Carnifex (film)

Carnifex
Directed bySean Lahiff
Written byShanti Gudgeon
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyKieran Fowler
Edited bySean Lahiff
Music byMichael Darren
Production
company
Dancing Road Productions
Distributed by
Release date
  • 1 December 2022 (2022-12-01) (Australia)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Carnifex is a 2022 Australian horror film directed by Sean Lahiff and written by Shanti Gudgeon and starring Alexandra Park, Sisi Stringer and Harry Greenwood.

Synopsis

An aspiring documentarian and two conservationists venture into the Australian outback to record the animals displaced by bushfires, hoping to preserve the forests, whereupon they discover a terrifying new sub-species descended from the supposedly extinct Thylacoleo carnifex.

Release

Carnifex had its world premiere at the Sitges Film Festival in October 2022. It was given a theatrical release in Australia in December 2022. In Sweden it was released on Australia Day in January 2024, distributed by Cinecct Sweden.[1]

Cast

Casting

Developed from an original concept by Dancing Road, Carnifex is an environmental horror/thriller with a talented cast that features Alexandra Park (Ben Is Back/The Royals), Sisi Stringer (Children of the Corn/Mortal Kombat) and Harry Greenwood (Hacksaw Ridge/Wakefield) with a cameo by Darren Gilshenan.

Filming locations

Carnifex was shot in the South Australian locations of Adelaide, Adelaide Hills, Belair National Park, Port Adelaide, Morialta Conservation Park, Lobethal, Gorge Wildlife Park.

Directors notes

Carnifex is one of many horror films set in the Australian outback. Director and editor Sean Lahiff tells FilmInk about the location:

It’s the unknown. It’s such a vast country. We can’t know exactly everything that’s out there, and I love the idea of playing on the fear of the unknown. At night time, it’s just an endless sprawl of forest, and that’s terrifying for me. Even just the sounds — up until making this film, I hadn’t heard a koala doing a mating call before. The Australian native animals make some crazy noises, and I love that. I wanted to share that with audiences around the world because it’s so unique.[2]

Release

Carnifex premiered at the Sitges Film Festival[3] in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain, on 6 October 2022. Following its screening at Adelaide Film Festival[4] on 22 October 2022, it premiered in Australian cinemas on 1 December 2022.[5] Cinecct Sweden [6] and Arvet Agency managed the film rights for the Nordic countries in 2024.

Critics

Carnifex is a textbook 1970s-era monster mash-up. Paul Byrnes on December 2, 2022, The Sydney Morning Herald[7]

Carnifex is a serviceable man vs. beast outing that embraces tension over gore. Peter Gray on December 01, 2022, The AU Review[8]

The bush outshines the beast in this classily-made Australian horror story. Penelope Debelle on October 31, 2022, The New Daily[9]

Skådespelarna är bra, framför allt Alexandra Park, och filmen känns faktiskt som en dokumentär, vilket gör den lite unik. (Eng. The actors are good, above all Alexandra Park, and the film actually feels like a documentary, which makes it a bit unique) Pidde Andersson on January 25, 2024, Toppraffel![10]

References

  1. ^ "Carnifex Trailer". Youtube. Cinecct Sweden AB. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ^ Dalton, Connor (29 November 2022). "Sean Lahiff: Defying Extinction". FilmInk. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Carnifex". Sitges Film Festival.
  4. ^ "Carnifex". Adelaide Film Festival.
  5. ^ "Carnifex". Hoyts. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Vi inleder det nya aret med mer samarbeten och mer film". Cinecct. Cinecct Sweden AB. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  7. ^ Byrnes, Paul (2 December 2022). "Deadly beast returns in this impressive retro fright fest". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  8. ^ Gray, Peter (30 November 2022). "Carnifex is a serviceable man vs. beast outing that embraces tension over gore". The AU Review. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  9. ^ Debelle, Penelope. "The bush outshines the beast in this classily-made Australian horror story". The New Daily. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  10. ^ Andersson, Pidde. ""Skådespelarna är bra, framför allt Alexandra Park, och filmen känns faktiskt som en dokumentär, vilket gör den lite unik." (Eng. The actors are good, above all Alexandra Park, and the film actually feels like a documentary, which makes it a bit unique")". Toppraffel!. Retrieved 25 January 2024.