I’m going to start this review by saying that I thought I was going to love it. A punk-rock horror film set in Australia in the 80s? I’m completely up for that. But as I watched Penny Lane Is Dead, I began to wonder, why make an Ozploitation film in the 2020s when horror has evolved over the past four or so decades? If you’re going to revive the style, I reckon you have to bring something new to the genre.
What was edgy in the 70s felt like a true crime dramatisation now, and there’s a reason I watch about ten times more horror than true crime: true crime stresses me out. Horror is supposed to be my escape from that. Give me catharsis, consequences, triumph.
Penny Lane Is Dead is very 80s, very punk and very Australian. A group of teenagers find their night spiralling into absolute carnage when they cross paths with some seriously nasty people. There’s friendship, jealousy, romance, a lovely sapphic thread and enough gore to fuel a proper horror.
It also looks fantastic. I loved the colour, the grimy styling and the cinematography, not to mention the gore. When the film gets down to the business of dealing with its villains, I was absolutely on board. Give me that blood-soaked revenge.
Great casting, excellent performances and compelling characters fuel the film. Which is probably why it felt so real. Tahlee Fereday and Bailey Spalding shine as friends-to-lovers Toni and Penny Lane; and Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn captivates as the unhinged and unpredictable Kat. I appreciated that the story explored the motives and jealousy behind her behaviour.
I loved the sapphic aspect. I loved the friendships. I liked the cousins and their jealousy. I liked the little character details. Even the villains were well characterised, each one a distinctly awful piece of work. Ultimately, the thing the film does so well is also the thing that made me not enjoy it. It takes real-world violence and captures its randomness and unpredictability.
For me, that makes it a particularly violent and graphic thriller, not a horror.
Because this wasn’t scary. It was stressful. There’s a big difference.
I like horror that uses violence to produce catharsis. I don’t mind nastiness when it leads somewhere emotionally satisfying. I don’t want violence when its function is solely to produce shock, disgust, outrage or spectacle.
And I realise that’s part of the Ozploitation tradition of the 70s and 80s, but that brings me back to my original question. The world is a dumpster fire, true crime is increasingly violent, and we need escape. Some horror fans are going to absolutely love this film and its unapologetic embrace of the nastier traditions of exploitation horror.
I’m not one of those people.
It’s a gorgeous-looking film with excellent performances, and there are parts of the story I really liked. But horror should be scary, cathartic, exhilarating. I should be cheering for a satisfying outcome. This just made me miserable.
Viewer discretion is very much advised with this one. There are some sickening scenes of violence against women.
Scares ★★☆☆☆ | Aesthetics ★★★★☆ | Acting ★★★★☆ | Plot ★★☆☆☆ | Enjoyment ☆☆☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
A Shudder Original Film, Penny Lane Is Dead Premieres Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ Friday 28 August
