Next of Kin (1982)

 

Director: Tony Williams

Screenplay: Michael Heath and Tony Williams

Cast: Jacki Kerin as Linda Stevens; John Jarratt as Barney; Alex Scott as Dr. Barton; Gerda Nicolson as Connie; Charles McCallum as Lance; Bernadette Gibson as Mrs. Ryan

A Night of a Thousand Horror (Movies) #254

 

In Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008), a documentary whose existence is arguably why the term "Ozploitation" even exists, Next of Kin even among all the films being loved in the documentary, and the variety of Australian genre films from decades before brought to light, was talked of as something different. Even among interviewees like Quentin Tarantino, this Tony Williams film was viewed as something alien to the others, a psychological thriller that was unreal and a bar in its own area of special.

The documentary was a little deceptive. I come to Next of Kin having had the anticipation of the scenes shown in the film ingrained on my memory. It is still an incredible film, but without spoiling too much, I came to this film believing this was a supernatural horror film. It is something else - a psychological horror film which, in its final twists, even gets as over-the-top as an Italian giallo. Upon the death of her mother, Linda (Jacki Kerin) inherits a working residential home that has elderly occupants and staff, and not only does the grief of losing her mother play on her mind, but Linda has weird dreams and fragments of memories returning to her the longer she is there. Something or someone is also trying to gaslight her, whether just playing with her by moving objects around or leaving bathtubs and sinks to overflow, or for more sinister purposes as she sees figures in the distances around. Neither does it help one of the residents is found drowned in a full bathtub, where even cause of death is suspicious.

The Ozploitation films covered in Not Quite Hollywood were all celebrated. Even the sillier entries were loved, and have gained cult audiences, so this review will be cautious in saying how different this film is, as I do not want to dismiss the others from that documentary, just express how unique this way. Next of Kin, not to be confused with the 1989 Next of Kin with Patrick Swayze, was sadly the last film made by Tony Williams, a New Zealand filmmaker who before and afterwards focused on television and documentaries. This is an absolute shame as it is not just the final twists which feel indebted to European genre cinema, but as an Australian set production, it feels it has swallowed the visual deliriums and tricks of European horror films too. It is a fascinating film in context, especially as a large portion of the film contrasts this with grounded ordinary Australia, which was a huge factor in the celebration of these types of Ozploitation films in the first place.

This is of a world that is not actually set in a gothic or supernatural tone¹. It as much adds to the edge of Next of Kin too, that large portions of this film are entirely set in a wholesome world, of likable and eccentric elderly residents, of an ordinary world, and a love interest that Linda can depend on to trust her when she believes something is wrong. But people are hiding secrets, an aunt of hers has presumably "died", and this wholesome world does not stop her from having weird dreams mixed with memories of herself as a girl bouncing a scarlet red ball. Even in reality, the weirdest thing about the film is not all the striking uses of distortion of corridors, but that for the bus trip out for the residents, there is inexplicably a ventriloquist hired to join them, not even a good one as he still has to move his lips to speak for the doll.

When the film starts to enter inside Linda's head, the film will introduce visual moments which are incredible, the moments which I first saw in Not Quite Hollywood, an incredible cinematic language. One of the most striking images, of a man underwater tapping a window from outside, is still incredible in context even as a dream sequence. In context in fact, such scenes gain more power as they follow Linda's psychological state including techniques such as distorting corridors with camera lenses or slow motion. The film burns with a palpable mood as a result which, even if the plot is more conventionally structure than I presumed over the years, amplifies it.

This does not even take into consideration the score by Klaus Schulze, a musician with his own prolific career but also known as the original drummer of Tangerine Dream. The prolific German electronic musician's work was not even the intended score, but the temporary soundtrack built from his pre-existing work², but they work together as a mesmerising score. Sadly, his work in cinema is limited, barring at this same period of note the Austrian film Angst (1983), which is a shame as here alone, you have music which adds to the film's grandeur.

The film's tone takes very conventional material, including what the ultimate plot twists are, and brings it up to a level of haunting virtue. This is done visually and audibly, but also in terms of the narrative motifs; water is the obsession of this film for example, making it a maleficent entity though never coming a real part of the true threat. The giallo comparison is apt as, whilst the tone feels supernatural, this is a mystery, which ends up in horror when violence does appear and is gristly.

Being able to consider Next of Kin beyond the weight of years of wanting to see the film, it has been a virtue to finally see this film, see it as a fan of Australian genre cinema, part of its heritage and a strangely unique entity even among them, but a moment to pause to think about it carefully. I also now lament its director never made films after this, but at the same time, Tony Williams pretty much puts an exclamation mark; as documented in the Not Quite Hollywood documentary, even a botched explosion set piece with a building turned, by pure accident, into a much more evocative shot. When even a mistake became part of Next of Kin's incredible virtues, we are dealing with a special horror film.  

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1) I have to love the cafe in this film, which becomes a common location, with an arcade machine and a pinball table. Even if the cheesecake nude model photos on the wall are of the time, it shows a place lost to time, with the annual books for kids and raffle prizes, which you wish still exists in the modern day.

2) As referenced in this film review.