Great Australian cinema is jam-packed with terrifying tales and horror masterpieces, with some of the most chilling films originating from the country. From survival thrillers to psychological horrors, killer crocodiles, to found footage flicks, Australia has churned out some seriously spooky movies, often utilizing their stunning and diverse landscapes to great effect. Many filmmakers are savvy at incorporating the wondrous outdoors and unique wildlife of Australia, often incorporating the elements in a pivotal supporting role that beautifully propels the story forward.
Audiences across the world couldn’t get enough of the chill-inducing 2014 film The Babadook, an inaugural elevated horror film that terrorized audiences and the internet with images of the sinister titular monster sporting a top hat and sharp talons. Martin Freeman headlined the 2017 zombie apocalypse movie Cargo, in which he portrays a determined father who is willing to sacrifice it all in order to ensure the safety of his child after a devastating pandemic.
Australian horror has been on a roll this past decade, and 2022 sees Australian horror master Andrew Traucki's movie The Reef: Stalked swimming into theaters, and Australian filmmaker Jessica M. Thompson's masterful The Invitation bringing scares and smarts in equal measure. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best Australian horror movies out there.
9 Wolf Creek
Greg McLean directed the 2005 horror flick Wolf Creek, centering on a trio of backpackers traveling through the Australian outback who are terrorized and subsequently kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer. The filmmaker drew inspiration for the spine-tingling picture after seeing the media coverage of the backpack murders in the 1990s, which were committed by the murderer Ivan Milat; McLean was also influenced by Australian criminal and killer Bradley John Murdoch. Wolf Creek premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it earned a mixed response, with critics praising its grindhouse aesthetics but critiquing its intense and realistic depictions of violence; in 2010 it landed on Slant Magazine’s list of the 100 best films of the decade.
8 Black Water
Based on the true story of a 2003 crocodile attack in Australia’s Northern Territory, 2005’s Black Water chronicles the carnage a killer crocodile leaves in its wake as it targets an unsuspecting pregnant woman, her husband and younger sister while on a fishing tour in a mangrove swamp. Featuring Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, and Andy Rodoreda, the survival horror flick and its directors David Nerlich & Andrew Traucki earned widespread praise for its suspense, terrifying ambiance and compelling performances, with Time Out writing in their review: “Tapping into the primeval fear generated by these perfectly evolved killing machines, the filmmakers ratchet up the tension, while sustaining our interest in the fate of the trio.”
7 Cargo
The talented Martin Freeman headlined the 2017 post-apocalyptic horror drama Cargo, appearing as a desperate father stranded on a houseboat in rural Australia who will do anything to protect his infant daughter after a violent zombie pandemic devastates the land. A Netflix original zombie movie, Cargo depicts the profound lengths a parent will go to for their children and the sacrifices they’re willing to make, with Freeman being singled out for his intense and commanding portrayal of the destitute Andy Rose. The actor felt a pull to his character’s moving plight and the film’s overall heart and soul, having expressed to Deadline: “It rang a bell, as a father. You’re prepared to do all kinds of things as a father for your kids.”
6 Triangle
Christopher Smith helmed the 2009 psychological horror film Triangle, which stars Melissa George as a single mother who sets sail with her close friend on a Florida yacht only to find her idyllic vacation turned upside down by an ominous and deadly storm. When the group is rescued by a deserted ocean liner, the young woman begins to experience intense déjà vu and quickly realizes they’re not in fact alone on the strange vessel.
Smith partly based the premise of the movie on the Greek myth Sisyphus (which has influenced countless works of art), in which the figure was cursed with pushing a large boulder up a hill for all eternity, one which would roll down the hill every time it neared the top. The director also wanted to explore the topic of déjà vu, looking to acclaimed pictures like Christopher Nolan’s Memento and the classic horror Dead of Night for the freaky flick.
5 Relic
The critically-acclaimed 2020 movie Relic follows mother and daughter Kay and Sam (Emily Mortimer & Robyn Nevin) as they travel to their decaying remote home to search for the elderly family matriarch after she mysteriously vanishes; when the duo arrive, they notice the older woman’s disturbing behavior and begin to believe a malevolent presence is lurking within its walls.
First-time director Natalie Erika James also co-wrote the spooky picture, serving up plenty of thrills and chills in her first big-screen endeavor and earning a Best Direction nomination at the AACTA Awards. Critics and audiences alike couldn’t get enough of the eerie haunted house tale that explores senility and Alzheimer's in a brilliantly sad and menacing way, with The New York Times noting that it “deftly merges the familiar bumps and groans of the haunted-house movie with a potent allegory for the devastation of dementia.”
4 Rogue
Featuring the talented Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington and Michael Vartan, the 2007 independent horror flick Rogue follows American travel journalist Pete McKell as he goes on a crocodile-watching river cruise in the outback, only for his group to become trapped on an island and terrorized by a man-eating 25-food croc.
Filmmakers drew inspiration from the real life story of the 1970s saltwater crocodile Sweetheart, who wreaked havoc in Australia by attacking boats over a five-year period, though the animal reportedly never killed any humans. Rogue was lauded by critics for its impressive special effects, nail-biting tension and adrenaline-pumping pacing, despite failing to make a dent at the box-office.
3 Lake Mungo
Told through mockumentary-style storytelling and found footage, the heavily-lauded 2008 psychological horror movie Lake Mungo centers on the grieving Palmer family as they struggle to accept the drowning death of their 16-year-old daughter; after they begin experiencing puzzling events, the Palmers discover the girl led a mysterious life that ultimately leads them to the titular lake.
When describing what caused him to create the creepy project, director Joel Anderson stated, “I don't think it's a supernatural thriller. I think it's meant to be an exploration of grief," later adding he was curious to analyze how “technology is used to record people's lives and sort of tracks memories, and how technology mediates a lot of our experiences.”
2 The Loved Ones
After politely turning down a classmate’s prom invitation, high school student Brent finds himself the object of a deranged girl’s obsession and revenge plot in 2009’s The Loved Ones, with the unhinged female forcing him to attend her own terrifying prom, a literally torturous, violent, and grotesque affair that will sear itself into viewers' minds. Having made its worldwide premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the horror movie was short filmmaker Sean Bryne’s first feature project and garnered numerous nominations including multiple Fangoria Chainsaw Award nods. The twisted picture once again made headlines in 2013 when a man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for reenacting a torture scene from the movie in an attempted murder.
1 The Babadook
Jennifer Kent made her groundbreaking directorial debut with the 2014 psychological horror picture The Babadook, telling the sinister tale of an exhausted single mother who begins to grow paranoid that the monster from her son’s pop-up storybook has manifested itself in their family home. Based on Kent’s 2005 short film Monster, the spine-tingling horror flick features an absolutely hair-raising pale-faced humanoid with sharp taloned fingers and a top hat, that relentlessly torments those who learn of its existence. The Babadook was both a critical and commercial hit, taking the world by storm via the internet and being lauded for its creature design, terrifying scares and overall screenplay; the cinematic triumph has since gone on to become a respected modern cult film.