Pre-dating Peter Jackson's arrival (Bad Taste) by three years, New Zealand's first horror movie sees Michael Hurst making his movie debut as he fights mutants (including Bruno Lawrence) on Waiheke Island. Hurst's character is out to avenge the mad scientist who forced him to kill his parents. A grand prize-winner at a French fantasy festival (with cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky on the jury), David Blyth's splatterfest marked the first of many horrors funded by the NZ Film Commission. It was also the first local showcase of the smoothly-flowing Steadicam camera.
It was New Zealand’s first film to heavily borrow exploitation elements from the international horror scene and package them up with enough antipodean flavours to energise a generation of movie mad kiwis.– Ant Timpson, on the 'Words & More' section of his blog Filmhead
The Tucker Production Company
The Tucker Production Company
Presented with thanks to the New Zealand Film Heritage Trust – Te Puna Ataata
Music composed by Mark Nicholas, with vocals by Annie Crummer and Peter Morgan
Songs 'I Like to Drive' and 'Wise Up' written and arranged by Scott Calhoun
'Stand by your Man' sung by Suzanne
Music produced by Wayne Laird
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