The low-budget Aussie horror film make headlines overseas

THIS low-budget thriller shot in the Aussie bush is getting rave reviews in America, and its Tasmanian director has become an overnight sensation.

WHEN Tasmanian director Damien Power was a teenager sitting in a darkened Launceston cinema he never imagined one day he’d be debuting his first feature to packed out crowds at the Sundance Film Festival.

He certainly didn’t expect that this film- a low-budget suspense thriller shot in bushland an hour out of Sydney — would be getting rave reviews on the other side of the world and would send him almost overnight from unknown Aussie to Hollywood Hot Property.

In fact, the only thing Power had in his mind when picturing his new film Killing Ground, was an image. A fleeting vision of an orange tent, abandoned in thick bushland in the heat of summer with three burning questions: Who found it, what happened to the owners and who is responsible for their disappearance?

It’s been ten years since he first imagined that deserted tent. And now Power hasn’t just been discovered, he’s been applauded. Industry bible The Hollywood Reporter called Killing Ground “A chilling debut”, while Variety said that Power had made “an impressive first feature,” marking him one to watch.

The film-going public were just as enthusiastic.

“We were in the midnight session and it was sold out!” Power explains to news.com.au.

“They had to schedule an extra screening! Midnight audiences were great — I guess you’ve got be committed to go to the movies at midnight — especially when you’re walking through the driving snow to get there, but they loved it. They lapped it up!”

A scene from Damien Power’s film ‘Killing Ground’.

What sets Killing Ground apart from other thrillers is its unconventional structure. The film intertwines three separate stories, seemingly in different times and spaces: Two lovers on a weekend getaway; a family in peril and a pair of redneck psychopaths baying for blood.

“The structure is meant to make you feel unsettled. The thriller genre is usually incredibly linear so I think playing with the structure is something audiences and critics have really loved.”

Power’s journey to Hollywood was via Hobart (for uni), and then film school in Sydney, and a stint at the censorship board where he was the youngest person appointed to the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

Critics have been quick to praise the fact that the violence in Killing Ground (although brutal) is never exploitative, something Power attributes to his time as a censor. “I’ve definitely had a long professional interest in how we watch violence. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a violent film but a film about violence and what violence does.”

Power feels movie violence is often — wrongly — presented as a heroic option.

“I wanted the film to ask the question ‘What would happen in real life? What would actually happen if I was faced with this threat?’ Because the answer is often different to what happens in the movies. This violence feels very real and I think that’s what people are responding to.”

The ‘redneck psychopaths’ in Killing Ground.

As for why, as a nation, we like making and watching films that are bleak and terrifying, Power thinks it’s because Australia has a dark and disturbing history.

“This film talks about that — about cycles of violence … violence happened 200 years ago, it happened yesterday and today and it’s going to happen tomorrow. But that’s why the structure (of the film) is important: It creates this sense of timelessness, this idea that these cycles of violence just get repeated endlessly and no one is safe.”

Power’s next move is to head back home for some warmth, some time with his kids and a chance to enjoy his new-found success.

“We sold the film at Sundance so it’s going to have a run in US theatres which is fantastic for such a small Aussie movie. It’s also going to play a few more festivals around the world and there’ll be an Australia-wide release announced soon, which is really exciting.”

Mostly, he’s just really happy that his ten-year effort has been worth it. “It’s just been so gratifying to see the film so warmly embraced. Knowing it’s going to keep going even further? That’s even better.”

He won’t be resting on his laurels too long. “Sundance has created some amazing opportunities so I’m trying to make the most of it! But yeah, I’ve got plenty in the pipeline.”

In other words, watch this space.

The Killing Ground will screen on Friday, March 10 at Event Cinemas in Sydney as part of Monster Fest’s Travelling Sideshow — complete with a Q & A.

Follow Jenna Martin on Twiter @msjennamartin

Originally published as The low-budget Aussie horror film make headlines overseas