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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: New Zealand Cinema

This is a listing of genre works made in New Zealand. Though a small country – an area larger than the UK but with a population of only around three million, reaching four million in 2003 and five million in 2020 – it has a reasonable cinematic output.

It is of a surprise that NZ did not make its first feature film until 1977 – the same year that Hollywood produced Star Wars (1977) – with Sleeping Dogs (1977). The success of such saw the creation of the government-backed New Zealand Film Commission, which oversaw the funding of local films. With films not part of a studio system, there was no necessary need for those produced to make their money back, leading to an odd and eclectic output of art films and dramas, cultural works and eccentric B movies.

The success story of the country was Peter Jackson’s emergence in the 1980s and move to award-winning filmmaker in the 1990s and then the huge success of his The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This in turn led to institution of the Weta Workshop, which has become one of the leading visual effects houses in the world. The Lord of the Rings and the generous tax subsidies that came with it, not to mention the country’s promotion of a clean green image, also led to the increased popularity of NZ as an international filming location.

NZ filmmakers to conduct multiple genre works include:- David Blyth, Niki Caro, Roger Donaldson, Gerard Johnstone, Peter Jackson, Jonathan King, Geoff Murphy, Sam Pillsbury, Gaylene Preston, Scott Reynolds, Glenn Standring, Ant Timpson, Vincent Ward and Taika Waititi.


ABCs of Death 2 (2014)

1 November 201422 December 2024

Rating: ★★½

Horror Anthology

Director: E.L. Katz, Julian Barratt, Julian Gilbey, Robert Morgan, …
Actors: Andy Nyman, Julian Barratt, Tristan Risk, Conor Sweeney, …
Category: Horror

The ABCs of Death (2012)

26 February 201320 October 2024

Rating: ★★★

Horror Anthology

Director: Aaron Becker, Nacho Vigalondo, Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, …
Actors: Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley
Category: Horror

Bad Blood (1982)

4 June 199915 April 2024

Rating: ★★★

True-Life New Zealand Mass Murderer

Director: Mike Newell
Actors: Jack Thompson, Carol Burns, Denis Lill, Martyn Sanderson, …
Category: Horror

Bad Taste (1988)

26 May 199931 December 2024

Rating: ★★★★

Splatter Comedy/Alien Invasion

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Peter Jackson
Category: Horror

Black Sheep (2006)

19 April 20076 October 2020

Rating: ★★½

Killer Mutant Sheep/Splatter Comedy

Director: Jonathan King
Category: Horror

Braindead (1992)

5 January 20003 January 2025

Rating: ★★★★

Zombies/Splatter Comedy

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Tim Balme, Diana Penalver, Ian Watkin, Stuart Devenie
Category: Horror

Bridge to Nowhere (1986)

9 August 20009 March 2020

Rating: ★★

Backwoods Brutality

Director: Ian Mune
Actors: Bruno Lawrence, Philip Gordon, Margaret Umbers, Alison Routledge
Category: Horror

The Changeover (2017)

26 March 201812 April 2020

Rating: ★★

Young Adult/Teen Witch’s Journey

Director: Miranda Harcourt, Stuart McKenzie
Actors: Erana James, Timothy Spall, Melanie Lynskey, Lucy Lawless, …
Category: Fantasy

The Dead Room (2015)

26 August 201625 June 2021

Rating: ★★

New Zealand Haunted House Film

Director: Jason Stutter
Actors: Jed Brophy, Jeffrey Thomas, Laura Petersen
Category: Horror

Dean Spanley (2008)

11 March 200931 December 2024

Rating: ★★★★

Man’s Previous Life as a Dog

Director: Toa Fraser
Actors: Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, Peter O'Toole, Bryan Brown, …
Category: Fantasy

Death Warmed Up (1984)

3 July 20022 May 2020

Rating: ★★

Mad Scientist/Zombie Splatter

Director: David Blyth
Actors: Michael Hurst, Margaret Umbers, Gary Day, William Upjohn, …
Category: Horror

Deathgasm (2015)

18 October 201530 August 2024

Rating: ★★★

Heavy Metalheads Unleash Demons/Splatter Comedy

Director: Jason Lei Howden
Actors: Milo Cawthorne, James Blake, Kimberly Crossman, Sam Berkley, …
Category: Horror

The Devil’s Rock (2011)

12 November 20135 August 2020

Rating: ★★½

Nazis Uncover Occult Forces

Director: Paul Campion
Actors: Craig Hall, Matthew Sunderland, Gina Varela, Karlos Drinkwater, …
Category: Horror

Event 16 (2006)

24 July 200610 November 2021

Rating: ★★

Time Travel

Director: Derek Pearson
Actors: Peter Rutherford, Jocelyn Christian
Category: Science Fiction

The Field Guide to Evil (2018)

6 December 201920 October 2024

Rating: ★★★½

Horror Anthology

Director: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz, Can Evrenol, Agnieszka Smoczynska, …
Category: Horror

Flatmates Wanted (2004)

18 October 200415 December 2020

Rating: ★★★

Weird Happenings/Haunting

Director: Gary Davies
Category: Horror

The Footstep Man (1992)

20 June 201015 December 2020

Rating: ★★★

Ghost Emerges from a Film

Director: Leon Narbey
Actors: Steven Grives, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Michael Hurst, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy
Category: Fantasy

Fresh Meat (2012)

6 March 20246 March 2024

Rating: ★★

Maori Cannibals Comedy

Director: Danny Mulheron
Actors: Temuera Morrison, Hanna Tevita, Kate Elliott, Kahn West
Category: Horror

The Frighteners (1996)

6 December 200018 November 2019

Rating: ★★

Medium vs Ghostly Serial Killer Comedy

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, …
Category: Horror

Frodo is Great … Who is That!!? (2004)

29 July 200420 April 2020

Rating: ★★★

Lord of the Rings Fandom

Director: Stan Alley, Hannah Clarke, Nick Booth
Actors: Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement
Category: Fantasy

Ghost Bride (2013)

15 August 20142 April 2021

Rating: ★

Ghostly Chinese Bride

Director: David Blyth
Actors: Yoson An, Rebekah Palmer, Geeling Ng, Ian Mune
Category: Horror

Grampire (1992)

12 November 200218 May 2021

Rating: ★

Children’s Vampire Film

Director: David Blyth
Actors: Al Lewis, Pat Evison, Noel Appleby
Category: Horror

Heaven (1998)

24 November 200222 December 2023

Rating: ★★★

Precognition

Director: Scott Reynolds
Actors: Martin Donovan, Joanna Going, Patrick Malahide, Karl Urban, …
Category: Fantasy

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

18 January 20016 July 2021

Rating: ★★½

Schoolgirl Lovers-Killers/True Crime

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynskey, Diana Kent, Jed Brophy
Category: Fantasy

Hidden (2005)

25 February 200619 July 2021

Rating: ★

Backwoods Sinisterness

Director: Tim McLachlan
Category: Horror

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

14 December 201231 December 2024

Rating: ★★

Epic Fantasy Adventure

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis, …
Category: Fantasy

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

20 December 201411 October 2022

Rating: ★★½

Epic Fantasy Adventure

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, …
Category: Fantasy

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

14 December 201312 December 2024

Rating: ★½

Epic Fantasy Adventure

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, …
Category: Fantasy

Housebound (2014)

11 October 20144 February 2023

Rating: ★★

New Zealand Haunted House Comedy

Director: Gerard Johnstone
Actors: Morgana O'Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Cameron Rhodes, …
Category: Horror

I Survived a Zombie Holocaust (2014)

27 February 20186 June 2023

Rating: ★★½

Zombie Outbreak on the Set of a Zombie Film

Director: Guy Pigden
Actors: Harley Neville, Jocelyn Christian
Category: Horror

I’m Not Harry Jenson. (2009)

13 August 200921 August 2020

Rating: ★★

Psycho on a Tramping Expedition

Director: James Napier Robertson
Actors: Gareth Reeves, Ian Mune, Renato Batolomei, Cameron Rhodes, …
Category: Horror

The Irrefutable Truth About Demons (2000)

9 May 200116 November 2021

Rating: ★★★

Pursuit by Satanic Cult

Director: Glenn Standring
Actors: Karl Urban, Katie Wolfe, Jonathan Hendry
Category: Horror

Jack Be Nimble (1993)

30 August 200025 October 2024

Rating: ★

Psychically Linked Brother-Sister

Director: Garth Maxwell
Actors: Alexis Arquette, Bruno Lawrence, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, Tony Barry, …
Category: Horror

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

15 February 202016 September 2022

Rating: ★★

Young Nazi Boy with Adolf Hitler as an Imaginary Companion

Director: Taika Waititi
Actors: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, …
Category: Fantasy

Killer Sofa (2019)

10 July 202010 July 2020

Rating: ★★

Possessed Recliner Chair

Director: Bernie Rao
Actors: Piimio Mei, Jed Brophy, Nathalie Morris, Jim Baltaxe, …
Category: Horror

King Kong (2005)

15 December 20053 January 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

Giant Ape

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Locals (2003)

19 October 200321 December 2022

Rating: ★★

Backwoods Undead

Director: Greg Page
Actors: Dwayne Cameron, Kate Elliott, Paul Glover, Peter McCauley, …
Category: Horror

Loop Track (2023)

15 April 202415 April 2024

Rating: ★★★

Mysterious Happenings in the Bush

Director: Tom Sainsbury
Actors: Tom Sainsbury, Hayden J. Weal, Kate Simmonds, Tawanda Manyimo, …
Category: Horror

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

19 December 200131 December 2024

Rating: ★★★★

Epic Fantasy Adventure

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, …
Category: Fantasy

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

23 December 200331 December 2024

Rating: ★★★½

Epic Fantasy Adventure

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Sean Astin, …
Category: Fantasy

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

24 December 200231 December 2024

Rating: ★★★★

Epic Fantasy Adventure

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, …
Category: Fantasy

The Lost Tribe (1983)

6 May 200315 April 2024

Rating: ★★

Mysterious Disappearance

Director: John Laing
Actors: John Bach, Martyn Sanderson, Don Selwyn
Category: Horror

The Lovely Bones (2009)

17 January 201016 January 2022

Rating: ★

Murdered Girl Looks on From the Afterlife

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz, …
Category: Fantasy

Meet the Feebles (1990)

6 August 20027 January 2025

Rating: ★★★★

Obscene Puppet Show

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Donna Akersten, Stuart Devenie, Mark Hadlow
Category: Fantasy

Mega Time Squad (2018)

2 March 202117 March 2021

Rating: ★★★

Guy and Various Temporal Copies of Himself Comedy

Director: Tim Van Dammen
Actors: Anton Tennet, Jonny Brugh, Hetty Gaskell-Hahn, Arlo Gibson, …
Category: Science Fiction

Mortal Engines (2018)

23 February 20197 April 2021

Rating: ★★½

Post-Holocaust World of Mobile Cities

Director: Christian Rivers
Actors: Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae Kim, …
Category: Science Fiction

Mr Wrong (1985)

6 December 20038 January 2025

Rating: ★★

Haunted Car/Stalker

Director: Gaylene Preston
Actors: Heather Bolton, David Letch, Margaret Umbers, Gary Stalker, …
Category: Horror

The Navigator: A Mediaeval Odyssey (1988)

15 June 200416 January 2025

Rating: ★★★★

Mediaevals Time-Travel to the Present-Day

Director: Vincent Ward
Actors: Hamish MacFarlane, Bruce Lyons, Marshall Napier, Noel Appleby, …
Category: Fantasy

Nemesis Game (2003)

31 December 200317 January 2025

Rating: ★

Enigmatic Game/Reality Bender

Director: Jesse Warn
Actors: Carly Pope, Adrian Paul, Ian McShane, Jay Baruchel, …
Category: Fantasy

The Offering (1995)

14 September 200223 December 2021

Rating: ★★★

Mexican Sorceress/Magical Realism

Director: Francesca Fisher, Taggart Siegel
Actors: Maira Serbulo, Thom Vernon, Greg Sporleder
Category: Fantasy

Orphans and Angels (2003)

4 July 200328 January 2025

Rating: ★★

Sinister Stranger

Director: Harold Brodie
Actors: Emmeline Hawthorne, Christopher Brown
Category: Horror

Out of the Blue (2006)

10 November 200628 May 2021

Rating: ★★★½

True Life New Zealand Killing Spree

Director: Robert Sarkies
Actors: Karl Urban, Matt Sunderland, William Kircher, Paul Glover, …
Category: Horror

Perfect Creature (2006)

21 October 20072 October 2019

Rating: ★★★

Alternate World of Vampires

Director: Glenn Standring
Actors: Dougray Scott, Saffron Burrows, Leo Gregory, Scott Wills, …
Category: Horror

Perfect Strangers (2003)

2 March 20041 May 2020

Rating: ★★★

Abduction Thriller/Ambiguous Ghost

Director: Gaylene Preston
Actors: Sam Neill, Rachael Blake, Joel Toebeck
Category: Horror

The Price of Milk (2000)

15 May 200113 February 2025

Rating: ★★★

Kiwi Magical Realism

Director: Harry Sinclair
Actors: Danielle Cormack, Karl Urban, Willa O'Neill
Category: Fantasy

The Quiet Earth (1985)

1 February 200129 December 2023

Rating: ★★★½

Last People on Earth

Director: Geoff Murphy
Actors: Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge
Category: Science Fiction

The Returning (1990)

26 March 200228 February 2025

Rating: ★

New Zealand Ghost Story

Director: John Day
Actors: Phillip Gordon, Alison Routledge, Max Cullen, Jim Moriarty, …
Category: Horror

River Queen (2005)

25 February 200621 December 2023

Rating: ★★

Maori Wars Historical Epic/Precognitive Dream

Director: Vincent Ward
Actors: Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison, …
Category: Fantasy

Saving Grace (1998)

18 February 19996 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Contemporary Jesus

Director: Costa Botes
Actors: Jim Moriarty, Kirsty Hamilton
Category: Fantasy

The Scarecrow (1982)

2 February 20036 March 2025

Rating: ★★★½

New Zealand Gothic

Director: Sam Pillsbury
Actors: John Carradine, Tracy Mann, Bruce Allpress, Des Kelly, …
Category: Horror

Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

13 February 202121 March 2021

Rating: ★★★

Gremlins on a Plane

Director: Roseanne Liang
Actors: Chloe Grace Moretz, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith, Callan Mulvey, …
Category: Horror

The Silent One (1984)

23 December 200014 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Deaf Polynesian Boy Befriends a Sea Turtle

Director: Yvonne Mackay
Actors: Anzac Wallace, George Henare, Pat Evison
Category: Fantasy

Sleeping Dogs (1977)

16 December 201418 February 2020

Rating: ★★★

New Zealand Dystopia

Director: Roger Donaldson
Actors: Sam Neill, Ian Mune, Warren Oates
Category: Science Fiction

Snakeskin (2001)

30 January 200521 November 2024

Rating: ★★

Surreal New Zealand Road Movie

Director: Gillian Ashurst
Actors: Melanie Lynskey, Boyd Kestner, Dean O'Gorman, Oliver Driver, …
Category: Fantasy

The Tattooist (2007)

1 September 200728 August 2020

Rating: ★

Cursed Tattoos

Director: Peter Burger
Actors: Jason Behr, Robbie Magasiva, Michael Hurst, Nathaniel Lees, …
Category: Horror

Trial Run (1984)

13 December 20027 May 2025

Rating: ★★

Feminist Slasher

Director: Melanie Read
Actors: Annie Whittle, Martyn Sanderson, Judith Gibson
Category: Horror

Turbo Kid (2015)

23 October 201512 April 2025

Rating: ★★

Retro 80s Parody of Post-Holocaust Films

Director: Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Actors: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside
Category: Science Fiction

The Ugly (1997)

26 November 200514 May 2025

Rating: ★★

Serial Killer

Director: Scott Reynolds
Actors: Paolo Rotondo, Rebecca Hobbs, Roy Ward, Paul Glover, …
Category: Horror

Under the Mountain (2009)

22 September 201321 December 2023

Rating: ★★½

Twins vs Alien Nasties

Director: Jonathan King
Actors: Sam Neill, Oliver Driver, Tom Cameron, Sophie McBride, …
Category: Science Fiction

User Friendly (1990)

3 July 20101 August 2024

Rating: ★★

Eccentric Comedy/Statuette With Rejuvenative Powers

Director: Gregor Nicholas
Actors: William Brandt, Alison Bruce, Judith Gibson, David Letch, …
Category: Fantasy

The Vintner’s Luck (2009)

10 August 201021 December 2023

Rating: ★★½

Angel Aids Winemaker

Director: Niki Caro
Actors: Jeremie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel, Vera Farmiga, Keisha Castle-Hughes, …
Category: Fantasy

Whale Rider (2002)

17 February 200316 September 2020

Rating: ★★★

Maori Culture/Mystical Communion with the Whales

Director: Niki Caro
Actors: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paretene, Cliff Curtis
Category: Fantasy

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

14 February 20158 June 2025

Rating: ★★★★

Vampire Comedy/Mockumentary

Director: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Actors: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Rhys Darby, Ben Fransham, …
Category: Horror

When Night Falls (2007)

21 October 20078 June 2025

Rating: ★★

Maniac on the Loose

Director: Alex Galvin
Actors: Tania Nolan, Rosella Hart
Category: Horror

When Strangers Appear (2001)

10 August 200122 December 2023

Rating: ★★★½

Psycho-Thriller

Director: Scott Reynolds
Actors: Radha Mitchell, Barry Watson, Josh Lucas, Kevin Anderson, …
Category: Horror

Woodenhead (2003)

7 April 20108 April 2020

Rating: ★★★½

Surrealist Fairytale

Director: Florian Habicht
Actors: Nicholas Butler, Teresa Peters, Tony Bishop, Matthew Sunderland
Category: Fantasy

Wound (2010)

29 March 201213 June 2025

Rating: ★

Hallucination and BDSM

Director: David Blyth
Actors: Kate O'Rourke, Brendan Gregory, Ian Mune
Category: Horror

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Theme Essays

  • Films About Atlantis
  • Werewolf Films
  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns
∧

Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2025

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