hunts down and kills his older brother, who is wanted for rape and murder.. A proposal that leads the family through a series of violent and horrific confrontations.

In one of Australia’s most authentic and original films, The Proposal was widely praised for its accurate depiction of indigenous Australian culture at the time and its attention to detail in following customs and traditions. It’s a film that burns slowly as the tension builds, using the desolate landscape as yet another character and tool to move the story forward.. While it focuses on family dynamics and the titular ‘Proposal’, the film never shies away from showing the brutal and violent scenes that make this film incredibly emotional.

1

The Nightingale (2018)

Starring Aisling Franciosi and Sam Claflin

The Nightingale is a historical and psychological thriller directed by Jennifer Kent and features an incredible cast. Set in 1825, on the eve of the Black War, a brutal conflict between British settlers and Tasmanian Aborigines, the film tells the story of Irish convict Clare (Aisling Franciosi) and her mission of revenge. Clare is the victim of a series of horrific sexual assaults and, after the murder of her husband and son, enlists the help of a Tasmanian Aboriginal tracker to find and bring colonial officials to justice.

While it’s not always a comfortable or easy watch, The Nightingale is the culmination of a series of Australian works that helped it become one of the biggest highlights of its cinematic landscape. Winning the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, the film also received 15 nominations at the 9th AACTA Awards. Franciosi’s performance as a woman who has lost everything but remains determined and powerful is a masterclass in acting, and the film’s use of the Tasmanian wilderness, combined with the graphic violence and captivating story, make it the Australian film most exciting ever made.

Sources: Timed out