ladymidath
I honestly don't understand why this movie flopped when it was first aired in 1979. It is one of the best films in the horror genre. I saw it years ago as a child and it was one of the films that stayed with me.Long Weekend is a very low key horror. The tension is not ramped up straight away, but builds slowly and steadily. Like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, there is no pat answer to what is actually happening, only that Peter and Marcia, (John Hargreaves and Briony Behets) are not welcome in their part of the bush. And for good reason, neither Peter or Marcia show any respect towards the bush or it's inhabitants. They carelessly start bushfires, slaughter animals with their negligence and destroy their surroundings.Peter and Marcia are not a very likable couple either, they constantly bicker and it is clear to see that their marriage is in serious trouble.The acting from both John Hargreaves and Briony Behets is excellent, both give a brilliant performance as the rapidly estranging couple that literally come under siege by their surroundings.The final scenes of this film are truly harrowing and I promise, ones that you won't forget. do yourself a favour, see the original before you see the remake. This is what Aussie cinema used to be like. Brilliant and original.Long Weekend is considered to be an Ozploitation film and even though is was a commercial flop in Australia, it was a huge hit overseas.
atinder
Huge fan of killer animal movies and this as been on watch list for a few years, I really looking forward to this and the remake, I was going to watch them back to back.This movie takes while to getting going, I don't mind some slow build up unless there go some where.I found most of this movie very boring, the couple were very annoying, who could not care less if they were killed by these animals. I Felt bored and frustrated throughout the movie, even Animals attacks scenes will really dull, Could have been done better!I don't think acting the was bad, why would make two couple so annoying they you wish they do get killed.The last scenes was bloody Joke, it's actually funny!3 out of 10
shark-43
LONG WEEKEND might not be for everyone - it is slow and subtle and the two leads are suffering from a tragedy and full of self-pity and complaints and I can see how their bickering could get on a viewer's nerves. But if you STAY WITH THIS film - it pays off. It is because of the slow pace of this film that everything builds perfectly - long a slow boiling pot - bit by bit - as they abuse each other and the natural surroundings around them - and shoot at animals and throw trash in the ocean and basically act like many humans in nature - "I am here and screw everything else" - it all comes to a head and punches you in the face. John Hargreaves is a very underrated Australian actor - he worked a lot in the 70's and 80's (Phar Lap, Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, etc.) and sadly died rather young - but he gives a terrific performance playing a rather despicable guy - and if he does not look like a blond Aussie Clive Owen - then I don't know who does.
Billy_Crash
For an hour-and-a-half, this seemed to be one, long dragged out film.Sure, the acting was fine for the most part and the premise was intriguing, but the pace was slow and repetitive.Worst still, the characters were absolute jerks. Now, it's perfectly fine to hate the characters, but the rest of the story needs to be solid and strong enough to entertain us as we root for, in this case, Mother Nature. Even though nature was a definitive character, its presence was second rate, on the fringe and never fullblown as we needed it to be. This really didn't leave anyone or anything for the audience to rally behind. Instead, the audience trudges through a slow-paced ninety-minutes waiting for the couple to get their due.This is a DVD best left on the shelf unless you have nothing better to do.
AD
