‘There’s no place like home. Bloody home.’
Next of Kin is a 1982 Australian horror film directed by New Zealander Tony Williams from a screenplay he wrote with Michael Heath. It stars Jacki Kerin, John Jarratt (Dark Age; Wolf Creek and sequel) and Alex Scott (The Abominable Dr. Phibes; Twins of Evil; The Asphyx).
The synthesizer soundtrack is by German composer Klaus Schulze.
The movie featured in the documentary Not Quite Hollywood where it was praised by Quentin Tarantino.
Plot teaser:
Linda Stevens (Jacki Kerin) inherits Montclare, a country mansion which was turned into a retirement home by her late mother and her sister, Aunt Rita. Strange events described in her mother’s diaries – lights and taps turning on by themselves, voices in the night – seem to be recurring. Linda suspects long-serving Montclare housekeeper Connie (Gerda Nicolson) and local physician Dr Barton (Alex Scott) of hiding details of Montclare’s finances and the death of Aunt Rita. Turning to boyfriend Barney (John Jarratt) for help, Linda attempts to unlock the mysteries of Montclare.
Reviews:
“Although it doesn’t quite deliver the full-blown terror the patient build-up promises, and the old folks in the house are used mainly for hit-and-miss comic effect, Next of Kin is a nifty little film with a consistently uneasy ambience and sturdy work by a cast including Jacki Kerin and a young John Jarratt of Wolf Creek (2005) fame. Technically polished and highly imaginative…” Richard Kuipers, Australian Screen
It sounds like a decent, suspenseful little movie the way I describe it, doesn’t it? Well don’t let me fool you. It should have been, but it is prevented from turning into one by a number of poor scripting and directorial decisions. First of all, what ought to have been the buildup, during which the evidence gradually accumulates that something is disastrously wrong at Montclare, never actually builds anything. The tone is so low-key during the first three quarters of the film that we in the audience can’t for the life of us understand why Linda is becoming so alarmed at the goings-on in the old mansion.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
