Next of Kin

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=125 BGCOLOR="#444444" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="043467d1dfgrzc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Book Antiqua" ><B>YikesHorror.com</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|     </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Book Antiqua" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="YikesHorror.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id264.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Horror beginning with N"><U>Horror beginning with N</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id482.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nadja"><U>Nadja</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id483.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Near Dark"><U>Near Dark</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id484.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Necronomicon"><U>Necronomicon</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id485.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Nest"><U>The Nest</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id486.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NewlyDeads"><U>NewlyDeads</U></A>   |   <B>Next of Kin</B>   |   <A HREF="id346.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Angel"><U>Night Angel</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id348.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night of the Living Dead (1990)"><U>Night of the Living Dead (1990)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id349.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nightbreed"><U>Nightbreed</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id350.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night of the Zombies"><U>Night of the Zombies</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id351.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night of the Creeps"><U>Night of the Creeps</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id352.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Nurse"><U>Night Nurse</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id353.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nightmare"><U>Nightmare</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id354.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nightmares"><U>Nightmares</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id347.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night of the Living Dead (1968)"><U>Night of the Living Dead (1968)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id371.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Nightmare on Elm Street"><U>A Nightmare on Elm Street</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id372.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddys Rev"><U>A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id373.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream W"><U>A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id374.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream M"><U>A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id375.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream C"><U>A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id376.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Freddys Dea"><U>A Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Freddy's Dead</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id377.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nightmare Weekend"><U>Nightmare Weekend</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id378.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Night Stalker"><U>The Night Stalker</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#444444" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=355 BGCOLOR="#DDDDDD" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Next of Kin</B></div> <div> <B>(Institution/Psychology/Conspiracy)                                  6*****skulls</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>*No Blood* *Not Violent* *No Strong Language* *Very Brief Nudity* *Sexual Situations* *Not Gory*</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>1982/Color/90 Min./Virgin Vision & Film House & SIS Productions & Virgin Vision,Inc./Rated R</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Director.....</B><B>........Tony Williams</B></div> <div> <B>Screenplay.......Michael Heath & Tony Williams</B></div> <div> <B>Music................Klaus Schulze </B></div> <div> <B>Producer...........Robert Letet</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Dramatis Personae</U></B></div> <div> <B>Linda.....................Jackie Kerin</B></div> <div> <B>Barney...................John Jerratt</B></div> <div> <B>Dr. Barton..............Alex Scott</B></div> <div> <B>Connie..................Gerda Nicolson</B></div> <div> <B>Rita/Mrs.................Bernadette Gibson</B></div> <div> <B>Kelvin....................Robert Ratti</B></div> <div> <B>Nico.......................Vince DeLitto</B></div> <div> <B>Harry......................Tommy Dysart</B></div> <div> <B>Carol......................Debra Lawrance</B></div> <div> <B>Lina aged 4............Kristina Marshall</B></div> <div> <B>C.F.A. Speaker.......Simon Thorpe</B></div> <div> <B>Service Club Men..David Allshorn & Alan Rowe</B></div> <div> <B>Mr. Collins.............Matt Burns</B></div> <div> <B>Freda.....................Daphane Miller</B></div> <div> <B>Cookee..................Bunice Crimp</B></div> <div> <B>Maid......................Irene Hewitt</B></div> <div> <B>Truckie..................John Bishop</B></div> <div> <B>Cafe Man...............Mitchell Faircloth</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Critique</U></B><B>: Why must all Australian horror films be so deathly slow? With the exception of the repeated and truly scary depictions of the drowning victims and the threat of more to come with every trip to the shower, not a lot of suspense is generated. The camera work is a study of perspectives and zooms and is very effective in creating horror movie mood; isolation, distance, sudden surprise. This is a demanding movie that does not catch your attention on its own. However, it does repay close attention. The argentoesque gothic views of hallways and zooms attempt to create mood and tension, however, stand largely on their own as the viewer just doesn't identify sufficiently with Linda's plight. Her pensiveness, and the dreariness of the house and the Australian prarie just weighs on us so much that we simply haven't the emotional energy to invest in the goings on.i  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Plot Summary</U></B><B>: Linda Mary Stephens inherits her mother's large estate "Montclare" which serves as a retirement home. At the Roadside Diner, the owner wellcomes and apologizes to her for her loss and asks her what she intends to do with her house. Linda arrives at Montclare Retirement Home (est. 1951) as an electrical storm begins. Linda reads the diary of her mother Mary Stevens who wrote August 25, 1950 of her desire to keep Montclare, perhaps as a retirement home. Connie, the caretaker startles Linda as she tries to close the attic windows. While in the attic she finds a soccer ball she had as a child and flings it with contempt. Lightning strikes a tree necessitating that the new guest Mrs. Ryan be wheelchaired through the rain to the house, until she chooses to limp in on her own. Linda is not pleased to hear of a new arrival since she had already decided not to take any more guests. Mrs. Ryan is escorted by her nephew Tom. Tom and Linda smile at each other and all go to bed. As Linda reads diaries of how her new beau Lance and Linda get on, how he bought her a red ball, and of how she feels someone wandering around the house and can't sleep, she herself sees someone watching her from the street. She dreams of herself as a little girl with the ball, the same ball she held yesterday in the attic. The kindly old soldier Lance takes a bath but when he climbs in, he treads on a dead bloated guy, Mr. Collins. The crew removes him. Linda continues her drive into town, Tom drives by in his van and smiles before speeding off. She frolics in the woods with boyfriend Barney and while she searches for him, she sees another man watching them. Barney goes to investigate but finds nothing. Connie informs Linda of the death and takes her to Dr. Barton, who is treating Lance for a minor stroke. Barton says of Collins "It was his heart." As Linda presses, Dr. Barton tells her stress killed her mother and that he, who delivered her, would like to help her decide what to do with Montclare. Barney admits he's beeen stuffing it up Carol's butt in Linda's long absence before Carol and Barney head off for a party. Linda changed her mind and stayed home. In the hall she visions herself walking as a girl down the hall with a ball. She checks on Lance and then works at her desk where she falls asleep until the cat awakens her. She sees in the balance book and finds many recent payments had been made to Rita care of to Dr. Barton. Linda's aunt, her mother's sister. She concludes R.B. is Barton. Looking for the cat, Linda finds the corpse of Mr. Collins uncovered and wonders who would do that, when she is shocked bey the wandering Mrs. Peterson before restoring the lights. Barney calls from a phone booth but Linda hears something and leaves to investigate, and Barney hangs up. Next she finds the faucets all running but can't find anyone to blame. On come the red ball nightmares again--as a little girl she tosses it in the tub. She dreams of the drowned Mr. Collins knocking at her window. Barney comes by and they have a sweaty time of it. The old folks are off for a tour the next day. Lance digs out a red beret from the fountain before he is busled off to bed by Linda. Linda asks Lance when aunt Rita died, but his stroke keeps him from speaking. Linda reports to Connie that someone had been in the house the night before, and Connie's reaction is suspicious. She also doesn't know when Aunt Rita died. Dr. Barton reports that she did die. (sophie's world is in his office). Barton reports that Rita had been sick and died in a home. He sloughs off the accounts of recent payments made to Rita care of him as being accounting error. The story doesn't ring particularly true. Linda thinks she sees someone in her room when she gets back, but Connie says no one is there. She reads about similar nocturnal events happening to her mother twenty years before: her mother had feared something evil that had lived in that house--even people lying in the bath drowned. Sure of a conspiracy, she looks through the files of the pople found in the bath twenty years before, and finds no mention of drowning--and Dr. Barton had signed these apparently phony death papers. She goes to Mr. Collins and sees signs of a struggle on him. She is confronted by Dr. Barton and rushes past him. She rushes to Barney, drunk at a fire brigade meeting, and Barney goes in to get the files. While he's in there she finds Carol with her throat slit in the fountain. Worse, the telephone isn't working and Barney's in no position to help. She bustles Lance out a window and just closes the door on a persuer. She locks herself in behind a pursuer and finds herself locked in with Mrs. Ryan. Rita is rather miffed that Linda's mother had had her put away for a few indiscretions. She watches as her nephew attacks Linda with a little sledge hammer. The chase is soon on. She ducks into the bathroom and what could be a better chambre des mortes? Mrs. Ryan (Rita) peers in through the keyhole to watch--Linda pokes her eye with a sharp implement. Linda escapes to the diner and holes up with Nico. WHile they wait, Linda makes an excellent sugar cube pyramid and back comes nephew with a truck right through the wall of the diner. After Nico misses with two shots and sparks fail to quickly ingnite the van, Linda blows Tom's head off, and the two drive off as the diner explodes.</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>