CERT: 18 / PLATFORM: VOD, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 7TH
Jesse O’Brien directs this Anglo-Australian splatter comedy with the spirit of the best Ozsploitation movies coursing through its cinematic veins.
It’s post-Brexit Britain, and Norman (played by the film’s writer, Jordan Waller) is struggling to keep his mother’s Polish butchers shop open in the face of a barrage of racist abuse. His sister, Annabelle (Kathryn Wilder) is a woke, wannabe actor whose most significant role to date is as the face on the packet of a stool softener. On the day of their mother’s funeral, they find out that they were adopted and set out to meet their real mum, who resides in a rundown, outback village in Australia. When they get there, along with the only other outsiders (who are all Asian tourists), they are told that their mother has died. However, Norman smells a rat (as well as koala piss) and digs deeper only to discover the sordid truth about Two Heads Creek.
As with most Ozsploitation, the glorious vistas (even in the slums of the village) bolster the enjoyment of Two Heads Creek. By the time we get to discover the truth about the residents of the village – and what goes into their stew – the fun banter between the two siblings is just about wearing thin, so it’s welcome, then, that we get a barrage of bloody slaughter. There’s a mix of practical and CGI splatter, and while it might not live up to the antipodean gorefests like Peter Jackson’s Brain Dead or the Wolf Creek series, there’s enough claret being spilt to please fans of such a thing. However, the standout characters are Apple (Helen Dallimore), the matriarch-cum-tour-guide of the village who does a mean version of Horror Movie by Skyhooks on karaoke, and bus driver Apari (Gregory J. Fryer), the only one truly qualified to hate immigrants.
The satire of racist attitudes beats you around the head, but thanks to the blood-soaked climax, Two Heads Creek ends up being a crowd-pleasing beast. If nothing else, you’ll have an appreciation of the music of Aussie legend Norman Rowe.
