Is Next of Kin Treasure or Trash?

Blu-ray Distributed By Severin / February 26, 2019

It’s been hailed as “skin-crawlingly real” (Horror News), “a jaw-dropping achievement” (Moon In The Gutter) and “a giallo that rivals Argento’s DEEP RED” (Scary Minds), yet has remained largely unseen in America. Now experience “one of the greatest horror movies of the 20th Century” (Goomba Stomp) for the first time ever…and like never before: When a young woman inherits a creaky retirement home, she’ll find herself in a waking nightmare of murder, madness and a legacy of evil that may be inescapable. Jackie Kerin, John Jarratt (WOLF CREEK) and Alex Scott (ROMPER STOMPER) star in this “stylish and creepy must-see” (The Digital Fix) – featuring an intense synth score by Klaus Schulze of Tangerine Dream – now transferred from original Australian vault elements and packed with all-new Special Features.

Travis’s Take (3 / 5)

Thanks to the documentary Not Quite Hollywood, film fans should be fairly aware that the cinematic output of Australia extends beyond Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max. So when this disc arrived, I looked forward to seeing what might be uncovered with this horror mystery.

A woman’s mother dies and she finds out that she has inherited the nursing home that her mother resided at. The building provides some atmosphere itself even without considering the old, pasty residents that look half dead already. I’m sure there was a solid stench of moth balls and soiled pants as well. But she takes things in stride and shows quite a bit of empathy towards the inhabitants. As she starts to work through her mother’s belongings she starts to go through her mom’s diary and suspects that some underhanded things may be going on. What follows is kind of murder mystery, kind of slasher/giallo, but is never that effective in being scary or building too much tension.

I will say that with the presence of a red ball, things in the attic, and people thrashing around in tubs, this shows some influence from The Changeling. If that is your cup of Fosters, this might be right up your alley. While this doesn’t have a rage filled George C. Scott, this does feature a young John Jarratt who is a common sight in Ozploitation. It almost seems mandatory as well, but there is some automobile related stunt work on display just to remind you it’s Australian. I will give the movie a full point just for the presence of a classic “naked lady pen”.

Next of Kin is really well directed by Tony Williams, so I was surprised to find his resume was pretty skimpy. It feels like he could have done quite a bit more interesting work. For fans of krautrock, there is a nice Klaus Schulze score to listen to while watching. Overall there are parts of this that are good, but it just doesn’t gel together or add up to what I would consider a classic. It’s just kind of ok, but still worth checking out.

From a technical perspective, the disc looks great for a lower budget international film. I think it really helped to showcase the camerawork throughout the movie which probably wasn’t fully appreciated on ancient VHS tapes. There are a ton of extras on this too. There is a segment that didn’t make it into Not Quite Hollywood included which was a nice bonus and I’m glad was recovered from the cutting room floor. And speaking of deleted scenes, there are a few that are re-created from still photos which is unfortunately the only remaining footage. These were nice in that it did help to fill in some narrative gaps during the finale. There are more interviews, trailer (do NOT watch these if you haven’t seen the movie yet), an alternate German beginning of the film, and for absolute completists there are very early B&W short films of Williams included. I always appreciate when an average movie can be brought up a bit with solid extra features like this.

Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?

Travis says: Hidden Treasure!

Travis's Take:	(3.0 / 5)
Blu-ray Extras:	(4.5 / 5)
Average:	(3.8 / 5)

Special Features: 

• • Commentary with Director Tony Williams and Producer Tim White
  • Commentary with Mark Hartley & Cast Members Jackie Kerin, John Jarrett & Robert Ratti
  • House Of Psychotic Women Intro By Kier-La Janisse for Morbido TV
  • Extended Interviews from Not Quite Hollywood
  • Return to Monteclare: Location Revisit, 2018
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Before the Night is Out: Ballroom Footage, 1979
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • UK VHS Trailer
  • German Theatrical Trailer
  • Alternate German Opening
  • Image Gallery
  • Tony Williams Short Films
  • REVERSIBLE COVER