Abstract
Following the Australian feature film revival in the 1970s, Australian cinema has developed a distinctive and enduring horror movie tradition; one that has resulted in a diverse corpus of films, produced numerous internationally significant films, and established prominent tropes that are central to a culturally differentiated style of national horror cinema. The vast majority of critical discussion of the Australian horror movie occurs within the context of the Australian Gothic film, which is an aesthetic mode, rather than the horror film genre. A crude, but useful, analogy would be theorising US gangster films only within the context of film noir—an aesthetic register applicable to various film genres—rather than the gangster film genre. This chapter examines key thematic tendencies at the core of contemporary Australian horror movies through the lens of the horror genre while also outlining areas of critical overlap between Australian horror and the Australian Gothic as conceptual categories. The discussion provides an overview of the horror genre’s history in Australian cinema and an analysis of the most dominant tropes evident in contemporary production. This chapter argues that the most prominent post-millennial thematic concerns—rural horror, animal horror, and what is termed the ‘monstrous landscape’—build on and thicken themes established during the 1970s and 1980s.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
