Not to be confused with the Patrick Swayze vehicle or Atom Egoyan film with the same title, this Australian production from 1982 is a superb horror film. Featuring fantastic cinematography and good performances, NEXT OF KIN is one of those great $3 finds (on the US Virgin Vision label) and definitely deserves more attention.

The film's biggest asset is the direction by Tony Williams. Despite Virgin's blood drenched cover, NEXT OF KIN isn't really a slasher film. The first 2/3 of the film unfolds in a very slow and deliberate manner that allows the audience to experience the unfolding mystery as Linda (Jacki Kerin) begins to do so on her own. Williams builds the atmosphere effectively over this time. There are several chilling moments involving long crawls down hallways and thoughts of being watched. The last 1/3 is a straight up horror/action finale that, with the mystery revealed, places the heroine in an adrenaline-pumping chase. The tagline on one box for this reads, "Some films take their audience to the brink of terror…this one crosses the border!" I couldn't agree more.

Another key to the film's success is the mystery itself. It is one of those films where you have to watch every little detail. The writers (director Williams and Michael Heath) deliberately lead the audience down the wrong path so that, like Linda, we think we know it all but are completely in the dark. The final revelation is quite surprising and makes complete sense given everything seen previous in the film. Of course the stellar cast helps greatly in pulling this off. Kerin is very good as the investigative Linda. Alex Scott, who also appeared in ROMPER STOMPER, is particularly good as the Dr. Barton.

Linda inherits Montclare, a retirement home that belonged to her mother. When she comes back to her hometown to settle her affairs, she feels unwelcome, with only Barry, an old boyfriend (John Jarratt, the evil Mick Taylor in the Wolf Creek series of movies),being understanding.

Things certainly aren't helped by Montclare's staff, including Connie and Dr. Barton (Alex Scott, The Asphyx),who have been conducting a secret affair and may be conspiring to drive Linda insane. Or perhaps the house is truly haunted, as drowned corpses appear at will and windows mysteriously open. No matter what, there's something wrong and it's probably due to the years of madness and murder that Linda's mother has covered up.

There's an amazing moment near the end where Linda has gone near insane, barricading herself within the diner, where she builds a pyramid of sugar cubes as the forces of evil gather themselves to do her in. It's strangely gorgeous. And not the only original sight in a film that seemingly would only be a rip-off.

Throw in an amazing score by Tangerine Dream's Klaus Schulze and you have a film that's quite worthy of experiencing.

Sadly, there's been no official U.S. DVD or blu-ray release of the film. You can find it on YouTube and through the gray market. And you totally should. It's nothing like the poster promises and is instead a psychologically rich trip through past sins and a family curse.

Willful young lass Linda (a fine and sympathetic performance by Jacki Kerin) inherits a rundown retirement home after her mother dies. Pretty soon sinister things begin to occur that are just like dire events that are noted in a diary that Linda's mom wrote.

Director/co-writer Tony Williams relates the absorbing story at a deliberate pace, adroitly crafts a strong brooding gloom-doom atmosphere, makes neat use of the remote outback countryside setting, builds loads of tension, and pulls out the harrowing stops at the stirring and suspenseful climax. Moreover, Williams also takes time to flesh out the characters, with Linda in particular standing out as a very fetching and appealing damsel in distress who's nonetheless more than able to take care of herself. The excellent acting by the capable cast rates as another substantial asset: John Jarratt as easygoing local Barney, Alex Scott as the businesslike Dr. Barton, Gerda Nicolson as dutiful supervisor Connie, Charles McCallum as the ailing Lance, and Bernadette Gibson as the unhinged Rita. Gary Hansen's fluid and polished cinematography boasts plenty of stylish flourishes and makes invigorating frequent use of a smoothly gliding Steadicam. Klaus Schulze's shivery synthesizer score hits the skin-crawling spot. A real sleeper that's well worth a watch.