Inn of the Damned

INN OF THE DAMNED is about a seemingly normal, older couple who run the quiet country establishment of the title. In actuality, they're a pair of homicidal psychopaths with a unique, ingenious method for dispatching their prey.

Many deaths ensue before someone gets wise to the deadly duo, resulting in a final conflict and the revelation of the demented couple's twisted motive.

If you enjoy gruesome tales with just enough naughtiness -bath time!- to keep things interesting, then this is perfect for your next late-night viewing...

It is getting a bit dated now and our view of films changes over time but the first time I ever saw this film I could NOT believe it had been made in Australia - I didn't think we were that good. I first saw it 30 years ago but still have a copy and am watching it again. There is more sex than I remembered - how odd - but there is some good acting and great scenery of paddocks shot around Camden. These are probably housing estates now.

I found the punch line quite moving and still do. The acting is good and quite professional. On the whole, it is still a scary movie without the use of cgi or special effects.

I really don't know what to think about this very strange western from the Aussie land. Very strange, very difficult to analyze, to have an opinion. But it's no crap, no, in any way, just an unpredictable and unusual feature, that's all. You have horror elements in this movie from the mid seventies; very daring for this period. It was not Robert Rodriguez's period yet and the Grindhouse mode was not sent to Australia either. But this film doesn't beyond to the Grindhouse, no. It's really something very weird, not for all audiences, for sure. Most of them will run away from it or stop after a couple of reels. No it's worth trying this movie.

I first saw 'Inn of the Damned' years ago then caught it again recently and I'm pleased to report having only grown more fond of this quirky Australian western-horror, a highly original one-of-a-kind tale featuring a cast so talented and diverse it simply can't miss.

Director Bourke seizes the opportunity to spend an ample budget (a record at the time in Oz) on building an elaborate mystery, the characters afforded more depth than usual, in particular Cord's likeable Dirty Harry-esque bushranger hunter who becomes suspicious of the old Inn after a disappearance. Dame Judith Anderson and Joseph Furst are both first-rate as the reclusive inn-keepers guarding a harrowing secret, and there's even space for both John Meillon and Michael Craig in the deeper-than-expected casting.

It's essentially a horror movie set in 1890s outback, so whilst there's horse chases, stagecoaches and spurs in abundance, it's still a bona fide thriller delivering well-timed shocks and some ghastly make-up effects.

Initially I felt the film was perhaps 20 mins longer than needed, but I came to appreciate the character backstories including those of the victims, a diverse assortment of eccentric lodgers each bringing their own sordid situations into the orbit of the senile serial killers.

Special mentions also go to local stage actor & playwright Robert Quilter as the despicable vagrant-criminal Biscayne, and then the Diana Dangerfield (Brisbane-based theatre actress & playwright)/ Carla Hoogeveen (also seen in Bourke's earlier anthology 'Night of Fear') lesbian love triangle is a detour you won't soon forget, the pair given more screen-time than expected in the somewhat shoehorned sub-plot, delivering decent performances that rise above the salaciousness.

Overall I can understand the criticisms at the film's perceived padding, but realistically there's plenty of blood-letting at regular intervals and if you invest in the characters, there's a tense, sombre tone and a particularly unsettling climax to make the wait worthwhile. Odd but effective western-styled Ozploitation thriller.

I enjoyed the movie itself.Good original but sad story. Touched a not very exposed taboo.That is Female molestation of younger teenage girls briefly. The sound quality and lighting is not the best.Time for a remake in the digital era.