long weekend

Although it qualifies as an “Ozploitation” picture, Long Weekend (1978) is a film that doesn’t fit comfortably into any category. And it’s that very off-centeredness that makes it so unique; shot with a disorienting sense of unease that seems to suggest something truly horrible is lurking at the fringes of the screen. By simplest description, the film falls into the “Nature Strikes Back” sub-genre, which includes insipidly enjoyable trash like Day of the Animals and Food of the Gods. But in actuality it leans closer to Hitchcock’s progenitor, The Birds, with it main characters’ emotional states reflected back at them in a most violent and unexpected way.

On the cusp of a divorce, Peter (John Hargreaves) and Marcia (Briony Behets) head to a deserted beachside campsite for a three-day holiday. Trading arguments with attempts at reconciliation, the couple begins to notice that nature isn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat. Animals from land, air and sea begin to act strangely aggressive towards their presence, particularly Peter’s macho disregard for hunting, fishing and littering laws. As their own relationship falls apart, the natural world around them begins to close in for the kill.

Written by Everett De Roche, who had a wildly successful streak of scripts including Patrick, Road Games and Razorback, he drops breadcrumbs of vital information throughout the story in an ingenious fashion. The audience knows very little about the cause of Peter and Marcia’s marital strife, but the eventual reveal fits into the film’s theme remarkably well.

While other environmental horror films at the time were parading around mutant bears, bunnies and insects, director Colin Eggleston works on a much smaller scale with more powerful results. There are still a few attack scenes, but nature’s retribution is far more psychological and realistic, making the most of eerie nighttime sounds and empty landscapes. De Roche’s concept is a nice twist, but it’s Eggleston’s execution, which has an air of polished fatalism, that really seals the deal. A remake, using De Roche’s old script verbatim, popped up in 2008 that only proves the point more vividly.

Synapse’s original DVD release in 2005 was a real beauty, looking as close to hi-def as the format would allow. Which might explain why the actual high-definition release doesn’t produce the same “Wow” factor immediately on Blu-ray…it already looked damn good to begin with! But on a larger screen the results become obvious, with much more detail visible, especially in the nighttime scenes, than ever before. The original mono audio track is paired up with an entertaining remastered 5.1 mix and all the extras from the previous release pop up again, including a commentary, short audio interview with lead actor Hargreaves over a montage of stills, and the theatrical trailer.