Resurgence: 2000s
The dawn of the 21st century signaled a comeback for Aussie horror movies. A string of releases did solid business on video in the US: the inventive slasher Cut (2000), the supernatural Hellion (2002), the murder mystery Lost Things (2003) and the psychological terror of Visitors (2003). The year 2003 witnessed the surprise success of the zombie comedy Undead, which earned a rare, albeit limited, theatrical release in America.
Even bigger was 2005's torture-fest Wolf Creek, which became the highest-grossing Australian horror movie of all time and made over $16 million at the US box office. Wolf Creek director Greg McLean's next feature, Rogue, was one of two Aussie killer crocodile films -- along with Black Water -- made in 2007. The Spierig Brothers, meanwhile, followed up Undead with 2008's apocalyptic vampire flick Daybreakers, and Australian director Jamie Blanks returned to his homeland after helming American slashers Urban Legend and Valentine for 2007's Storm Warning. As bigger budgets and bigger profits begin to mount for Australian horror, there's even a planned trip back to the modest early days, with Blanks directing a remake of Long Weekend, scheduled for release in 2008.
New Zealand horror has likewise flourished (relatively speaking) since 2000, with films like The Locals (2003), The Ferryman (2007) and The Tattooist (2008) making a showing on video in America, and the Peter Jackson-inspired horror-comedy Black Sheep even receiving a limited release stateside in 2007.
Notable Australian and New Zealand Horror Films:
- Night of Fear (1972)
- The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
- Inn of the Damned (1975)
- The Last Wave (1977)
- Long Weekend (1978)
- Patrick (1978)
- Thirst (1979)
- Dark Forces (1980)
- Road Games (1981)
- Strange Behavior (1981)
- Escape 2000 (1982)
- Razorback (1984)
- Cassandra (1986)
- Dead-End Drive In (1986)
- Fortress (1986)
- Dangerous Game (1987)
- Dark Age (1987)
- Howling III: The Marsupials (1987)
- Bad Taste (1988)
- Dead Calm (1989)
- Bloodmoon (1990)
- Dead Alive (1992)
- Body Melt (1993)
- The Frighteners (1996)
- Cut (2000)
- Hellion (2002)
- The Locals (2003)
- Lost Things (2003)
- Undead (2003)
- Visitors (2003)
- Wolf Creek (2005)
- Black Sheep (2006)
- Black Water (2007)
- The Ferryman (2007)
- Rogue (2007)
- Storm Warning (2007)
- The Tattooist (2008)
- Prey (2009)
- Daybreakers (2010)
