4 Good Australian horror films to watch with friends

Extra recommendation: Wake in Fright. An Australian thriller that explores Australian culture in an absurd and disturbing way. Do we all really drink too much? Read my article about my theory for Wake in Fright here.

4. Rouge (2007) A beast horror for fans of Jaws

Fright rating 4.5/10

It has been a long time since I've watched this film but as a testament to it, I am still thinking about it. It follows a predictable storyline and this could be a reason for the enormous gap between critic ratings (94%) and audience ratings (53%) on Rotten Tomatoes.

Synopsis: A group of tourists embark on a crocodile watching river cruise in Kakadu National Park and then encounter an enormous crocodile and chaos ensues.

This is on my list because it is an Aussie Jaws and makes for some light-hearted fun that only raises your heart rate a smidge.

3. Wolf Creek (2005) A serial killer thriller taking place on a barren Australian landscape

Fright rating: 5/10

Wolf Creek is iconic and was filmed in a real place called 'Wolfe Creek' located in Western Australia.

Synopsis: A serial killer called 'Mick Taylor' captures 3 tourists and tortures them. Wolf Creek is based on Ivan Milat, a real Australian killer who picked up hitchhikers and murdered them.

Trigger warning: The thing I will say about this film is that a scene that is hardest to watch is a sexual assault scene and if this might be triggering for you I would advise you not to watch. Although a sexual assault doesn't necessarily happen on screen, the threatening nature of this scene is a difficult watch.

I've put this one on this list because it is a manageable amount of scary and one of those must-see popular films. I wouldn't recommend the sequel film (Wolf Creek 2) to those with weak stomachs because the gore significantly ramps up in the follow-up film.

2. The Loved Ones (2010) A slow burn, single room kind of film

Fright rating: 6/10

This film has rave reviews from critics, scoring 98% on Rotten Tomatoes scoring as the 2nd highest rated Aussie horror.

Synopsis: This film is a play on high school drama that turns into a twisted display of sadism. The protagonist Brent is kidnapped (who is living with the trauma of his father's passing), he is taken to a house to take part in a twisted "prom" with the delusional sociopath, Lola as prom queen. This film is more disturbing than it is terrifying and amounts to one long torture scene. FYI there are some pretty gross moments with various torturing instruments such as pouring salt on cuts... yuck!

1. The Babadook (2014) A psychological horror with a terrifying creature

Fright rating: 7/10

The Babadook is arguably one of the best horror movies of all time, Australian or not. It is the top-rated Aussie horror on Rotten Tomatoes.

Synopsis: Amelia has a difficult and strained relationship with her son Samuel who experiences frequent outbursts. She is struggling to raise him after the passing of her husband. Things only get worse after a mysterious shadowy creature inhabits their home when they read a children's book called "Mister Babadook."

This film is an incredible exploration of mental illness, grief and parenting. I've never seen a horror movie that depicted the figures sometimes seen by sufferers of sleep paralysis quite as spot-on as this film did. It was my nightmares realised. This is a great watch for when your feeling like horror with a bit of layered meaning.

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