Next of Kin (1982 film)

Last updated

Next of Kin
Nextofkinposter.jpg
Theatrical film poster
Directed byTony Williams
Screenplay by
  • Michael Heath
  • Tony Williams
Produced byRobert Le Tet
Starring
CinematographyGary Hansen
Edited byMax Lemon
Music by Klaus Schulze
Production
companies
  • The Film House
  • S.I.S. Productions
  • Filmco
Distributed by Roadshow Film Distributors
Release date
  • 1982 (1982)
Running time
89 minutes
Countries
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
LanguageEnglish
Box officeA$228,251 [1]

Next of Kin is a 1982 psychological horror film co-written and directed by Tony Williams, and starring Jackie Kerin and John Jarratt. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The film was featured in the documentary Not Quite Hollywood where it was praised by Quentin Tarantino. [5]

Plot

After her estranged mother's death, Linda Stevens inherits a rural estate called Montclare, which has been in her family for years. The rambling structure houses a long-held retirement community for the elderly. Linda arrives on the same night as a new boarder, the aged Mrs. Ryan, dropped off by her son Kelvin. Shortly after Linda settles in, a resident of the home is found drowned in a bathtub.

Linda begins reading childhood diaries left in the house by her mother, in which she describes being unsettled in the home and believing someone is watching her. She also finds handwritten medical records for her aunt Rita, which disturbs her as she was told that Rita had been dead at the time they were written. Meanwhile, Linda reconnects with Barney, a man whom she was romantic with years prior. After the two go on a date together, Linda returns to Montclare and is notified that Lance, another resident, has suffered a debilitating stroke. Later, Linda informs Dr. Barton, the resident physician, that she is considering selling the property.

After a series of unusual incidents, Linda comes to suspect that Rita may still be alive and stalking the house, though Dr. Barton assures her that Rita died in a psychiatric hospital years prior. Upon further delving into her mother's diaries, Linda finds that there is a precedent for mysterious deaths in the retirement community, particularly an inordinate number of drownings. Convinced that Dr. Barton and another employee, Connie, are murdering residents, she flees to town on foot and locates Barney in a panic.

Barney escorts Linda back to Montclare and enters the house to obtain the diaries. Outside Linda finds Carol, a romantic rival previously introduced, with her throat slashed. Linda flees into the house in search of Barney, only to find him also murdered. Upstairs, she finds Lance, conscious and able to walk. Linda ushers him outside through a window onto an emergency escape stairway. She is soon confronted by Mrs. Ryan, who is in fact Rita, seeking vengeance against Linda's mother for placing her in the hospital; Rita claims that it was Linda's mother who was in fact insane. A crazed Kelvin—Rita's son (and Linda's cousin)—attacks Linda with a sledgehammer.

Linda manages to barricade herself in a bathroom, where she finds Dr. Barton's and Connie's bloodied corpses in the bathtub. She stabs Rita through the eye with the sharp handle of a comb as Rita peers through the door lock, then manages to escape by car. She arrives at the local diner nearby, where the owner's young son, Nico, is alone. The two barricade themselves in the diner, but Kelvin arrives, driving his truck through the side of the building. Using a shotgun, Linda manages to shoot and kill Kelvin. At dawn, the two drive away as the diner becomes engulfed in flames, ignited by the petrol leaking from Kelvin's damaged truck.

Cast

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 6 critics. [6]

The film's pacing and atmosphere have been compared to that of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining by Quentin Tarantino. [7]

Accolades

AwardCategorySubjectResult
AACTA Award
(1982 Australian Film Institute Awards)
Best Editing Max LemonNominated
MystfestSpecial MentionTony WilliamsWon
Sitges Film Festival Clavell de Plata Daurada for Best DirectorWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quentin Tarantino</span> American filmmaker (born 1963)

Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American filmmaker. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue often with profanity, and references to popular culture. During Tarantino's career, his films have built a cult following, as well as critical and commercial success; he has been considered "the single most influential director of his generation". He is the recipient of two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and one Palme d'Or.

<i>Pulp Fiction</i> 1994 crime film by Quentin Tarantino

Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary. It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence in Los Angeles, California. The film stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman. The title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue.

<i>Kill Bill: Volume 1</i> 2003 American film by Quentin Tarantino

Kill Bill: Volume 1 is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a group of assassins and their leader, Bill, after they try to kill her and her unborn child. Her journey takes her to Tokyo, where she battles the yakuza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Duel</span> American actor (1940–1971)

Peter Ellstrom Deuel, known professionally as Pete Duel, was an American stage, television, and film actor, best known for his starring role as outlaw Hannibal Heyes in the television series Alias Smith and Jones.

<i>The Vanishing</i> (1993 film) 1993 American film

The Vanishing is a 1993 American psychological thriller film directed by George Sluizer and starring Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis, and Sandra Bullock. It is a remake of Sluizer's 1988 French-Dutch film of the same name.

<i>The Muppets Wizard of Oz</i> 2005 musical fantasy The Muppets television film

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz is a 2005 musical fantasy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher, and the third television film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David Alan Grier, Queen Latifah, as well as Muppet performers Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, and Eric Jacobson. A contemporary adaptation of the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the story follows young Dorothy Gale, who works in her Aunt Em's diner, but dreams of becoming a singer somewhere beyond her small Kansas town. Swept up by a tornado, in her trailer home with pet prawn Toto, she lands in Oz and embarks on a journey to meet the Wizard who can help make her dreams come true.

<i>Au revoir les enfants</i> 1987 autobiographical film directed by Louis Malle

Au revoir les enfants is an autobiographical 1987 film written, produced, and directed by Louis Malle. It is based on the actions of Père Jacques, a French priest and headmaster who attempted to shelter Jewish children during the Holocaust. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noni Hazlehurst</span> Australian actress

Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazelhurst, is an Australian actress, director, writer, presenter and broadcaster who has appeared on television and radio, in dramas, mini-series and made for television films, as well also on stage and in feature films since the early 1970s. Hazlehurst has been honoured with numerous awards including Australian Film Institute Awards, ARIA Awards and Logies, including being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Jarratt</span> Australian actor and director

John Jarratt is an Australian television film actor, producer and director and TV presenter who rose to fame through his work in the Australian New Wave. He has appeared in a number of film roles including Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Summer City (1977), The Odd Angry Shot (1979), We of the Never Never (1982), Next of Kin (1982), and Dark Age (1987). He portrayed the antagonist Mick Taylor in the Wolf Creek franchise. He voiced the protagonist's father, Jack Hunter, in an audio drama adaptation of The Phoenix Files. He is also known for his recurring role in the drama series McLeod's Daughters.

<i>Vampyros Lesbos</i> 1971 film

Vampyros Lesbos is a 1971 West German-Spanish erotic horror film directed and co-written by Jesús Franco. The film stars Ewa Strömberg as Linda Westinghouse, an American who works in a Turkish legal firm. Westinghouse has a series of erotic dreams that involve a mysterious vampire woman who seduces her before feeding on her blood. When she travels to an island to settle an inheritance, Linda recognizes a woman as the vampire from her dreams.

<i>The Sender</i> 1982 British horror film by Roger Christian

The Sender is a 1982 British psychological horror thriller film directed by Roger Christian and written by Thomas Baum. It stars Kathryn Harrold, Željko Ivanek, Shirley Knight, and Paul Freeman.

Linda Haynes was an American actress who appeared in several films in the 1970s and early 1980s before retiring from the business and becoming a legal secretary. A life member of The Actors Studio, Haynes was best known for her roles in Coffy, The Nickel Ride and Rolling Thunder.

<i>Mortuary</i> (2005 film) 2005 American film

Mortuary is a 2005 American zombie horror film directed by Tobe Hooper. It stars Dan Byrd, Alexandra Adi and Denise Crosby. Mortuary was Tobe Hooper's last US-produced film before his death in 2017.

<i>Dig It</i> (Klaus Schulze album) 1980 studio album by Klaus Schulze

Dig It is the thirteenth album by Klaus Schulze. It was originally released in 1980, and in 2005 was the sixth Schulze album reissued by Revisited Records. It is Schulze's first fully digital recording. The 2005 reissue includes a bonus DVD with the video recording of the 1980 performance at Ars Electronica, which was previously released as audio on The Ultimate Edition (2000).

<i>The Lady in Red</i> (1979 film) 1979 American crime film

The Lady in Red is a 1979 American crime drama film directed by Lewis Teague and starring Pamela Sue Martin and Robert Conrad. It is an early writing effort of John Sayles who became better known as a director in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen Smart</span> Soap opera character

Colleen Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Lyn Collingwood. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 7 March 1988. She was introduced as a recurring character by producer Alan Bateman. She served as comic relief and busybody from 1988. She returned briefly in 1997 before returning as a regular on 23 September 1999 until January 2013. Colleen has been portrayed as the serial's "local gossip", a role that been well received by certain critics. Many storylines have centered on her over protective nature towards her son Lance Smart. Collingwood revealed that she often pitched storylines for Colleen in the hope they would play out on-screen. Collingwood decided to leave the series in January 2012 and Colleen departed on 23 May 2012. She made a brief return from 27 November 2012 and officially departed on 24 January 2013.

<i>ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction</i> (film) 2010 American film

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction is a 2010 zombie comedy film directed by Kevin Hamedani and starring Janette Armand, Doug Fahl, and Cooper Hopkins.

<i>This Is My Love</i> 1954 film by Stuart Heisler

This Is My Love is a 1954 American drama film directed by Stuart Heisler, written by Hugh Brooke and Hagar Wilde, and starring Linda Darnell, Rick Jason, Dan Duryea, Faith Domergue, Connie Russell and Hal Baylor. It was released on November 11, 1954, by RKO Pictures.

<i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i> 2019 film by Quentin Tarantino

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood is a 2019 comedy drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica and distributed by Sony Pictures, it is a co-production between the United States, United Kingdom, and China. It features a large ensemble cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. Set in 1969 Los Angeles, the film follows a fading actor and his stunt double as they navigate the rapidly changing film industry, with the threat of the Tate murders looming.

Motherhood (<i>ER</i>) 24th episode of the 1st season of ER

"Motherhood" is the twenty-fourth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American medical drama ER. Written by supervising producer Lydia Woodward and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the episode was first broadcast on NBC on May 11, 1995.

References

  1. "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" Film Victoria Archived 9 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine accessed 14 November 2012
  2. Sandra Brennan (2015). "Next of Kin". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 20 June 2015.
  3. "Next of Kin Details". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2015. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015.
  4. Stratton, David (1990). The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry. Pan Macmillan. p. 300.
  5. Squires, John (20 April 2018). "1982 Horror Film 'Next of Kin,' Praised by Quentin Tarantino, Finally Coming to Blu-ray". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  6. "Next of Kin". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  7. Quentin Tarantino's Top Australian Films. Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.