Killing Ground is a 2017 Australian thriller that subverts expectations of the typical Australian outback horror. Instead, it utilizes the more familiar bushland setting, turning everyday elements into terrifying symbols of violence and dread. The film follows multiple groups as they are stalked and hunted by a group of redneck antagonists, exploring themes of cyclical brutality and Australia's dark history.
When it comes to Australian survival thrillers, Wolf Creek has absolutely dominated the genre, shaping our expectations of it. As such, gems like Killing Ground go under the radar, particularly since it doesn't have the stereotypical outback in the marketing scheme. As much as the outback is a part of Aussie culture, the vast empty landscape is located centrally in the country, and most people live on the outskirts.
Killing Ground makes a more familiar Australian landscape into a nightmare, the bushlands, where even more recognizable cultural and historical staples are referenced and turned into relentless nightmare fuel that are universally terrifying. 'Killing Ground' Is an Australian 'Eden Lake' Damien Power's directorial debut has a set-up that is similar to the British horror, Eden Lake. We initially meet a lovely young couple at the beginning of their promising relationship as they go camping in an isolated area near a body of water, until they are hunted down by rough-around-the-edges locals. Just like how the young group of misfit boys reflected a key aspect of Britain's sociopolitical environment, Killing Ground's redneck antagonists represent a demographic in Australian culture that is often ridiculed and not taken seriously, but turned deadly in this film. We also meet another family in Killing Ground, who are camping by the falls with their teenage daughter and toddler. Opting for the bushland instead of the outback, Power is able to strike terror into more Australian hearts as it is far more of a familiar landscape. He turns the'home among the gum trees' and'billabong' creature comforts of the bush into a ghastly medium of bloody mayhem, sharpened by a mean edge. If you're not Australian, the setting itself is uniquely ghostly anyway, as the paleness of the light eucalyptus trees and the faded, white, twisting trunks make the screen look lifeless. More terrifying than the inherent isolation of the deadened place is how the trees and shrubbery engulf characters that are running away from the camera in a few mere seconds: effortlessly labyrinthine. Australian References Are Made Terrifying in This Survival Horror Close The first act of Killing Ground has a subtle twist that introduces us to the film's familiar characters in a unique way. Branching off into three segments, we follow the family, the couple and the antagonists, investing in each storyline until the brutal truth takes over. By employing this twist (which will remain unspoiled), Power approaches the hunters in a way that renders them even more disturbing and nuanced than we expected. German (Aaron Pedersen) and Chook (Aaron Glenane) are initially what we expect from the usually laughable caricatures of Aussie redneck locals. They are rough, crass, and are constantly rejected in bars. During these scenes out on the town and in grimy bathrooms, Pedersen and Glenane balance their performances to make the cartoonish portrayal of the hunters believable enough to draw our attention, yet repulsive enough to want to keep a distance. Their eerie dominant-submissive dynamics add to this realism, as German essentially bullies and mentors Chook into his level of depravity, almost making the violence feel contagious. Chook's evolution is most compelling, as it gives the film the effect of culminating brutality, making each gruesome narrative beat even more provocative than the last. 'Killing Ground' Explores Australia's History of Violence Killing Ground briefly touches upon Australian history in an almost throwaway scene, contextualizing the events while connecting it to larger sociopolitical themes without taking away from the guttural savagery of it all. When Em's (Tiarnie Coupland) father tells her about the titular location where many Australian Aboriginal people were massacred by white settlers, many viewers will barely register the significance of the comment. What makes the film powerful is how carelessly and covertly this piece of information is added in, making the white guilt an unsettling afterthought and the cycle of violence feel all the more pitiless. The idea of cyclic cruelty is emphasized through the first gimmick, and the bleak twists and turns within the plot, especially as Killing Ground expands its aggression in the daunting closing scenes. By morphing Australian staples into terrifying entities that loom over the aggressively-paced narrative, the horror keeps us taut on the edge of our seats as our stomachs turn down under
Australian Horror Survival Horror Bush Setting Redneck Antagonists Cyclic Brutality Historical Violence
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