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One of my all time favorites.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Australian cinema has always been somewhat schizophrenic. On one hand, you have your lofty art-house efforts made by the likes of Peter Weir or Peter Noyce, though both of these pillars of pictorial culture have been known to let their hair down on occasion. Thankfully, these are balanced out by a heaping helping of what has now affectionately become known as "Ozploitation" : kinda like the Down Under version of quintessential drive-in fodder. Likewise, they mostly thrived throughout the '70s and '80s and were given a lucrative second life in the early days of VHS. These were the flicks that put bums in seats domestically, frequently featuring enough sex 'n violence to satiate the Saturday night crowd.Producer Antony Ginnane proved a key figure in the history of them Aussie "aberrations", cheerfully bankrolling Richard Franklin's sexploitation classic FANTASM (and its inevitable sequel FANTASM COMES AGAIN!) as well as both versions - 1982 original and 2014 remake - of British Brian Trenchard-Smith's notorious survival slasher TURKEY SHOOT. Clearly, this is a guy who can coax otherwise respectable filmmakers out of their comfort zone. Case in point being dependable dullard Simon Wincer who went on to fail-safe family features like D.A.R.Y.L., the Disney-funded OPERATION DUMBO DROP and the phenomenally successful FREE WILLY. With a background in domestic cathode ray crime drama like HOMICIDE and CHOPPER SQUAD, Wincer was seriously prepared to "slum" it when Ginnane gave him the opportunity to leap from to small to big screen which resulted in a pair of practically impossible to pigeonhole genre flicks : the quirky fantasy HARLEQUIN (1980) and its predecessor SNAPSHOT.Posing as a routine slice 'n dicer (its US release title was THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN!), this is actually anything but. Apart from an unsettling opening scene, telegraphing its conclusion with the remnants of an as of yet unidentified charred corpse and a female crime scene interloper hysterically calling out for "Angie", it takes more than half the film's running time before anything overtly horrible takes place. What viewers get instead is a surprisingly engrossing character-based drama about a naive young innocent (Sigrid Thornton's tellingly named Angela) in the big bad city, in this case Melbourne. A former child actress, Thornton would proceed to become one of the Continent's most revered thespians, this particular oddity a singular "blot" on an otherwise spotless state of service. If she realized this was time spent in the "gutter", her effortlessly engaging performance certainly doesn't bear any traces thereof.A timid little hairdresser at the salon of domineering Mr. Plunkett (Jon Sidney, who played General MacArthur in Philippe Mora's DEATH OF A SOLDIER), Angela makes an immediate life-changing decision at the behest of worldly model Madeline (exceptionally well-portrayed by Greek-born Chantal Contouri who hit a career high in '79 with this and Rod Hardy's oddball vampire flick THIRST) to "give it all up" in pursuit of a modeling career with "outré" fashion photographer Linsey (Hugh Keays-Byrne, yep, MAD MAX's indelible Toecutter himself). Finding her suitcase packed and the locks changed by her overbearing mother (respected UK actress Julia Blake who has but one, albeit absolutely unforgettable scene) in the wake of a nude photo spread, Angie moves into Linsey's studio where several hapless "professionals" seem to pass through on their way up or down the social ladder.Notwithstanding her apparently harmless shutterbug, men in general seem to spell bad news for the up 'n coming cover cutie. There's older ex-boyfriend Daryl (creepy Vincent Gil, another MAD MAX alumnus) who stalks her all across town in his Mr. Whippy ice cream van (a curiously effective choice of vehicle) and even Madeline's film producer husband (the late veteran character actor Robert Bruning) can barely keep his hands off once his wife's back is turned. Meanwhile, she's receiving strange threats and someone may indeed want her dead but who ? Bearing in mind the movie's unsettling start, you just know there will be tears before bedtime.Fairly unpredictable screenplay by Everett De Roche, who wrote the cult favorites ROAD GAMES (Franklin, 1981) and RAZORBACK (Russell Mulcahy, 1984), keeps the audience guessing by cleverly turning clichés upside down. This doesn't always hit the bullseye (a final twist prefiguring Gordon Willis' notorious WINDOWS leaves a bad aftertaste) but at least blocks out boredom setting in. Composer Brian May, whose ivory-tinkling score sounds like a cross between '70s TV show cues and Golden Age porno music (awesome, if you're like me, or awful, if you're not), is NOT the guy from Queen but one of Australia's busiest soundtrack suppliers of the period, adding atmosphere to the MAD MAX movies (again!) and assorted genre treats such as David Hemmings' THE SURVIVOR and Manny Cotto's DR. GIGGLES. Two pathetic pop songs by the band "Sherbet" (cool name...NOT!) are just icing on the cake. The boobs 'n blood quotient is rather mild but fans will be pleased to know that Thornton bares 'em without shame. This is one flick that knows its target audience better than they know themselves and treats it with more respect than you'd expect from exploitation entrepreneurs.

It's easy to imagine rabid horror fans being sorely disappointed with the Australian production "Snapshot", a.k.a. "The Day After Halloween". The advertising and the alternate title might lead people to think they're about to watch an Ozploitation slasher, but such is not the case. This is really more of a drama with mystery elements, as it follows a naive and immature young lady, Angela (Sigrid Thornton of the "Man from Snowy River" series), who works as a hairdresser. She's recruited by customer Madeline (Chantal Contouri) into the modelling business where she immediately has some success posing topless for an ad. The story, co- written by talented Everett De Roche ("Roadgames", "Razorback", "Patrick"), follows Angela as she meets a variety of characters, including sleazy Elmer (Robert Bruning). Angela soon becomes disturbed by strange occurrences in her life. For example, just who the hell was it that put that pigs' head in her bed? Could it be her dullard ex-boyfriend Daryl (Vincent Gil), who drives a Mr. Whippy ice cream truck? Angela certainly seems to think so.Admittedly, "Snapshot" (which is really the far more appropriate title for the film, as this does NOT have anything to do with the Halloween season) is not for those film fans who crave excitement and spectacle. It gets off to quite a good "start", which is bleak and atmospheric, and our curiosity is whetted: what kind of events led to the reveal here? From then on, things get fairly interesting and remain watchable as we watch Angela lose a little of that naivety. Never as exploitative as some people may want, it's slowly paced and talky but it does populate its tale with a number of entertaining characters and fine performances. Contouri, who went on to star for producer Antony I. Ginnane in the horror film "Thirst", is delightful as the worldly Madeline, and Thornton is convincing enough in the central role. Bruning plays a creep well, but what's going to make watching "Snapshot" irresistible for some of those in the audience is seeing two cast members from "Mad Max", Gil (who played the Nightrider), and Hugh Keays-Byrne (who played the Toecutter) in supporting roles. Keays-Byrne, playing the photographer Linsey, is quite amusing in a real scene stealing performance. Stylish widescreen photography by Vincent Monton and wonderful music by the always reliable composer Brian May also add to the enjoyment. There's a well done fire gag towards the end of the film.Overall, this is good entertainment for those who want a twist laden and character driven tale.Six out of 10.

Naive, sweet, and innocent 19-year-old hairdresser Angela (a sound and appealing performance by fetching brunette Sigrid Thornton) gets tossed out of her uptight mother's house and falls in with the eccentric modeling crowd. Angela does some modeling and soon finds herself being stalked by a mysterious psycho who drives an ice-cream truck. Director Simon Wincer, working from a quirky and intriguing script by Chris and Everett De Roche, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, offers an interesting glimpse at the glamorous, but decadent and exploitative high fashion world, populates the picture with an enjoyable wealth of colorfully flaky characters, builds a good deal of tension, grounds the plot in a totally plausible everyday reality, and further spices things up with several cool touches of amusing oddball humor. Moreover, the capable acting from the professional cast holds the picture together: The stunning Chantal Contouri delivers a sharp and winning portrayal of Angela's poised, worldly, and supportive mentor Madeline, Hugh Keys-Bryne almost steals the whole show with his lively and merry turn as amiable kook photographer Linsey, Robert Bruning positively oozes as smarmy creep Elmer, and Vincent Gil projects an appropriately unnerving vibe as Angela's obsessive ex-boyfriend Daryl. The true identity of Angela's main stalker is a genuine surprise. Vincent Morton's handsome widescreen cinematography gives the movie an impressive glossy look and makes nifty occasional use of freeze frames. Brian May supplies an alternately funky and classy varied score. Worth a watch.

Now here is a strange beast, an Australian made thriller about life on the edge of the Melbourne art, fashion & entertainment industry that can only be described as "A Dingo Slacker Soap Opera From Hell". That the original North American distributors were so cynical themselves as to re-name the film from SNAPSHOT to THE NIGHT AFTER HALLOWEEN to trick North American viewers into watching is actually par for the course, since this is one of the most cynical movies I have ever enjoyed seeing. But it sure ain't a slasher horror film even if its story does manage to sport at least two homicidal psychopaths, possibly even a third if you count the slaughterhouse worker who carved the head off a pig for one of the film's props. You will also note that I have enabled the Spoiler Warning disgronifier, mostly because every event in this film could amount to a spoiler if described. Every scene is significant to the point of literal overkill. By the end I was drained just trying to keep up with the rush of drama & crisis flung at the likable young woman at the heart of the story.Who would be Angela, described in today's terms as a slacker reluctantly working at a hair salon, where she struck up a relationship with an actress who has taken a bit more than a shine to the girl. Played by Sigrid Thornton, Angela is a wholesome natural beauty unsure of herself after a lifetime of cruel negative reinforcement at the hands of her insufferably narcissist mother & creepy sociopathic younger sister. Her daffy but sincere actress friend introduces Angela to a photographer whose devotion to his craft is maniacal in a way that is actually right on the money without being cliché. He is the best character in a film overflowing with a wealth of potentially fascinating characters trapped in a very believable community; LOCAL HERO has nothing on this baby.Including "Mr. Whippy" (Vince Gil, the Nightrider from MAD MAX), Angela's way unlikely former boyfriend, openly obsessed with her to the unhealthiest degree, half-comically stalking her around the backstreets of Melbourne in his Mr. Whippy ice cream truck, kindly given its own menacing musical theme by Australian composer Brian May (THE ROAD WARRIOR). Mr. Whippy's ice cream truck's canned jingle is "Greensleeves", not the happiest song ever, though nobody in the film is happy. In fact they are all insane. Singling Mr. Whippy out for his madness misses the point that EVERYBODY in this movie is crazy, warped, twisted, psychotic, deranged, manipulative, egotistical, or at least living some sort of unwholesome lie. All except Angela, of course, unsullied in her drab existence before coming in contact with this cast of lunatics.Angela agrees to participate in an advertisement shoot for a cologne that requires her to frolic topless in the freezing ocean, bringing her to the attention of industry bigwigs who see an opportunity to use her freshness to sell garbage people don't really need. It also brings her to the attention of a truly frightening psycho who goes so far as to paper a secret room with her picture. Floor, ceilings, walls, everywhere. His primary ambition is to lure her to the room, have her pose topless for his own camera, then murder her. Imagine Angela's surprise!That would have been enough for any other thriller, but this one goes overboard wedging in all too cleverly written scenes that bombard the viewer with eccentric behavior, menacing undertones, twisted manipulations, bizarre unexpected developments galore, and an ending that unravels rather than is arrived at by conventional means. In many ways SNAPSHOT anticipated two more contemporary films that re-defined the urban thriller by telling their stories unconventionally: David Lynch's MULLHOLLAND DRIVE, and Christopher Nolan's MEMENTO.In fact I was sort of thinking that because actress Naomi Watts is herself Australian that there as a tenuous connection between the films. If one interprets MULLHOLLAND DRIVE as depicting a psychotic vision concocted by Watts' character, SNAPSHOT could be a model of how a character like hers was driven insane trying to earn their big break, which is how SNAPSHOT ends up. The dead bodies are just a part of how that happens, but by then she could care less. Angela is driven to madness by the madness unraveling around her and decides to go with it, shuttling off to her big legit modeling break with her sanity shattered as the fire rescue squads clean up the bodies of the people killed in the hysteria inducing final moments.Fanciful but hey, the movie made me think. Which is all but impossible given the amount of material that Chris & Everett de Roche (RAZORBACK) packed into their script for director Simon (FREE WILLY) Wincer's breathlessly hyperventilated camera to record. I'm not sure if it turned out to be the film it should have been, with musical interludes including a visit to a nightclub to see a bizarre Elvis impersonator's act that is itself a study in psychotic obsession. And has also surely proved problematic in securing North American home video distribution rights for a proper DVD restoration (the one circulating is a commercialized bootleg of an Australian DVD release incorrectly framed at 1:85:1), which the film is in need of to be properly evaluated. Until then it's sadly going to remain an enigmatic curiosity. The film aspires to really be "something" and I'm not entirely sure if it was successful in doing so. A bit less might have amounted to more, though the film was hardly boring, is fast paced, has some subtly hilarious touches, a great Unlooked-For Hero at the climax (two, come to think of it), several twists & turns that were nifty to ride along with, and yes, Sigrid Thornton is a total hottie. I hope she got whatever therapy might have been needed after making this.6/10