Ozploitation

Ozploitation films are exploitation films – a category of low-budget horror, comedy, sexploitation and action films – made in Australia^[1] after the introduction of the R rating in 1971.^[2] The year also marked the beginnings of the Australian New Wave movement, and the Ozploitation style peaked within the same time frame (early 1970s to late 1980s).^{[citation needed]}

Ozploitation is often considered a smaller wave within the New Wave, covering a wide range of genres from sexploitation, biker films, horror and even martial arts.^[3][4]

The origin of the term "Ozploitation" is credited to the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!.^[5] This 2008 feature explores Ozploitation films made during the Australian New Wave. The film includes interviews with numerous figures involved in Ozploitation, as well as fans of the genre, including American director Quentin Tarantino, who coined the phrase "Aussiesploitation", which director Mark Hartley then shortened to "Ozploitation".^[6]

Background

Australian horror film production trebled from fewer than 20 films in the 1990s to over 60 films between 2000 and 2008.^[7] According to one researcher, "global forces and emerging production and distribution models are challenging the 'narrowness' of cultural policy – a narrowness that mandates a particular film culture, circumscribes certain notions of value and limits the variety of films produced domestically. Despite their low-culture status, horror films have been well suited to the Australian film industry's financial limitations, they are a growth strategy for producers, and a training ground for emerging filmmakers".^[8]

Filmography

1970s

Source:^[9]

• The Naked Bunyip (1970)
• Stork (1971)
• Walkabout (1971)
• Wake in Fright (1971)
• Night of Fear (1972)
• The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972)
• Alvin Purple (1973)
• Libido (1973)
• The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
• Petersen (1974)
• Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974)
• Stone (1974)
• Alvin Rides Again (1974)
• The Love Epidemic (1975)
• The True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975)
• The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
• Plugg (1975)
• Scobie Malone (1975)
• Inn of the Damned (1975)
• Australia After Dark (1975)
• The Great Macarthy (1975)
• Sidecar Racers (1975)
• Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
• Eliza Fraser (1976)
• End Play (1976)
• Fantasm (1976)
• Deathcheaters (1976)
• Don's Party (1976)
• Oz (1976)
• Fantasm Comes Again (1977)
• The FJ Holden (1977)
• Raw Deal (1977)
• Journey Among Women (1977)
• Summer City (1977)
• The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style (1978)
• The Scalp Merchant (1978)
• Stunt Rock (1978)
• Patrick (1978)
• Money Movers (1978)
• Long Weekend (1978)
• Mad Max (1979)
• The Last of the Knucklemen (1979)
• Thirst (1979)
• The Plumber (1979)
• Snapshot (1979)
• Felicity (1979)

1980s

Source:^[9]

• The Chain Reaction (1980)
• Nightmares (1980)
• Touch and Go (1980)
• Harlequin (1980)
• Final Cut (1980)
• Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
• Centrespread (1981)
• Roadgames (1981)
• Pacific Banana (1981)
• The Survivor (1981)
• Mad Max 2 (1981)
• Lady Stay Dead (1981)
• Strange Behavior (1981)
• Alison's Birthday (1981)
• Hoodwink (1981)
• The Killing of Angel Street (1981)
• Running on Empty (1982)
• Turkey Shoot (1982)
• Attack Force Z (1982)
• Brothers (1982)
• Dead Easy (1982)
• Freedom (1982)
• Next of Kin (1982)
• A Dangerous Summer (1982)
• Crosstalk (1982)
• The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)
• Midnite Spares (1983)
• BMX Bandits (1983)
• Innocent Prey (1983)
• Goodbye Paradise (1983)
• Hostage (1983)
• Coming of Age (1984)
• Leonora (1984)
• One Night Stand (1984)
• Razorback (1984)
• Melvin, Son of Alvin (1984)
• Fortress (1985)
• Wills & Burke (1985)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• Fair Game (1986)
• Frenchman's Farm (1986)
• Sky Pirates (1986)
• Windrider (1986)
• Frog Dreaming (1986)
• Run Chrissie Run! (1986)
• Dead End Drive-In (1986)
• Cassandra (1987)
• Dark Age (1987)
• Day of the Panther (1987)
• The Time Guardian (1987)
• Howling III (1987)
• Initiation (1987)
• Outback Vampires (1987)
• Dangerous Game (1987)
• Les Patterson Saves the World (1987)
• Running from the Guns (1987)
• Pandemonium (1987)
• Coda (1987)
• Contagion (1987)
• As Time Goes By (1988)
• The Dreaming (1988)
• Out of the Body (1988)
• To Make a Killing (1988)
• Incident at Raven's Gate (1988)
• Kadaicha (1988)
• Breaking Loose (1988)
• Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1989)
• Houseboat Horror (1989)
• Sons of Steel (1989)

1990s

Source:^[9]

• Bloodmoon (1990)
• Death in Brunswick (1990)
• Sher Mountain Killings Mystery (1990)
• Dead Sleep (1990)
• Fatal Bond (1991)
• Hurricane Smith (1992)
• Bloodlust (1992)
• Body Melt (1993)
• Signal One (1994)

2000s

Source:^[9]

• Cut (2000)
• Cubbyhouse (2001)
• Risk (2001)
• He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2003)
• Gettin' Square (2003)
• Undead (2003)
• Visitors (2003)
• Lost Things (2004)
• Feed (2005)
• Wolf Creek (2005)
• Rogue (2007)
• Storm Warning (2007)
• Black Water (2007)
• Gabriel (2007)
• Gone (2007)
• Dying Breed (2008)
• Lake Mungo (2008)
• The Horseman (2008)
• Long Weekend (2008)
• Acolytes (2008)
• The Loved Ones (2009)
• Triangle (2009)
• Prey (2009)
• Coffin Rock (2009)
• Crush (2009)

2010s

Source:^[9]

• Daybreakers (2010)
• Road Train (2010)
• Animal Kingdom (2010)
• Bad Behaviour (2010)
• The Reef (2010)
• The Clinic (2010)
• Needle (2010)
• Uninhabited (2010)
• Primal (2010)
• Blame (2010)
• Red Hill (2010)
• Crawl (2011)
• The Tunnel (2011)
• X: Night of Vengeance (2011)
• Bait 3D (2012)
• 100 Bloody Acres (2012)
• Crawlspace (2013)
• Patrick (2013)
• Wolf Creek 2 (2013)
• Wyrmwood (2014)
• The Rover (2014)
• Lemon Tree Passage (2014)
• The Mule (2014)
• Charlie's Farm (2014)
• The Suicide Theory (2014)
• Turkey Shoot (2014)
• Kill Me Three Times (2014)
• Plague (2014)
• The Pack (2015)
• Lead Me Astray (2015)
• Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
• StalkHer (2015)
• Infini (2015)
• Terminus (2015)
• Better Watch Out (2016)
• Sheborg Massacre (2016)
• Down Under (2016)
• Spin Out (2016)^[10]
• Scare Campaign (2016)
• Red Billabong (2016)
• Killing Ground (2016)
• The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One (2016)
• Red Christmas (2016)
• Bad Blood (2017)
• Fags in the Fast Lane (2017)
• Cargo (2017)
• 1% (2017)
• Musclecar (2017)
• Tarnation (2017)
• Boar (2017)
• Occupation (2018)
• Upgrade (2018)
• Nekrotronic (2018)
• The Nightingale (2018)^[11]
• The Faceless Man (2019)

2020s

• Black Water: Abyss (2020)
• Occupation: Rainfall (2020)
• The Reef: Stalked (2022)
• The Royal Hotel (2023)
• Birdeater (2023)
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
• Rippy (2024)

See also

• Australian New Wave
• B movie
• Blaxploitation
• Cinema of Australia
• Z movie