What Do The Critics Say?

"The screenplay goes to great lengths to emphasise the characters isolation: they go on a plane, then a long drive, then a ferry, then another drive, then a motorboat, and then a long hike before the shit starts to go down, and boy, does it go down. Much of the action is connected to a community of atavistic freaks with whom John Jarratt’s character in "Wolf Creek" would find an instant intellectual connection: they don’t much like visitors. The first half of "Dying Breed" is a deliberating build-up, all filler for the grisly curtain call that follows. Just when it feels like the action will never arrive, it suddenly comes on thick and fast, in a breathless barrage of eeewwwwwww! grotesquery." Luke Buckmaster INFILM "Grisly and gripping, this masterfully made Aussie horror flick plays on both shocking and psychologically terrifying its audience. Right from the opening credits, with their strangely beautiful blown-up images of blood and the accompanying darkly rhythmic score, you're primed for something terrible to happen... the travellers from the mainland soon find themselves in, "Deliverance country"." Annette Basile FILMINK "It's the classic city slickers in remote areas having to somehow survive not only the environment, but something icky trying to get them. The fun of this kind of movie comes from guessing who is next to go, and just how they will meet their grisly fate. This is a fine attempt as a first feature and of course points to the fact that Australia not only has a rich heritage in genre film-making, but a rich future in genre film-making as well. Dying Breed is what is known in the horror genre as 'survival' horror." SCIFITV "The cinematography is very good and the location, in the deepest wilderness of choking rain forest, is excellent. The set-up is a lot like "Deliverance", and one of the characters even mentions the film, as a tip of the hat to James Dickey. The film is a combination of "Deliverance" isolation and "Cabin Fever" young adults ripe for the skewering. The inbred locales are the descendants of an earlier escaped prisoner, the legendary Pieman, who survived in the desolate wilderness by eating those who pursued him. So the story goes. This is good stuff for a splatter flick." Ron Wilkinson MONSTERS & CRITICS

"Dying Breed is intense. Some of its images with linger cloyingly in your mind, like the aftermath of a bad cold. Dwyer does such a good job conjuring a jet-black atmosphere of ice pick to the eye scariness that it’s highly unlikely for even the most flippant genre geek to clap or hoot or cry out for more afterwards. Simply put, Dying Breed is hands-down one of the creepiest Australian horror films in yonks, and the best down under disgust-fest since Wolf Creek." Luke Buckmaster INFILM "Old myths about Tasmanian inbreeding are at the forefront of Dying Breed, but what is new is the depiction of that beautiful island. Director Jody Dwyer's Tasmanian vision is far removed from the tourist brochures. Using murky green and blue-grey hues, his apple isle is a foreboding, eerie place with minimal sunlight shining on the misty forests. Dying Breed is tense and intense viewing: and definitely not recommended for the squeamish." Annette Basile FILMINK "For all its conventional plot contortions and familiar characters, Dying Breed succeeds through sheer force of mood, tone, atmosphere, and (eventually) high-end and very disturbing mayhem. Turns out that the Tasmanian forests are jam-packed with all sorts of dangerous creatures, and a few that you'd never catch a glimpse of on The Discovery Channel. If you're looking for a horror flick that wants to give you a 'you are there: and it's freaking miserable vibe, this one should fit the bill quite nicely." Scott Weinberg CINEMATICAL "Grisly as it needs to be, Dying Breed is nevertheless quite a sophisticated horror film, layered with elements and peopled with leading characters who are more than stereotypes, thanks also to top performances. All the nasty support roles are beautifully cast (for beautiful read hideous) and the world class score by Nerida Tyson Chew supersizes the film well. Shot in difficult, changing weather conditions has helped give the film a high level of veracity, alternating between jaw dropping beauty and gut wrenching dread, thanks to Geoffrey Hall's notable cinematography." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE

Tasmania - The Perfect Mix of Beauty, Wilderness & History ©2008 Copyright remains with the owners of the above images - All Rights Reserved The Inside Story On the ancient island of Tasmania some legends never die. Located only 1500 miles from Antarctica, its isolated wilderness remains the scene of countless tales. The most fabled of which is the Tasmanian Tiger, a meat-eating, dog-like mammal. Declared extinct by international standards in 1986, colourful rumours still abound that the Tiger has survived. Nonetheless, all sightings have remained inconclusive. Tasmania is also infamous for once having the most remote penal hellhole in the British Empire, namely the prison settlement located on Sarah Island. Dubbed 'Devil's Island', of all the criminals it held none was more feared than Alexander Pearce (Peter Docker) aka "The Pieman", who got his moniker "The Pieman" because he worked as a baker in his native Ireland prior to being shipped off to Australia. Against all odds, Pearce escaped from 'Devil's Island' and disappeared into some of the world's most difficult wilderness terrain. Although seven other convicts also escaped, only Pearce resurfaced alive having killed and eaten them all. Hanged for cannibalism in 1824, the legend of Pearce continues to keep children awake at night. Interweaving these two fascinating legends: the Tasmanian Tiger and the cannibal Alexander Pearce, "Dying Breed" is a horror thriller that explores the notion of survival at its most terrifying and extreme. Further, "Dying Breed" delves into how both legends could now have descendants secretly alive and breeding within the island's wilds. In a macabre spin on the genre, "Dying Breed" reveals how even a seemingly insane society abides by its own codes. In an ungodly wilderness, Pearce's descendants have not only survived but are proud of upholding their blood-thirsty past and purity of bloodline. When Nina, Matt, Jack and Rebecca encounter the Pearce clan their lives suddenly become threatened by a very different set of social rules. Soon they are fighting not just for their lives but for the core of their soul's beliefs, or else face becoming Tasmania's next endangered species. The history of horror films dates back over one hundred years. As such, audiences have a highly informed understanding and expectation of the horror genre and its rules. Being self-confessed "horror fans" co-writers and producers Michael Boughen and Rod Morris understood to thrill contemporary audiences meant avoiding competing against current gore driven movies. Instead, they set out to create, along with writer/director Jody Dwyer, a new category of horror intertwined with psychological thriller. "We wished to return to the core values of suspense and character believability," says Jody Dwyer. "We focused on how the characters were going to react at a certain point, as opposed to relying on a lot of blood and guts splattered across the screen." When Boughen first heard the chilling, real-life tale of Alexander Pearce, he was but a schoolboy, albeit a frightened one. Some 30 years later and the memory of this bloodthirsty cannibal roaming large in Tasmania's wilderness still chipped away in the back of his mind. When he first teamed with co-writer and producer Rod Morris to discuss creating a rule-breaking horror, the name Pearce kept coming up in conversation. "He's such an incredible character and his legend lives on and from there we wanted to play with his bloodline and how this also continues to survive," says Boughen. Acknowledging that horror audiences are true genre connoisseurs, the Dying Breed team were determined to write and produce a film based on an engaging story rather than rely on shock value alone. "The idea of shocking the audience with blood and guts to make them jump is only a part of this film," Boughen revealed. "I also wanted to take people on a journey but at the same time where there were twists and turns." Having shared a background in producing high stakes television, Boughen and Morris have a unique knowledge of how humans operate under dire pressure. "One of the classic films for me is "Deliverance " and the way they were just four normal guys on a peaceful journey and suddenly what was normal is turned upside down and it became a challenge to survive," says Boughen. "It's been our long term passion to make an Australian horror film and we wanted to interweave a real life story based on a real character. That was far more interesting to us than B-Grade schlock," says co-writer and producer Morris. "When producing genre pictures, it's vital to find a point of difference and "Dying Breed" offers just that," Dwyer notes. "It's based on historical truth and that's what really separates itself from other horror movies." At the core of Dying Breed is the idea of society and species surviving against the odds and whether they are resilient enough to get through. "It's about survival of the species and survival of your own life and what is the norm for you," says Boughen. "When you meet the Pearce clan, they are all living their own version of normality. The characters are not that different to us, they are people, but their norm is different to our norm. That's the secret because suddenly it becomes uncomfortable and that becomes a little frightening and then frightening becomes horror and horror becomes survival." "The Pearce clan are proud of their tradition," Dwyer explained. "Their heritage dates back to the birth of Australia and it sheds light on similarly fundamentalist beliefs that exist elsewhere in the world; indeed it touches on any fascist thinking that cherishes 'purity of breeding'." For "Dying Breed" to successfully carve out its own niche, Dwyer wanted to return to the core basics of being 'suspense driven' as opposed to 'gore ridden'. "The market has enough splatter movies of extreme guts in all depiction and any such exaggeration would undermine the credibility," says Dwyer. Though based upon comprehensive research into the life of Alexander Pearce and the history of Tasmanian Tiger, the legends Dying Breed presents are speculative and meant more to stir the imagination than impose a point of view. For example: the Pieman River seen in the film wasn't named after Pearce. "The Pieman" was in fact Thomas Kent of Southampton, a pastry-cook who was transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1816. After a long series of offences in the colony, he was sent to the Macquarie Harbour penal settlement in 1822 but subsequently escaped, and was recaptured near the mouth of the river which now bears his nickname. The river has significant timber, mining and industrial heritage along its shores. Working with such a popular genre as horror meant "Dying Breed" had to carve out a point of credibility and difference. Making the characters seem as real as possible was about fulfilling these ambitions. Creating a sense of credibility with the young expedition group meant assembling a cast that brought their own pedigree among horror fans. Enter Leigh Whannell ("Saw") and Nathan Phillips ("Wolf Creek"). "When we thought of Leigh Whannell and Nathan Phillips, obviously they come with an incredible pedigree in terms of the horror films they've starred in," Dwyer states. "But it was more the fact that they brought to the project an ability to improvise and to inject a sense of depth to their particular roles. Leigh is a writer and actor and because of that he sees things in terms of structure and in a more introverted fashion. He would come out with these wonderful dry witticisms spontaneously that we were able to work into his performance." For celebrated 'splat pack' member Leigh Whannell, stepping into another horror role separate to "SAW" created for him a new level of adrenaline. "The thing I enjoy in horror is asking yourself questions such as 'What would I do if I woke up in the pine box and only had 10 minutes to live?' Because there's no reference point to that," Whannell enthusiastically offers. "Horror gives you the ultimate new experiences, like I've never been attacked by cannibals and so there's nothing to draw from directly from real life and so I like using my imagination." For Whannell working on horror films that are rule-breaking is particularly exciting. "I'm much more comfortable on this film, at least covered in blood, then I am pretending to be normal. Whereas when I'm covered in blood, mud and swinging an axe: that I'm really comfortable with. When you're screaming and putting out all this emotion you really feel like you've acted." Balancing out Whannell's initially introverted and passive character is the flamboyant Jack played by Nathan Phillips. Phillips ("Snakes on a Plane"), was originally attracted to Dying Breed because it presented a layered story about the characters dramatically shifting from their known reality into a dire fight for survival. The characters had a lot of dynamics to them and their relationships had a lot of dynamics," says Phillips. "It had the ingredients for an interesting movie and it was reinforced when speaking to Michael and Jody. They really wanted us to fill the characters with a lot of life and the relationships have a tonne of history." Unique compared to most horrors, "Dying Breed" slowly weaves the character's back stories, their personalities and points of view into a journey that eventually grabs the audience by the throat. Particularly when it comes to the female roles. Boughen and Morris wanted characters that held their own rather than act merely as "B-grade scream queens". Mirrah Foulkes ("Spider") plays the driven Nina, who risks all because of her sister's disappearance in the Tasmanian wilderness some eight years earlier. "What Foulkes and her female co-star Melanie Vallejo had to endure to create their character's fears and pain on screen reveals their dedication to the film," says Dwyer. "I found it really compelling from the first read and I felt frightened, which is really interesting. Even after the first read it was compelling on the page," Foulkes recalls. "Unlike the other three characters, Rebecca is the one with the least on line," Vallejo notes. "She's the peace keeper of the group and unlike Nina, who is on quest, she doesn't think she has a lot to lose and she's pretty happy go lucky. She's just looking to have some fun on the trip." Dying Breed had a short shooting schedule with only 28 days on location. It included ten days of filming in Tasmania which wasn't easy. "We suffered 80km winds, sleet, 600mm of rain in days, to get the shots. It's an amazing place because it's forgotten and beautiful but scary," says Dwyer. Synopsis

Its rumoured deep within Tasmania's wilderness an ancient species known as the Tasmanian Tiger is alive and breeding. Yet modern science refuses to believe such a creature now exists since no witnesses have ever been able to prove it. That is until Zoology student, Nina, attempts to breach Tasmania's impenetrable forests and reveal the tiger's existence to be true. Driving Nina's quest is one critical piece of proof: a paw print taken by her sister just before she met with a fatal accident eight years before. What Nina doesn't know is how Tasmania became Australia and the world's most dangerous island in 19th century when the murderous convict Alexander Pearce (aka "The Pieman") broke out of prison only to eat his fellow escapees and was hung for cannibalism in 1824. Soon Nina and her friends will discover that whilst one species in the wild may have died out, another has thrived and survived in the form of the Pieman's descendants. They fuel their need to feed and breed by targeting young tourists.

The Verdict "Long time readers will know that I lived and worked in Tasmania, visited it a number of times to surf, and covered the Tour Of Tasmania cycling event on-line. I can't recall a spot I haven't visited there. It's a place of beauty, history, friendly people, great food and, if you're seeking it, isolation. My work took me right around what many affectionately call, "The Apple Isle" on a regular basis. I have wonderful memories of my time down there including a most memorable trip by plane from Port Arthur, beyond Mt Wellington, and safely back, experiencing views that were absolute magic. These are not the emotions viewers will experience while watching "Dying Breed". Shot in part in Tasmania, "Dying Breed" is the latest 'aussie' horror film to hit the screens. The audience I sat in with were certainly 'enjoying' the moment (if you get my drift). The cast, who play the luckless characters, all give good performance. There's no big names here, even though many cinemagoers will recognize Nathan Phillips and Leigh Whannell. "Dying Breed" is a classic horror film: it plays with your mind and heightens your sense of foreboding. You see the impending danger but are helpless to intervene. You hope Jack (the obnoxious little shit), Rebecca (the fun lover), Nina (still grieving her sisters death) and Matt (he really wants to connect with Nina) will survive their deadly wilderness experience. It is so engrossing can't turn off. It's like being trapped in a nightmare. You want out, but the adrenalin is now in control. Like The victims in "Dying Breed" the audience must face what is to come. And, don't get out of your seats when the text messages (which explain the history behind the Tassie connection) appear on-screen at the 'end' of the film: because it isn't the end. The screen darkens and we are taken back to see those final scenes. "Dying Breed" is raw, gritty, dark and disturbing right to the end. Horror fans will find this very satisfying. The curious will be terrified. All others should steer clear. SOLID 3 1/2 STARS." Meet The Director Shot in Tasmania's isolated and largely forgotten forests, Dying Breed unleashes like an intense shot of adrenaline under director Jody Dwyer's vision. Ambience Entertainment producer Michael Boughen, marked Dwyer as the right breed of director to capture Australia's bloodthirsty convict past and bring it into the modern day as never before. Drawing on his depth of experience to meet the challenges of filming in the extreme climatic environments of Tasmania, Dwyer brought a polished craftsmanship that has evolved over 22 years as a Writer/Director of TVCs, television series and short films. The result is a stylish, gripping tale that belies its relatively low budget. "I wanted to return to the core basics of being 'suspense driven' as opposed to 'gore ridden'. The market has enough splatter movies of extreme guts in all depiction and any such exaggeration would undermine the credibility. Dying Breed has its fair share of violence, of course, but it punctuates a naturally evolving narrative alongside nail-biting tension." Dwyer's work has earned a variety of international awards, in addition to being officially selected into 29 international festivals. In particular, Barely Visible, the 2005 short film that Dwyer wrote, edited, produced and directed, was accepted into a sleigh of 18 international film festivals including; LA Short Film Festival, Rhode Island Film Festival and St Louis International Film Festival. It won 'Best Film' at Homebrewed 2005 and received an AFI nomination for Best Screenplay. This followed on from Dwyer's earlier success with "A Whole New You", another short film he wrote, produced and directed in 2004. Officially selected in ten international film festivals, "A Whole New You" also won 'second best of show' in Adelaide and 'best of show' in the Funnybone 500 Comedy Festival. "Dying Breed" marks Jody Dwer's feature film, cinema debut. Who's Who

Nathan Phillips Melanie Vallejo Mirrah Foulkes Leigh Whannell Bille Brown Bianca Cutrona Peter Docker Brendan Donoghue Elaine Hudson Sally McDonald Ken Radley

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Jack Rebecca Nina Matt Harvey Julia Alexander Pierce Gareth Ethel Ruth Liam

Run Time 91 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Ambience Entertainment - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.