Ozploitation

Ozploitation films are a type of low budget horror, comedy and action films made in Australia after the introduction of the R rating in 1971. The year also marked the beginnings of the Australian New Wave movement, and the Ozploitation style peaked within the same time frame (early 1970s to late 1980s). Ozploitation is often considered a smaller wave within the New Wave, "a time when break-neck-action, schlock-horror, ocker comedy and frisky sex romps joined a uniquely antipodean wave in exploitation cinema".

Background

The origin of the term "Ozploitation" is credited to the documentary Not Quite Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino coined the phrase "Aussiesploitation", which director Mark Hartley then shortened to "Ozploitation".

Notable Films

Some notable films from the New Wave era include:

• Alvin Purple
• BMX Bandits
• Don's Party
• Howling III
• Mad Max
• Razorback

Ozploitation today

Ozploitation is experiencing something of a revivial in recent years with films: Undead (2003), Wolf Creek (2005), Rogue (2007), Daybreakers (2008), Storm Warning (2008), and the upcoming Long Weekend made in the Ozploitation style. A 2008 feature film, Not Quite Hollywood, examines the Ozploitation films made during the Australian New Wave. The film includes interviews with Quentin Tarantino, a long time fan of Ozploitation films. Queensland University of Technology PhD researcher Mark David Ryan, in the first in-depth study, found that Australian horror film production has trebled from less than 20 films in the 1990s to over 60 films between 2000 and 2008.

External links

• Ozploitation article @ THE DEUCE: Grindhouse Cinema Database