Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Long Weekend Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 16, 2015

Maybe you thought your last vacation was bad? 1978’s “Long Weekend” is an unnerving reminder that hotels and resorts are perhaps the only way to truly relax in the big, bad world. A horror effort that invests almost completely in atmosphere, “Long Weekend” is a highly effective exercise in slow-burn terror, putting the entirety of its focus on two characters as their extraordinarily troubling camping trip to a remote Australian beach turns into a prolonged test of survival. However, it’s not poor planning that comes back to haunt the couple in question, but a karmic explosion of animal retaliation in response to human savagery, allowing the screenplay to explore a different type of suspense. The feature takes time to get where it’s going, but the reward is superb tension and unpredictable surges of intensity, with stars John Hargreaves and Briony Behets capturing utter distress as director Colin Eggleston orchestrates an unforgettable downward spiral of sanity, with villainy agreeably dimensional and the great outdoors ruined forever.

For married couple Marica (Briony Behets) and Peter (John Hargreaves), an argument concerning an undefined offense has driven them into mutual silence, but nothing is about to slow down their weekend plans. Hoping to get away and clear his head, Peter promises his wife a visit to a secluded beach, offering the couple time together, while the man of the house can romp around with his rifle and beer playing adventurer, joined by their dog, Cricket. Immediately, trouble plagues their trip, presenting interactions with road kill, suspicious locals, and a maze-like forest before finding a camping spot of their own. Marcia wants nothing to do with the outing, but Peter persuades her with unsullied beaches and bright sun. However, the creatures of the night have different plans for the visitors, with Peter’s casual destruction of nature offered a swift response, terrorizing the couple, with their personal problems adding to already boiling tensions.

Everett De Roche’s screenplay is spectacular on a number of levels, attempting to find something meaningful to manage as the trip goes to hell. “Long Weekend” isn’t a surface slasher only interested in random thrills, but a careful study of marital resentment and sexual dysfunction, with something not immediately understood causing Peter and Marcia to stop communicating in a healthy manner, leaving the trip teeming with hostilities that take the entire picture to understand. Through it all, De Roche offers symbolism, with Peter and Marcia coming across an eagle egg, while the haunting cry of a baby animal wails at night, searching for its mother. There’s also the presence of a dugong, a sea cow originally identified as a shark as Peter swims and surfs in the ocean. His quick response to the creature, filling it with bullets, only adds to the nightmare.

Psychological profiles are examined, along with interpersonal frostiness. Peter and Marcia aren’t practiced communicators, constantly engaged in arguments and accusations, with their moments of reconciliation painfully brief. Putting a Bergman film into the wild helps “Long Weekend” with emotionality, adding substance to the stand-off, with developed characters giving life to the horror show. While the time period keeps Marcia in hysterics, nagging her husband, submitting to his manliness, Peter is a compelling force of recklessness, stomping around with his gun, reclaiming masculinity in the middle of nowhere as his primitive instinct emerges with help from beer and irresponsibility. Other productions would’ve employed a cackling figure of disgrace to connect the dots, but “Long Weekend” has more on its mind than simple scares. It wants to get under the skin, exploring fallibility and arrogance while it slowly brings animal attack antics into view.

The film’s environmental statement is clear, depicting Peter as the aggressor in this fight, chopping down a tree for no reason, shooting up the area, and tossing empty beer bottles around. Marcia contributes with sustained use of insecticide, blasting ants with poison. Cigarettes are flicked onto dry ground, a kangaroo is run over by the couple’s truck, and meat is left to rot. The animal kingdom has no choice but to fight back. While some overt horror beats remain, “Long Weekend” is mostly about stillness, with an active sound design doing all the heavy work, though more visceral events do occur, leaving Peter and Marcia confused and battered. Is the forest haunted? Are the animals working together? Answers are limited, and thank goodness for that. The mystery of “Long Weekend” is its greatest asset, asking viewers to buy into mood, which the production supplies through tense, sweaty cinematography by Vincent Monton and a disquieting score by Michael Carlos.

Long Weekend Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers a bright, crisp viewing experience that almost makes "Long Weekend" look brand new. Damage is minimal, with speckling detected and a few vertical scratches. Sharpness is retained, providing a clean examination of campsite particulars, animal textures, and increasingly hostile facial reactions from the lead characters. Detail is quite good, only restrained by inherent cinematographic limitations, which offer some focal softness. Grain is fine and filmic. Colors are rich, with bold primaries keeping skies fresh and blood deep red, and costuming delivers a full sense of available hues, most staying true to the 1970s and its addiction to shades of blue. Delineation is adequate, preserving frame information with evening events.

Long Weekend Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is an ideal companion to the visual event, utilizing a strong sense of surround activity to goose the chills. Discrete animal positioning is actually quite frightening, with screeches and mournful calls emerging unexpectedly, adding to the suspense. Dialogue exchanges are defined and secure, keeping accents crisp enough to follow, while dramatic interests are maintained with a healthy range, never slipping into distortion. Scoring is heavy and ominous, with synth sounds conjuring tone when necessary. Atmospherics, including crashing waves and wind, are evocative, contributing to the outdoorsy feel of the picture. As a horror track, this one is incredibly effective with the lights off and the volume cranked, putting the listener in the thick of the nightmare, which emerges from all sides of the room.

Long Weekend Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features producer Richard Brennan and cinematographer Vincent Monton.

• Still Gallery (4:43) is a collection of production and publicity images from 1995, with commentary provided by actor John Hargreaves (who passed away in 1996), who discusses his technique, professional history, and acting advice he received.

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:05, HD) is included.

Long Weekend Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For those used to more propulsive horror entertainment, "Long Weekend" might feel like a still photo at times. The prolonged mood of torment, with the characters forced to confront their shortcomings when faced with an unseen enemy, works wonderfully for the effort, keeping the picture in a state of unrest. A constant barrage of violence would only dilute the movie's personality. After all, there was a remake, 2008's "Nature's Grave" (starring Jim Caviezel and Claudia Karvan), which only managed to prove how effective the original film was. "Long Weekend" is disturbing for many reasons. While the animals and their scheme of vengeance is enough to swear off any future camping adventures, the real alarm of the move lies in its study of a soured marriage, watching two characters selfishly put their own concerns ahead of others as the world conspires to kill them off.