15 Australian Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die

10. Van Diemen’s Land

Yet another movie that takes inspiration from Australian murder history, Van Diemen’s Land tells the tale of convicted Irishman Alexander Pearce who escapes the brutal treatment of his Tasmanian penal colony along with a group of fellow prisoners only to find that the cold climes and wilderness of Tasmania may be a more hellish prospect than jail.

Running low on measly bread rations and ill-equipped for hunting or fishing, the group do what is necessary to survive. Which in this case means killing off each other one by one and surviving by the good old tried and tested, Hannibal Lecter approved method of dining. Hint: it’s cannibalism.

Stunningly shot by cinematographer Ellery Ryan in a way that exploits the Tasmanian outback in all its beautiful yet brutal glory, it’s a psychological horror that plays on the mounting mistrust and paranoia between its characters. Fear not though – there’s enough brutal death and munching on human body parts to keep horror fans suitably disgusted.