Australians know bloody good horror. The country's been an unsung hero of the genre for an age, most notably rising on the Ozploitation crest of the Australian New Wave in the '70s and '80s — after the R rating was introduced in Australia. (If you haven't seen the documentary Not Quite Hollywood, do yourself a favour.) But even in the last few decades, it seems Australian filmmakers are intent on reminding horror fans of the country's screen legacy, with the likes of Talk to Me, The Babadook, Lake Mungo, and more terrifying audiences with a uniquely Aussie flair.
Beer-drenched psychological nightmares in Broken Hill, hauntings and possessions in suburban Adelaide, creature features that eat up stunning Top End cinematography, and found footage terrors under Sydney's CBD — there's a massive array of horror movies coming out of Australia, each more strange, disturbing, and innovative than the last. There are horror-comedies that blend zombies with Taylor Swift, monster movies that unpack generational trauma, and the beginning of one of the most successful (and most squirm-inducing) horror franchises of all time.
Some of the best Australian horror films, including those of the Australian New Wave like The Devil's Playground and Lady Stay Dead, aren't currently streaming online; instead they're only available at film libraries or when shown at film festivals in one-offs. So we haven't included those here, even though they're absolute gems, and we'll keep updating this list. In the meantime, here, in no particular order, are 34 excellent Australian horror films that'll mess you up — and where you can watch them online (you might have to use a VPN for some of them).
Before we start, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which these films were made. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded.
1. Wake in Fright
Small outback towns could have done without Wake In Fright. Based on Kenneth Cook's novel, this defining 1971 Australian New Wave film is probably one of the first people think of when you say "Australian horror" (even if director Ted Kotcheff is Canadian). A deeply sinister tale of a teacher (Gary Bond) who finds himself in debt and spiraling in a booze-soaked town in rural New South Wales, Wake In Fright would define the Australian landscape of horror in the '70s. Donald Pleasence is deeply unsettling as the menacing Clarence "Doc" Tydon, and the film's infamous kangaroo hunting scene is still controversial (real kangaroos were hunted and killed in this awful, frantically filmed sequence).
Filmed on-location in Broken Hill, the small town and its surrounds become the stuff of nightmares thanks to Brian West's brazen cinematography, John Scott's maddening score, and Anthony Buckley's intentionally chaotic editing. And if you've ever wanted to ditch booze, this film might do it for you.
How to watch: Wake In Fright is now streaming on Plex in the U.S.; not currently streaming in the UK or Australia.
2. The Babadook
If you're having a conversation about Australian horror movies and The Babadook doesn't come up, I'll eat my very tall, very creepy hat. Jennifer Kent's now-iconic feature debut, based on her 2005 short Monster, this exceptional, terrifying film has become synonymous with modern Australian horror. An elegant, poignant, and frankly terrifying analysis of loss, not to mention one of the most impactful monster movies of the 2010s, The Babadook will scare the hell out of you with its titular top-hatted creature — one who became an unofficial mascot of Pride outside the film.
Of course, Kent's next film The Nightingale is another type of horror in itself.
How to watch: The Babadook is now streaming on Shudder in the U.S. and Australia, and on Netflix in the UK.
3. Next of Kin
Tony Williams' moody, haunting, 1982 psychological horror is an Australian cult classic for a reason. Jackie Kerin is marvellous as the pragmatic Linda Stevens, who inherits her late mother's stately retirement estate, Montclare, and the cast of lively senior characters within it. But there's something strange going on within the halls, and more than a few family secrets. It's got the essence of The Shining with its prolonged hallway meandering, disturbing surrealism, and bathroom-based horrors, and there's significant Hitchcock about it with all those dolly zooms. But the film will get under your skin with its own brand of horror; Gary Hansen's impeccable cinematography makes for a terrible feast (there's a slow motion hallway run with Kerin that is the stuff of legend) and Max Lemon's editing is unrelenting. Plus, a young John Jarratt (Wolf Creek) plays Linda's flame Barney, and he's a face that'll come up a lot in this list.
How to watch: Next of Kin is now streaming on Screambox via Prime Video in the U.S. and on Shudder in the UK and Australia.
4. Talk to Me
Teenagers carrying out rituals to contact the dead may have been done before, but YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou (aka RackaRacka) put their own horrifying spin on the genre in Talk To Me. This Aussie shocker is a waking nightmare wherein a group of teens use an eerily lifelike hand statue to open a door to "the other side" — with serious consequences if they don't break their hold before 90 seconds has passed.
"In the end, Talk to Me is a terrifically scary horror movie, thanks to powerful performances, creepy creature designs, a splash of blood and gore, and practical effects that'll blow your mind and chill your spine. Like its sister in Sundance 2023's Midnight slate, Birth/Rebirth, Talk to Me is the rare horror trip that knows just when to end — with a wallop," writes Kristy Puchko in her Mashable review. "If you're looking for some freaky frightening fun, be sure to reach out and touch this one."* — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
How to watch: Talk to Me is now streaming on Paramount+ via Prime Video in the U.S., and on Netflix in the UK and Australia.
5. Razorback
It's the legendary monster boar movie of the '80s with some of the best opening and ending sequences in creature feature horror. Based on Peter Brennan's 1981 novel, Razorback is a surreal, tusked nightmare brought to life by Highlander director Russell Mulcahy and written by Everett De Roche (Patrick/Roadgames).
Set in the small New South Wales town of Gamulla, the film follows several people tormented by a massive razorback hog, primarily wisened boar hunter Jake Cullen (a sublime performance by Bill Kerr). When animal rights campaigner Beth Winters (Judy Morris) visits the town on assignment, she's not exactly welcomed by all the locals, some of whom make the titular beast seem like a fluffy toy. When Beth goes missing, the race is on for her husband Carl (Gregory Harrison) to find her in this dangerous landscape.
Director of photography Dean Semler's post-Mad Max 2 cinematography (including a POV boar cam) is perfection, Icehouse co-founder Iva Davies is behind the film's menacing score, and pre-The Matrix special effects designer Bob McCarron created one hell of a four-hoofed villain. You have to see that ending.
How to watch: Razorback is now available to rent/buy on Prime Video in the U.S. and the UK, and is streaming on Shudder in Australia.
6. Little Monsters
This indie horror comedy directed by Abe Forsythe is one of the strangest on this list, and one of the most surprising. Here's the pitch: a school excursion to a small family fun park is disrupted by zombie mayhem, as the park i's conveniently located beside an inexplicable U.S. Army base doing dodgy tests on humans. Lupita Nyong'o is in the lead as a ukulele-playing kindergarten teacher, tasked with keeping her adorable class of pint-sized children uneaten and unaware of the danger they're in. But she's not alone, being accompanied by one of the kids' uncles, Dave (Alexander England), and a touring kids entertainer (Josh Gad). There's a lot of cute musical numbers, Taylor Swift appreciation, and gruesome zombie moments — a zombie whose attempt to eat an echidna unscathed is a visual I will not forget soon.
"Going into Little Monsters, you might be expecting a fairly standard zom-com with an irreverent Antipodean twist and cute kids, like Shaun of the Dead meets Black Sheep tinged with Kindergarten Cop," wrote Mashable's former Australia Editor Caitlin Welsh in her review. "What you actually get is an emotional trojan horse, drawing you in with goofy gore and familiar genre beats before hitting you with a surprisingly affecting story about how being responsible for small humans is actually scarier than any monster."
How to watch: Little Monsters is now streaming on Prime Video in the U.S. and on Now TV in the UK, and is available to rent/buy on Prime Video in Australia.
7. Thirst
A cult of vampires who believe drinking blood is "the ultimate aristocratic act" lies at the heart of Thirst, a 1979 gem. Directed by Rod Hardy and written by John Pinkney,, the film centres on Kate Davis (Chantal Contouri), whose family legacy sees her kidnapped into a rich commune, where they drive golf carts, ride in helicopters, and casually drink the blood of the living people trapped on their "farm". Kate tries to resist fate and shun the bloodthirsty call of the vampire, and Contouri gives an excellent performance, as Kate slips slowly into macabre madness through cold, scientific "conditioning". Thirst essentially uses the vampire genre to unpack unprocessed childhood trauma, and there's some excellent set pieces, including a cursed blood shower. Yes, there are some deeply unsexy sex scenes, but we'll forgive them.
How to watch: Thirst is now streaming on Tubi in the U.S., on Shudder via Prime Video in the UK, and on Prime Video in Australia.
8. Wolf Creek
One of the nastiest horror films of the 2000s, Wolf Creek has become synonymous with modern Australian horror. When I first saw this film at the cinema at 17 in 2005, I wasn't really the same after it. Written and directed by Greg McLean, it smashed the box office, making $30 million globally with a $1 million budget. But it wasn't without controversy when it first released, as McLean based the screenplay and his villain on real murders by killers Ivan Milat and Bradley John Murdoch.
Essentially, the film might make you never want to take a road trip again — though it strangely boosted tourism. Backpackers Liz, Kristy, and Ben (Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, and Nathan Phillips) make an unknowingly perilous stop at Wolf Creek National Park en route to Cairns, where they're captured by cackling killer Mick Taylor (a now iconic performance by longtime horror actor John Jarratt — yes, he's in this one!). There's a sequel, a TV series, and plans for a third film, but this is the nightmare that started it all.
How to watch: Wolf Creek is now streaming on Tubi in the U.S. and on Stan in Australia, and is available to rent/buy on AppleTV+ in the UK.
9. Lake Mungo
A terrifying 2008 gem of a film, Lake Mungo is superb documentary-style psychological horror. Written and directed by Joel Anderson and told in docufiction style, the film centres around the mysterious drowning of Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker) in the small town of Ararat. Police videos, home movies, surveillance footage, news reports, and interviews with Alice's family and friends make up this deeply compelling film, which moves into potentially supernatural territory pretty damn quickly. The performances are so good you'll forget it's fiction and there's some pretty spooky footage on hand here.
For Mashable, writer and editor Jenni Miller described Lake Mungo as a film that "perfectly captures the everyday horrors of grief and the bone-deep sadness that lingers among the living. It's not fun per se, but it feels necessary — especially in a society in which we bury our grief along with the dead rather than grapple with the realities of loss."
How to watch: Lake Mungo is now streaming on Prime Video in the U.S. and on streaming on Shudder in the UK and Australia.
10. Relic
Director Natalie Erika James explores the darkness of dementia and unprocessed trauma in Relic, a deeply unsettling and moving horror that uses the supernatural to examine Alzheimer's. Set in rural Victoria, the film sees protagonist Kay (Emily Mortimer) and her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) called to the remote home of Kay's mother, Edna (the legendary Robyn Nevin), who is in need of care. Darkness literally and metaphorically invades Edna's house as her mind deteriorates, becoming a haunting, sinister shell of memory and paranoia. With a moving and terrifying screenplay by James and Christian White, and tense cinematography from Charlie Sarroff, Relic manages to visualise the fears of a changing mind.
How to watch: Relic is now streaming on Shudder in the U.S., on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on Stan in Australia.
11. The Tunnel
A nail-biter of a found footage horror that functions as a fictional documentary, The Tunnel is a deeply clever film that plays the long game — and it's somehow only 70 minutes. What begins as a team of investigative journalists led by Natasha Warner (Bel Deliá) digging into missing persons in disused tunnels under Sydney ends as a nightmare, with the production team building cold hard dread through reflective interviews, CCTV footage, and the crew's own terrifying, torch-lit filming. Directed by Carlo Ledesma, and written, edited, and produced by Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey, The Tunnel features tremendously convincing performances from Deliá, Steve Davis, Andy Rodoreda, and Luke Arnold. You'll dread every single turn of the camera, and Sasha Zastavnikovic's sound design is simply terrifying.
The film was released in 2011 in cinemas, on DVD, on cable TV, and for free on BitTorrent simultaneously, with the filmmakers selling each frame of the film for $1 on a crowdfunding site. "Yep, it was given away to watch and share for free online, making it probably one of the only films in history to be able to legitimately claim a piracy rate of zero," reads the film's still-live website. "The end result was an explosion of viewership around the globe for the humble Australian film, amassing over 25M views and downloads across the internet."
Plus this one gets points for being an Australian horror movie set in a city — it’s a rarity!
How to watch: The Tunnel is now streaming on Shudder.
12. Black Water
There are a lot of croc movies out there (including Rogue up next), but don't discount Black Water on account of that. It's a brutal survival film written and directed by Andrew Traucki (who also did The Reef) and David Nerlich. Relatively low budget with a tiny cast and deeply convincing visual effects, Black Water is sadly based on a real tragedy. In the film, Grace (Diana Glenn), her sister Lee (Maeve Dermody), and her husband Adam (Andy Rodoreda) take a sporadic boat tour through a mangrove swamp in northern Australia's crocodile country, and end up stuck in a tree being hunted by a colossal, calculating saltwater croc. The young cast do an impressive job with this situational nightmare, spending most of the film clinging to the mangrove branches, keeping their feet aloft, and coming to terms with dwindling hope.
How to watch: Black Water is streaming on Hoopla in the U.S., is available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime in the UK, and is streaming on Brollie in Australia.
13. Rogue
Filmed before Black Water with a much bigger budget, Rogue was reportedly based on the same real events (and in this film, it feels like a very loose basis). Written, directed, and produced by Wolf Creek's Greg McLean, Rogue is another type of beautifully-shot tourist nightmare, making it more of a Jaws of the Top End — complete with a need for a bigger boat. A river tour finds themselves at the peril of a massive crocodile when they investigate a distress signal — it wasn't ideal for the Nostromo crew, and it's not ideal here. The cast does some serious work between escape attempts: Sam Worthington shines as the obnoxious but extremely useful Neil, Stephen Curry is a delight as a major camera show-off, John Jarratt (yep, he's here!) plays a grieving widower, a tiny Mia Wasikowska plays a teen with her parents, and Radha Mitchell plays their noble captain with her dog Kevin. But the lead, surprisingly, is Michael Vartan as an American travel writer looking for a big, sharp-toothed scoop. He finds it.
How to watch: Rogue is now streaming on Starz in the U.S., on Freevee in the UK, and on Stan in Australia.
14. Late Night with the Devil
If you like your horror lean and mean, you must see this '70s-set indie from Australian writers/directors Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes (aka the Cairnes Brothers).
David Dastmalchian, a character actor who's unnerved us in The Boogeyman and Prisoners, headlines here as Jack Delroy, a talk show host who is so determined to best Johnny Carson's ratings that he invites an allegedly possessed girl to be a guest on his Halloween special. Part showbiz satire, part found-footage horror, Late Night with the Devil uses a low-fi look and keenly creepy effects to create a throwback tale of terror that is rank with fresh blood. While the film's been criticized for its use of AI, its scares are so satisfying that it earned praise from none other than the master of horror himself, Stephen King. So, take a cue from our review: "Tune in and hang on. Dastmalchian and his demon are coming for you."* —Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Late Night with the Devil is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and on Shudder in the UK and Australia.
15. Saw
While the Saw series has become synonymous with the torture porn variety of horror (not really my cup of tea), the original film is a superb, deeply cruel puzzle wrapped in a serial killer mystery inside the most horrible bathroom of cinema. It's another film I was rattled by as a teenager, in 2006, and would never really see horror the same way afterwards. The concept is simple: two men (played by Saw filmmaker Leigh Whannell and Cary Elwes) wake up shackled in said decrepit room with nothing but their wits and a rusty hacksaw. Unimaginable decisions must be made to survive this "game" created by sadistic serial killer John "Jigsaw" Kramer (Tobin Bell).
Filmmakers James Wan and Whannell infamously tried to get funding for the original Saw in Australia, then took it to the U.S. after no Aussie studios would take a bite. But Lionsgate did after Saw debuted at Sundance and now it's one of the most successful horror franchises of all time — we're up to Saw X at this point. Just a little cautionary tale for any Australian studios not taking locally made horror seriously.
How to watch: Saw is now streaming on Max in the U.S., on Netflix in the UK, and and on Stan in Australia.
16. Upgrade
One of the only tech-based horror films on this list, Upgrade is a deeply Mashable movie. Saw co-creator Leigh Whannell wrote and directed this underrated cyberpunk revenge gem. Logan Marshall-Green is a compelling lead as Grey Trace, a tech-hating man who loses his wife in a vicious assault — and becomes paralysed. Convinced by mysterious inventor Eron Keen (a deeply creepy Harrison Gilbertson) to have a unique chip implanted in his body, Grey regains use of his limbs. But he doesn't just regain his regular human abilities, he's now an unstoppable revenge machine. And (of course) there's more than a few catches.
How to watch: Upgrade is now streaming on Netflix in the U.S., on Now TV in the UK, and is available to rent/buy on Prime Video in Australia.
17. Sissy
A glorious newer horror gem from director-writers Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes, Sissy brings Black Mirror energy to a slasher drenched in blood, bubbly, and social media influencer juice. Anchored in violent childhood playground trauma, Sissy is led by eponymous protagonist Cecilia (a spectacularly nuanced performance from The Bold Type's Aisha Dee), a self-help influencer, who'd rather keep her past — and embarrassing schoolyard nickname — buried. Running into her childhood best friend Emma (Barlow), she finds herself invited to a hen's weekend away at the property of an unwelcome blast from the past (Emily De Margheriti). Cecilia struggles to maintain the facade, and frankly, isn't feeling these negative vibes intruding in her "safe space," you know? The perfect movie marathon partner to Bodies Bodies Bodies, Sissy quite literally bludgeons influencer culture with some shockingly gory sequences, the body count climbing as quickly as Cecilia's likes.* — S.C.
How to watch: Sissy is now streaming on Shudder.
18. You'll Never Find Me
The directorial debut of Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen, You'll Never Find Me does a lot with a little: two actors, one trailer, and the darkest, stormiest night. A tale of power, vulnerability, and mind games plays out when a woman (Jordan Cowan) shows up at a man called Patrick's (Brendan Rock) isolated trailer seeking shelter from the deluge. But who is she? Who is he? Do they know each other? Who has the upper hand here? You'll be kept guessing at every turn in this clever horror thriller.
Mashable's Sam Haysom described the film in his review as a "a masterclass in tension, trapping us in a dingy room with its troubled leads and ratcheting up the suspense with lingering close-ups, oppressive sound design, and a script that keeps you guessing until the final moments."
How to watch: You'll Never Find Me is now streaming on Shudder.
19. The Cars That Ate Paris
One of the strangest films you'll see in an age, Peter Weir's Australian New Wave classic The Cars That Ate Paris eludes description (but we'll try). You'll be enticed by the film's poster images of a silver car bedecked in giant spikes, but Mad Max this is not. Instead it's a creepy tale of the town of Paris (it was really filmed in Sofala), where the locals don't take too kindly to visitors. Traveller Arthur Waldo (Terry Camilleri) sees it all first-hand, and it's deeply weird stuff. It's almost a comedy, almost a thriller, almost a horror, almost an action, and absolutely worth your time.
How to watch: The Cars That Ate Paris is now available to rent/buy on Apple TV+.
20. Daybreakers
Writer-directors Michael and Peter Spierig's Daybreakers may have a predominantly Hollywood cast, but this Australian-American production fits the bill for this list. Vampires rule the world in this 2009 gem, with the creatures of the night rolling around town in blacked out cars. Problem is, they rule a little too hard, so there's a blood shortage, one that sees Ethan Hawke's vampire hematologist Edward (yes, Edward) working on a synthetic alternative, with ruthless overlord Charles Bromley (Sam Neill) breathing down everyone's necks. But Edward's literally derailed, finding his way into a group of humans including Australian icon Claudia Karvan and meeting former vamp Elvis, played to perfection by Willem Dafoe.
How to watch: Daybreakers is now streaming on AMC+ in the U.S., on Plex in the UK, and on Stan in Australia.
21. The Wyrmwood movies
If you’re after midnight screening-worthy grindhouse horror, Wyrmwood is for you. The Wyrmwood films, Road of the Dead and Apocalypse, are absolute chaos, drenched in blood, brutal sound effects, and deadpan humour. Made by the filmmaking Roache-Turner brothers, Kiah and Tristan, the two films are characterised by frantic close-ups and sickening zooms that bring you way too close to the action for comfort, overwhelming fish-eye lens use, a sharp script, and a lot of gore.
The first film, Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, is a low budget zombie movie that delivers 90 minutes of screeching madness. It centres on siblings Brooke (Bianca Bradey) and Barry (Jay Gallagher), who separately come face to face with the outbreak in horrific circumstances. On the road to locate Brooke, Barry teams up with the hilarious Benny (Leon Burchill) and straight-talking Frank (Keith Agius). Brooke spends the film in a nightmare situation, imprisoned by a sadistic doctor, while her brother gets to ride around Mad Max vigilante style fighting zombies. But she gets her revenge. And as for the sequel, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, which picks up immediately after the first film, we're talking bigger budget, old and new characters (with welcome additions in Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Tasia Zalar, and Luke McKenzie), and more high octane horror madness. There isn't one scene in these movies that's not covered in blood.
How to watch: Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is now streaming on AMC+ in the U.S., on ITVx in the UK, and on Stan in Australia.
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse is now streaming on Tubi in the U.S., on Plex in the UK, and is available to rent/buy on Apple TV+ in Australia.
22. BeDevil
Tracey Moffatt's surreal 1993 ghost story trilogy BeDevil is the artist's debut feature that premiered at Cannes. Weaving three ghost stories into one strange and undefinable nightmare, BeDevil embodies Moffatt's signature style, also seen in her revered short Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy, with hyper-real sequences, extremely saturated colour, and an unsettling score to send you off kilter. Australian legend Jack Charles stars in "Mr. Chuck", the story of a swamp presence that haunts a young boy on Bribie Island, who reflects on it decades later in staged documentary interviews. In "Choo Choo Choo Choo" Moffatt herself plays Ruby Morphet, whose family are haunted on their property in Queensland. And in "Lovin' the Spin I'm in", a Torres Strait Islander couple meet a tragic fate.
Geoff Burton’s striking cinematography, Wayne Le Clos’ erratic editing, Stephen Curtis’ dramatic production design, and Carl Vine’s bonkers score, all combine with Moffatt's vision to create a truly one of a kind creation — and it was the first feature film directed by an Australian Aboriginal woman. Plus, the choreography comes from future Bangarra Dance Theatre artistic director Stephen Page with his late brother, acclaimed dancer Russell Page, performing.
How to watch: BeDevil is now streaming on Ovid in the U.S., and streaming on SBS On Demand in Australia.
23. Monolith
Micro-budget Monolith follows a disgraced journalist trying to revive her career with a podcast delving into the unexplained. But when a story about mysterious black bricks lands in her inbox, she finds herself getting sucked into something she genuinely can't make sense of.
"It almost sounds like a challenge: Can you make a feature length movie with only one on-screen actor, one location, and a budget of less than half a million?" I wrote in my review for Mashable. "Written by Lucy Campbell and shot by Matt Vesely, eerie sci-fi mystery Monolith exists within these potentially tricky parameters. Almost the entire movie takes place in a modern, isolated house in the rolling Adelaide Hills, South Australia, following a disgraced journalist (Lily Sullivan) as she yarn-balls a weird global enigma for her new podcast series. The film could easily have been a dismally failed experiment, but Monolith's logistical restrictions actually help it shine, adding a claustrophobia and sense of realism that only heightens the core mystery."
Once you've watched the movie, see if you agree with our interpretation of the ending. — S.H.
How to watch: Monolith is now streaming on Prime Video in the U.S., on Now TV in the UK, and on Binge in Australia.
24. Roadgames
It's more of a thriller than a horror, but Richard Franklin's Roadgames deserves a spot on this list because it's creepy and legendary. Stacy Keach gives one hell of a performance as Patrick Quid, who drives a truck (but don’t call him a truck driver) across Australia. He spends his drives talking to his dingo companion Boswell and amusing himself with his harmonica. Driving across the Nullabor with a truck full of meat to deliver to Perth, Patrick realises he's on the trail of a sadistic serial killer. Along the road he picks up hitchhiker Pamela Rushworth (Jamie Lee Curtis) and his hunt intensifies — and the lines between reality and hallucination begin to blur.
How to watch: Roadgames is now streaming on Prime Video in the U.S. and on Brollie in Australia.
25. The Loved Ones
A messed up tale of Misery-like violent obsession, body horror, teen angst, and incest, The Loved Ones is a nasty little bastard. Grieving teen Brent (Xavier Samuel) is held captive and tortured by teen psychopath Lola and her extremely creepy father after he turns down her invitation to the school dance. A glittering, disco ball-topped, blood-drenched party from hell, Lola's home dance is pure evil that gets worse and worse. The Loved Ones came out a few years after the storm of torture porn films like Saw and Hostel were dominating box offices, and director Sean Byrne inflicts a lot of nasty body horror in his feature debut. McLeavy is truly unhinged as our Carrie-meets-Annie Wilkes-inspired villain Lola, and Samuel has a tough job as Brent, spending most of the film unable to scream or move. You'll never listen to Kasey Chambers' "Am I Not Pretty Enough?" the same way.
How to watch: The Loved Ones is now streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S., on ITVx in the UK, and on Stan in Australia.
26. Snowtown
As bleak as it gets. Alongside Hounds of Love, these are two punishing, brutal movies I can't really recommend watching, but they've become so ingrained in the Australian horror narrative I thought I'd include a nod.
Based on the real, horrifying murders committed in the '90s in Adelaide, Snowtown (also stylised as The Snowtown Murders) is a deeply chilling, slow burning horror that comes here with a major content warning. These are extreme roles for the actors playing serial killers John Bunting (Daniel Henshall), Robert Wagner (Aaron Viergever), and James Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway); Henshall's portrayal in particular is the stuff modern day nightmares are made of.
How to watch: Snowtown is now streaming on AMC+ in the U.S., on BFI Player in the UK, and is available to rent/buy on Apple TV+ in Australia.
27. The Royal Hotel
A psychological horror-thriller, The Royal Hotel is another nightmare in the outback that fuses genres to deeply stressful effect. Directed by The Assistant's Kitty Green, the film sees American backpackers Liv (Jessica Henwick) and Hanna (Julia Garner) hitting the road and finding work in the local pub of a mining town — the film was shot in the town of Yatina, South Australia, north of Adelaide. They just want to make some money to keep their trip going, but they're plunged into a tense pit of threat by the locals. Writing for Mashable, critic Siddhant Adlakha describes the film as "a concise, nail-biting movie about the world as experienced by women, and the aggressive (and often unspoken) impositions that define the male spaces around them."
How to watch: The Royal Hotel is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S., on Now TV in the UK, and on Binge in Australia.
28. The Moogai
Jon Bell's impactful, heartbreaking psychological horror film The Moogai is one of the newer films on this list, out in 2024. An expansion of Bell's short of the same name, the film uses the supernatural creature feature format to examine generational trauma, specifically the lasting impact of the Australian government's forced removal of Aboriginal children from their communities known as the Stolen Generations. The Moogai itself is a Bundjalung term for a spirit or entity who steals children — and as the film describes, "A spirit whose primary aim is to do exactly what the white Australians have done for decades." Shari Sebbens delivers an impeccable performance as Sarah, a woman tormented by the Moogai and terrified of losing her children to it — and it's understandable, the character design here is the stuff of nightmares.
How to watch: The Moogai had a cinematic release in 2024, with streaming details TBC.
29. Picnic at Hanging Rock
Though it's not a true story, author Joan Lindsay's eerie tale, Picnic at Hanging Rock, has become a bit of an Australian myth, made further iconic through Peter Weir's moody, hypnotic film. The story goes that on Valentine's Day, 1900, a group of private school girls went for a picnic excursion at Hanging Rock near Mount Macdeon, Victoria — and not everyone returned. Disappeared without a trace. And that wouldn't be the end of the disturbing events. Weir's classic Australian New Wave film isn't shock horror, more a slow burning exercise in trance-like dread and unsolved mystery. You'll go to sleep with that eerie Romanian panpipe score rattling through your head, dreaming of straw hats and parasols. Plus, John Jarratt's in this one!
How to watch: Picnic at Hanging Rock is now streaming on Max in the U.S. and on Shudder in the UK, and is available to rent/buy on Apple TV+ in Australia.
30. Ghost Ship
Hands down, Ghost Ship boasts one of the best opening scenes in a horror film. Directed by Steve Beck and written Mark Hanlon and John Pogue, this 2002 film should not be dismissed among its more schlocky 2000s peers. In the middle of the Bering Sea, passengers on Italian cruise ship MS Antonia Graza meet a grisly demise in the '60s. Decades later, a salvage crew investigates, and finds some passengers never really left — and have no intention of letting their new shipmates leave. The cast is a banger: Gabriel Byrne, Karl Urban, Julianna Margulies, Isaiah Washington, Alex Dimitriades, and a young Emily Browning.
How to watch: Ghost Ship is now available to rent/buy on Prime Video in the U.S., and is streaming on Netflix in the UK and on Stan in Australia.
31. Cargo
If you love the devastating human stories of zombie tales like The Last of Us, you might like Cargo. Set in a post-apocalyptic South Australia amid a violent pandemic (but released before the COVID pandemic), Martin Freeman leads this horrible journey through the stunning Flinders Ranges. Directors Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling developed Cargo from their viral short film, which was a 2018 Tropfest finalist (Australia's major short film festival). It's a moving story of survival and what we'll do for our loved ones, even in the most hopeless reality.
When an inexorable tragedy strikes married couple Andy (Freeman) and Kay (Susie Porter), Andy is racing the clock to get his baby daughter Rosie somewhere safe. On the way Andy finds help in unexpected places, but not everyone's so accommodating. Freeman is exceptional, playing a man at the mercy of inevitability, and is well supported by a strong, small cast including David Gulpilil, Simone Landers, Susie Porter, Natasha Wanganeen, Kris McQuade, Anthony Hayes, and Bruce R. Carter. Cargo notably makes impactful points about colonial poisoning of and disrespect for the land itself, with the majority of the zombie-handling done by the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land.
How to watch: Cargo is now streaming on Netflix.
32. Boar
Taking villain cues from Australian classic Razorback (also in this list, of course), Boar is a gloriously grisly horror set in a small town called Kandanga. John Jarratt (yep!) successfully sheds the Wolf Creek creep for a beer-swilling, shit-talking widower channelling Razorback's Jake Cullen, on the hunt for a massive wild hog on the rampage. Two bickering old blokes (Jarratt and Roger Ward as Blue) four sheets to the wind are the best hope the town has.
Writer-director Chris Sun's script is genuinely funny with uncomfortable characterisation at points (there’s a fair bit of casual sexism and homophobia in the script). The film also sheds the ‘70s love for pitting Australian towns as realms of Wake In Fright-level villains; the people of Kandanga are just regular folks who genuinely care about each other — and former WWE star Nathan Jones and soap star/singer Melissa Tkautz deliver standout performances. As Mashable's Sam Haysom put it, "Any film that features a hippo-sized monster pig going up against a former WWE wrestler has to be a little bit tongue-in-cheek."
How to watch: Boar is now streaming on Shudder.
33. Birdeater
The elevator pitch for Birdeater is pure horror in itself: a woman joins her fiancé at his all-male bucks weekend (for everyone outside Australia, that's a stag do or bachelor party). From the minute sinister Nice Guy Louis (Mackenzie Fearnley) suggests his girlfriend Irene (Shabana Azeez) join his mates for the weekend, things are off. Directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir pay more than homage to Wake In Fright here, expertly suspending you in unease for two hours, drenched in beer, toxic masculinity, and deep dread. Clark's sparse, impactful script slowly reveals horrible truths about the characters' relationships and past actions. It's a cruel game of manipulation and gaslighting and it'll be more than awkward for everyone in the morning.
How to watch: Birdeater had a run in cinemas in early 2024, with international streaming details TBC. It's available to rent/buy on Apple TV+ in Australia.
34. Run Rabbit Run
Psychological horror requires a strong lead, and thankfully they don't get much stronger than Succession star Sarah Snook. In Daina Reid's tense nightmare, fertility doctor Sarah (Snook) struggles to cope with the increasingly odd behaviour of her seven-year-old daughter Mia (Lily LaTorre). I know what you're thinking: Unnerving kids are almost as well-worn a horror trope as mask-wearing serial killers. The good news, though, is Reid does an excellent job with the subgenre, taking a well-written script from Hannah Kent and layering in an uncanny atmosphere with a deeper journey into repressed childhood trauma. The clues are all there for us to unpack, but the reveal at the end still provides a solid gut-punch, and the journey to get there is filled with excellent acting and ratcheting tension.* — S.H.
How to watch: Run Rabbit Run is streaming now on Netflix.
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