Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
YOU?
Author Swipe
View article: Homegrown horror: the ethics of Snowtown's suburban nightmare
Homegrown horror: the ethics of Snowtown's suburban nightmare Open
Bringing the story of real-life murders to the screen is an extraordinarily delicate task, especially when the crimes are both local and recent. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas reveals how this sophisticated film treads the fine line between aut…
View article: From District Six to District 9: apartheid, spectacle and the real
From District Six to District 9: apartheid, spectacle and the real Open
Neill Blomkamp's 2009 science fiction blockbuster captivated audiences around the world, garnering four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. While genres like horror, science fiction and action are undeniably popular with view…
View article: Dark forces: excess and absence in Harlequin and beyond
Dark forces: excess and absence in Harlequin and beyond Open
In bringing the little-discussed Harlequin into the critical spotlight, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas argues for the existence of an 'excessive absence' that is characteristic of Australian paracinema.
View article: Girl trouble: rape and retribution in Wasted on The Young
Girl trouble: rape and retribution in Wasted on The Young Open
This stylish debut feature examines the intersection of technology and sexual violence in Australian teen culture. While a promising debut, the film makes some dangerous assumptions about gender politics when considered in the context of t…
View article: Fatal distractions: Australian horror beyond national cinema
Fatal distractions: Australian horror beyond national cinema Open
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas looks at the state of Australian horror filmmaking, and finds that, for the most part, recent features come up wanting.
View article: Silence and fury: rape and The Virgin Spring
Silence and fury: rape and The Virgin Spring Open
This article is a reconsideration of The Virgin Spring that focuses upon the rape at the centre of the film's action, despite the film's surface attempts to marginalise all but its narrative functionality. While the deployment of this rape…
View article: Paper trailblazers: investigating democracy in 'All the president's men'
Paper trailblazers: investigating democracy in 'All the president's men' Open
All The President's Men ( Alan J Pakula, 1976) is a gritty, realistic political thriller that seeks to fictionally document one of the most notorious political scandals of the twentieth century. Focusing on the investigation that led to th…
View article: Subversive frames: Vermeer and Lucio Fulci's 'Sette note in nero'
Subversive frames: Vermeer and Lucio Fulci's 'Sette note in nero' Open
This article investigates the utility of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer's painting The Love Letter (1669-70) in cult Italian director Lucio Fulci's giallo Sette note in nero (The Psychic, 1977), uncovering a complex relationship that is piv…
View article: The F word: power and gender in 'Thelma and Louise'
The F word: power and gender in 'Thelma and Louise' Open
As one of the most popular and commercially successful feminist blockbusters of all time, 'Thelma & Louise' (Ridley Scott, 1991) provides a useful starting point from which to reflect on feminism more broadly. For art historian and critic …
View article: A pre-history of 'reality' horror film
A pre-history of 'reality' horror film Open
With the rising popularity of 'reality' based horror films such as Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008), Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2007) and their sequels, it is fruitful to reflect on the history of such movies. While the international p…
View article: History and horror: living the past through the living dead
History and horror: living the past through the living dead Open
Through the horror film we can learn about history, but not as the usual names/places/dates paradigm; instead, we can begin to understand the crucial factor of lived human experience.
View article: Fair games and Wasted Youth: twenty-five years of Australian rape-revenge film (1986-2011)
Fair games and Wasted Youth: twenty-five years of Australian rape-revenge film (1986-2011) Open
Films where acts of sexual violence are avenged - usually the province of exploitation and horror - are often reviled as vulgar schlock. Focusing on Australian examples of these films, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas argues that there is much mo…
View article: On wheels: girls, boys and monster trucks in Road Train
On wheels: girls, boys and monster trucks in Road Train Open
While certainly not pushing any boundaries, this solid genre film is guaranteed to entertain. As Alexandra Heller-Nicholas explains, it also offers some thrilling surprises and an intelligent take on the 'final girl' figure.
View article: Snuff boxing: rethinking the Snuff coda
Snuff boxing: rethinking the Snuff coda Open
Snuff (Findlay/Nuchtern, 1976) might not be the 'best' film produced in the Americas in the 1970s, but it may be the decade's most important 'worst' film. Rumoured to depict the actual murder of a female crewmember in its final moments, it…
View article: Book review: 'The Routledge companion to gothic,' edited by Catherine Spooner and Emma McEvoy
Book review: 'The Routledge companion to gothic,' edited by Catherine Spooner and Emma McEvoy Open
Review of the book 'The Routledge companion to gothic,' edited by Catherine Spooner and Emma McEvoy, published by Routledge, London, 2007.
View article: Framing truth and testimony: the interrogation of justice in 'The Thin Blue Line'
Framing truth and testimony: the interrogation of justice in 'The Thin Blue Line' Open
Just after midnight on 28 November 1976, during a routine traffic stop in Dallas, police officer Robert W Wood was murdered by a man whom police investigators determined to be Randall Dale Adams. Adams was sentenced to death and imprisoned…
View article: Strangers with candy: the Highway Safety Foundation and The Child Molester (1964)
Strangers with candy: the Highway Safety Foundation and The Child Molester (1964) Open
The issues surrounding The Child Molester have become only more ambiguous: despite its cheesy retro aesthetics, it allows no room for nostalgic reflection at how far attitudes have progressed or how much things have changed.
View article: The house of the screaming child: ambivalence and the representation of children in 'Profondo Rosso' (Dario Argento 1975)
The house of the screaming child: ambivalence and the representation of children in 'Profondo Rosso' (Dario Argento 1975) Open
While broadly renowned for hyperactive visual spectacles of color and carnage over complex narratives, the plot of Dario Argento's Profondo rosso hinges upon an urban legend known as 'The House of the Screaming Child'. It concerns a dereli…
View article: Book review: 'A grammar of murder: violent scenes and film form,' by Karla Oeler
Book review: 'A grammar of murder: violent scenes and film form,' by Karla Oeler Open
Review of the book 'A grammar of murder: violent scenes and film form,' by Karla Oeler, published by University of Cambridge Press, Cambridge, 2009.
View article: Laboratory experiment: errors of the human body
Laboratory experiment: errors of the human body Open
Mirroring the genetic experimentation that its characters undertake, Eron Sheean's film boldly explores the limitations of genre. Like all experimental procedures this has its share of flaws, writes Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, but there is …
View article: Cannibals and other impossible bodies: 'Il profumo della signora in nero' and the giallo film
Cannibals and other impossible bodies: 'Il profumo della signora in nero' and the giallo film Open
For cult film audiences and academics alike, the Italian giallo film is considered predominantly an auteurist domain, where films by the subgenre's big names - Mario and Lamberto Bava, Lucio Fulci, Aldo Lado, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi,…
View article: Ozploitation revisited: Not Quite Hollywood
Ozploitation revisited: Not Quite Hollywood Open
Mark Hartley's new film straddles unpretentious glee and obsessive research, writes Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
View article: Teens, screams and Acolytes
Teens, screams and Acolytes Open
This horror thriller walks the line between art film and genre film with mixed results, writes Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
View article: Book review: 'Rape: a history from 1860 to the present,' by Joanna Bourke
Book review: 'Rape: a history from 1860 to the present,' by Joanna Bourke Open
Review of the book 'Rape: a history from 1860 to the present,' by Joanna Bourke, published by Virago Press, London, 2007.
View article: Helpless baby, evil child: The Loved Ones
Helpless baby, evil child: The Loved Ones Open
Despite some missed opportunities and a somewhat American premise, Sean Byrne's prom horror flick certainly doesn't disappoint in terms of entertainment, writes Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
View article: David Frost vs. Goliath: history and entertainment in Frost/Nixon
David Frost vs. Goliath: history and entertainment in Frost/Nixon Open
Film as Text. Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard, 2008) draws on a harrowing interview between British television identity David Frost and a post-presidency Richard Nixon, but is not always historically accurate. Despite this, it is a powerful remind…
View article: Genre resistant: Black Water: the supernature slasher?
Genre resistant: Black Water: the supernature slasher? Open
Despite its claims to the 'thriller' and 'drama' genres, the low-budget Australian croc film Black Water denies its natural selection. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas reveals elements of the slasher subgenre lurking beneath the water.
View article: Book review: 'Dark places: the haunted house in film,' by Barry Curtis
Book review: 'Dark places: the haunted house in film,' by Barry Curtis Open
Review of the book 'Dark places: the haunted house in film,' by Barry Curtis, published by Reaktion Books, London, 2009.
View article: Book review: 'Goth: undead subculture,' edited by Lauren M. E. Goodlad and Michael Bibby
Book review: 'Goth: undead subculture,' edited by Lauren M. E. Goodlad and Michael Bibby Open
Review of the book 'Goth: undead subculture,' edited by Lauren M. E. Goodlad and Michael Bibby, published by Duke University Press, Durham, 2007.
View article: Finders keepers: Australian found-footage horror film
Finders keepers: Australian found-footage horror film Open
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas looks at how two Australian films, The Tunnel and Lake Mungo, fit into the hugely popular found-footage horror trend, and what they can reveal about this often critically disregarded subgenre.