The weekend horror double bill returns and to mark the occasion we’re going on a camping trip. Hope you’ve packed the essentials – sleeping bag, torch, food and of course a homisidal maniac…
The Long Weekend (1978)
This low budget ’70s Australian film is something of a lost treasure and shows that sometimes having no money can almost be a blessing. There are no make-up or special effects to hide behind and this seems to have made all involved up there game to compensate.
The film only has two characters – Peter and Marcia, a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. In an attempt to save their marriage they take a weekend break to a secluded beach and it’s their experiences there that make up the bulk of the film. Strange sounds at night and a mysterious shape in the water are just some of the terrors they encounter and, rather than bring them closer, their trip serves to drive them even further apart.
It gradually becomes clear that Peter and Marcia are the villains here, not just attacking each other but the idyllic beach environment as well and Mother Nature isn’t happy. The characters are brilliantly realised but you don’t sympathise with them – rather you observe with a sense of revulsion as their history of infidelity and abortion unfolds.
