IMDb RATING
5.5/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Two best friends, Grant and Paul, hit the country road for a night of fun, but unfortunately take a short cut to their fate... where they meet the Locals.Two best friends, Grant and Paul, hit the country road for a night of fun, but unfortunately take a short cut to their fate... where they meet the Locals.Two best friends, Grant and Paul, hit the country road for a night of fun, but unfortunately take a short cut to their fate... where they meet the Locals.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Greg Page
- Local with lantern
- (uncredited)
Richard Swainson
- Local
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Two friends hit the road for a surfing trip and decide to take a short-cut when night falls to speed up their journey.On their way they meet a couple of girls with a fast car and are invited to a party.In the following car race,the guys crash their car and go looking for help.They approach a farmhouse but as they look in the window,they see someone being murdered.Now the friends are on the run from the locals who want to kill them."The Locals" is a major disappointment.The film plays like the cross of "Deliverance" and "The Sixth Sense",but as an avid horror fan I found it dull and suspenseless.The locals are neither scary nor menacing.The photography is good and there are some creepy locations,but the absence of suspense is hard to forgive.The director shows some potential,so hopefully his next horror project will be more intense than unexciting "The Locals".5 out of 10.
"The Locals" is a chilling film that is most effective if you watch it with no expectations or knowledge of its content. As a result, I'll say very little about the plot other than it centres around two young friends, Grant and Paul, who are on holiday to surf. Unfortunately, things don't work out quite as they expected when they meet two young girls, Kelly and Lisa.
This atmospheric film has impressive production values for such a low budget movie and it definitely hits the mark. The cast are excellent and the main characters are likable.
7 out of 10. An unpredictable and pleasant surprise.
This atmospheric film has impressive production values for such a low budget movie and it definitely hits the mark. The cast are excellent and the main characters are likable.
7 out of 10. An unpredictable and pleasant surprise.
If Hollywood had made this movie (and smoothed out some hitches that presumably came with a low budget) the critics may well have been raving about it.
In many ways it could have been another 'The Others'.
Most of the acting is quite acceptable for a low budget horror movie; the photography is very well done and the script itself is ambitious and doesn't miss by much, which is saying something. Some of the foreshadowing is top notch.
Either way well worth watching and miles ahead of so much Hollywood horror pap!
As ghost stories go this was relatively original and will be appreciated by those looking for something different.
In many ways it could have been another 'The Others'.
Most of the acting is quite acceptable for a low budget horror movie; the photography is very well done and the script itself is ambitious and doesn't miss by much, which is saying something. Some of the foreshadowing is top notch.
Either way well worth watching and miles ahead of so much Hollywood horror pap!
As ghost stories go this was relatively original and will be appreciated by those looking for something different.
I saw this film because I recognised some of the actors, and was quite impressed with Dwayne Cameron's acting. I can't say the same for everyone - Grant's character wasn't as convincing at the beginning - but it may be there was more focus on the plot at the beginning than development of character. Especially Paul and Grant's friendship, it seemed a little strange at first, but it ended up being the focus of the ending - which was a great scene!. I was also impressed with the camera work, shots, and editing which all added to the feeling of mystery and thrill. The storyline may have been slightly copycat but there was some great Kiwi spirit added in there which made it even more special. Hey, a movie that mentions the film Lord of the Rings has got to be ahead of it's time, eh!
On many occasions, I buy Anchor Bay DVD's sight unseen. I trust them that much. But, thankfully, I did not buy The Locals. Despite the company's reputation and all of the glowing reviews, I didn't buy it. And I am very happy that I saved myself some money because I didn't like it. I'll admit, I'm in the minority on that because most everyone seems to love it. I just found it to be okay. The storyline was just okay, the acting was just okay (Dwayne Cameron was particularly good though, when not trying to be funny), and there were no effects to speak of. Once again, I think I didn't dig the movie because I felt nothing for the characters. Charisma can go a long way in a movie like this, and none of the actors had that. The film itself certainly had no scares and no atmosphere. I just never felt any kind of dread. And that is needed in a horror film of this type. I can see The Locals working better as a short story than it did as a movie.
Did you know
- TriviaThe radio station 90.2 (Mhz) that Grant and Paul are listening to in the car on the way out of Auckland is called "The Rock".
- GoofsWhen Grant and Paul leave their house at the beginning, the scenes of them driving are completely out of order. The first shot shows them very close to the Auckland CBD, followed by them driving down State Highway 1 in the country (nearby Rangiriri), then passing under the Papakura Motorway bridge (part of Auckland), back again on the SH1 country road and past the Japanese bus they encounter, until the car turns off at Pokeno (which is much further north of Rangiriri and just south of Auckland) to head west.
- ConnectionsFeatured in From Len Lye to Gollum: New Zealand Animators (2004)
- SoundtracksNil by Mouth
Published by Blindspott Int. Ltd
Performed by Blindspott
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records
- How long is The Locals?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- The Locals
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $137,941
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content