Long Weekend 1978 Movie Review

I have already completed a review of the remake of Long Weekend so now I will do a review of the original. This movie is directed by Colin Eggleston and it stars John Hargreaves and BrionyBehets.This is an Australian movie and it is very good. I would consider it better than the remake.


So, if you have seen the remake, you already know the story, but I am going to go over it again, just in case. Peter(Hargreaves) and Marcia (Behets) are a married couple who are not getting on very well. They decide to take a camping trip to try and spend some quality time together. We see that they do not have much regard for nature. Peter hits a kangaroo while they are on their way and thinks nothing of it. They stop at a local store and they buy a few things. Peter asks the locals about this beach he is looking for, but nobody seems to know it. The locals look at them as they drive away..


They arrive at their destination late and they drive around, trying to find somewhere to camp. They have to sleep in the car that night, but the next morning, Peter finds a nice spot. They find the beach and they are amazed by the beauty of it. Peter goes swimming in the water while Marcia keeps watch on the beach. She seems something black in the water with him and she screams at him to get out, thinking that it might be a shark. She asks him if he heard noises last night, but he dismisses it. We see Marcia and Peter abusing nature. Marcia uses insecticide on some ants and kills them. Suddenly, a dart from Peter's harpoon flies out, almost killing her. We see Peter throwing bottles into the sea. He finds a barbie doll washed up on the beach. They also see a van parked on the beach further down.

Peter gets back in the water and Marcia sees the black shape again. This time, he gets his gun and he shoots at it, hitting his target. Marcia wants to go home. They find that all of their food has gone off. Marcia is getting scared at this point.They find an eagle egg and later, a eagle attacks Peter. They assume that she was after her egg. Marcia freaks out and she fires the egg at a tree, smashing it and killing the baby bird. She decides that she is going but Peter won't tell her how she can start the car as he has done something to the battery. That night, Peter is outside and he sees a possum eating their grapes. He hands it one,but it bites his hand instead. They both decide to leave in the morning. Marcia goes for a walk while Peter packs the car. She sees something on the beach. It is a sea cow and it is dead. They realise that that was the noises that they had been hearing.


Peter wants to look and see if there is anyone in the van that was on the beach. They argue and it comes out that Marcia had an affair and that she was pregnant,but had a abortion. They blame each other and she tells him that she is going to file for divorce. Peter continues to look for the van,but it has vanished. Peter finds a tent with a dog inside it. The dog is not friendly so he leaves. He finds Marcia heading towards the water and he stops her. He jumps into the sea and he finds the van underwater with dead people inside it. They want to leave but can't find their dog. The dog appears but Marcia drives off and leaves Peter in the middle of the bush. She drives away and she tries to find her way out of the bush. Birds fly at her windscreen, cracking it. She stops the car and jumps out. The dog begins barking and Peter goes to see what it is. He sees the sea cow and it is closer to his camp. He shoots it again.


He finds Marcia's shoe and it freaks him out. He has his harpoon with him and he shoots at something in the bushes. The next morning, he sees that Marcia is dead with a dart sticking out of her. He discovers the car and he drives away with his dog. He is driving around in circles and he has to jump out of the car and go on foot. He runs and tries to find some sign of life. He is confronted by the real horror of angry nature. Snakes hiss at him, birds fly at him in anger for his reckless mistreatment of the beautiful world around him. He is confronted by nature which will never let him off the hook. He stumbles onto a road and he sees a truck coming. The truck driver is attacked by a bird and he can't see Peter standing on the road. Peter is hit by the truck and killed. Nature has her revenge.. I liked this film much more than the weak remake. There is an eerie atmosphere about it and you know that the characters are not going to get away from their fate...I am giving it an 8/10.