Review of Inn of the Damned (1975) by Alex R — 20 Feb 2013

Using the psycho formula and mixing it with the Western, director Terry Bourke crafts a fun and entertaining horror film that is an obscured and forgotten gem of an Exploitation film to boot. Although far from perfect, the film does manage to pull together both genres of film very well and create something good in the process.

The cast a good job with the material, although it is nothing new, Bourke manages to make a film that should nonetheless please genre fans. The film works well due to fluent directing, a great sense of atmosphere which adds to the terror and feel of a Western/Horror hybrid.

Inn of the Damned is a good film to watch on a Friday night when you have nothing else better to do, and though not always exciting, thrilling due to some parts being a bit too slow, the idea behind the plot makes it very entertaining and worth seeing.

In terms of Ozploitation, the Aussi's were just getting started and with this film, it showed the potential of such great films that would follow in later years. The tone of the film is what stands out the most about it, it's eerie and creepy and there are plenty of tense moments.

Even if it uses recycled ideas, this is a film worth checking out due to the fact that it combines two genres well enough to make it enjoyable if you're a fan of these types of films. Although not a great movie, it still has its place in the Australian Ozploitation genre and it is a film worth checking out if you want to check out the earlier attempts of Aussie horror filmmaking.

This is a confident movie that overcomes its flaws by being something different as well as something familiar.