Review- Long Weekend (1978)

A massively dysfunctional couple decide to go Bush in their native Australia to try and salve their relationship. However, it appears that nature and the local ecology doesn’t take kindly to two bickering and slobbish human beings invading and polluting their environ and decides to fight back.

This is a terrific slice of Ozploitation with the one and only Briony Behets taking the female lead and she is as fantastic as ever. Ms Behets will, of course be known to fans of Prisoner Cell Block H as the character Susan Rice. John Hargreaves is equally as brilliant as the male lead and is a perfect foil to Behets’ hot/cold wife. 

I couldn’t stop thinking of William Girdler’s Day of the Animals whenever the animals decided to attack and both films would make a great double bill.

There’s subtle innovative touches in Long Weekend to show the off-kilter situation the couple quickly find themselves in. Check out the darkly psychedelic sound mix which distorts the sounds of the everyday and makes them utterly sinister and alien. 

I kept thinking of the brilliant Wake in Fright also as another example of the darker side of Australian life. Long Weekend is a curio that more people need to know about. Let’s hope that happens with a fantastic Blu Ray release soon. 

3.5 stars out of 5