Ozploitation
Ozploitation (a portmanteau of Australia and exploitation) films are a type of low budget horror, comedy and action films made in Australia after the introduction of the R rating in 1971. The year also marked the beginnings of the Australian New Wave movement, and the Ozploitation style peaked within the same time frame (early 1970s to late 1980s). Ozploitation is often considered a smaller wave within the New Wave, "a time when break-neck-action, schlock-horror, ocker comedy and frisky sex romps joined a uniquely antipodean wave in exploitation cinema".
Background
The origin of the term "Ozploitation" is credited to the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!. Quentin Tarantino coined the phrase "Aussiesploitation", which director Mark Hartley then shortened to "Ozploitation".[1]
Notable films
- Stork (1971)
- Walkabout (1971)
- Wake in Fright (1971)
- Night of Fear (1972)
- Barry McKenzie films (1972, 1974)
- Alvin Purple (1973)
- The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
- Petersen (1974)
- Stone (1974)
- The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
- Inn of the Damned (1975)
- Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
- Eliza Fraser (1976)
- Fantasm (1976)
- Patrick (1978)
- Long Weekend (1978)
- Mad Max films (1979, 1981, 1985)
- Thirst (1979)
- Snapshot (1979)
- Felicity (1979)
- The Chain Reaction (1980)
- Nightmares (1980)
- Harlequin (1980)
- Road Games (1981)
- Turkey Shoot (1981)
- The Survivor (1981)
- Lady Stay Dead (1982)
- Next of Kin (1982)
- Midnite Spares (1983)
- BMX Bandits (1984)
- Coming of Age (1984)
- Leonora (1984)
- Razorback (1984)
- Fair Game (1986)
- Sky Pirates (1986)
- Dead-End Drive In (1986)
- Dark Age (1987)
- Bloodmoon (1990)
Ozploitation today
Since the early 2000s, Ozploitation has experienced a revival, many semi-independent Australian film productions could be classified as Ozploitation, such as:
- Undead (2003)
- Lost Things (2004)
- Feed (2005)
- Wolf Creek films (2005, 2013)
- Rogue (2007)
- Storm Warning (2007)
- Black Water (2007)
- Dying Breed (2008)
- Lake Mungo (2008)
- Long Weekend (2008)
- The Loved Ones (2009)
- Triangle (2009)
- Prey (2009)
- Road Kill (2010)
- Primal (2010)
- Needle (2011)
- 100 Bloody Acres (2012)
- Patrick (2013)
- Wyrmwood (2014)
- The Rover (2014)
- Turkey Shoot (2014)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The 2008 documentary feature Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! explores Ozploitation films made during the Australian New Wave. The film includes interviews with numerous figures involved in Ozploitation, as well as fans of the genre, including American director Quentin Tarantino.
Australian horror film production trebled from less than 20 films in the 1990s to over 60 films between 2000 and 2008.[2] According to one researcher, "global forces and emerging production and distribution models are challenging the 'narrowness' of cultural policy – a narrowness that mandates a particular film culture, circumscribes certain notions of value and limits the variety of films produced domestically. Despite their low-culture status, horror films have been well suited to the Australian film industry's financial limitations, they are a growth strategy for producers, and a training ground for emerging filmmakers".[3]
References
- ↑ The Bazura Project - Interview with Mark Hartley, 28 October 2008
- ↑ "Horror brings film industry back from the grave" (13 October 2008), The Age. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ↑ Ryan , Mark David (2009) 'Whither culture? Australian horror films and the limitations of cultural policy'. Media International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy(No 133). pp. 43-55.
External links
- Ozploitation article @ THE DEUCE: Grindhouse Cinema Database