The team that made Break of Day – writer Cliff Green, producer Pat Lovell and director Ken Hannam – reunited the following year for this great little thriller. Nick Tate is the new teacher at a coastal town who becomes suspicious about the disappearance of his predecessor. Various creepy townsfolk are played by Elizabeth Alexander, Max Cullen, John Waters, Bud Tingwell (very seedy), and Geraldine Turner (very busty).
Memorable visuals, great score, a brilliant atmosphere (filming was at Churchill Island in Victoria) and top notch acting all make for an underrated gem that still holds up well today – despite some testicular cancer-inducing shorts Tate is required to wear.
Umbrella’s DVD has some great special features, including an on-set documentary made in 1977 and a terrific 50-minute retrospective featurette everyone gets stuck into Ken Hannam, who apparently slagged off the script all the while making it (Hannam, who died in London in 2004, doesn’t appear). There is also discussion in the film’s poor critical reception, the script, and why they film wasn’t entered in the AFIs.
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