Houseboat Horror
Encyclopedia
Houseboat Horror is an Australia
n slasher film
released to video
in 1989.
Along the way, they stop to offer transport to a female hitchhiker, later dropping her at a remote campsite where she plans to meet a friend.
After farewelling the crew, the hitchhiker is shocked by the grisly discovery of her friend's dead body. Alone and forced to run through dense scrubland to escape an unseen assailant, she fails to evade the killer and is stabbed multiple times.
The film crew, unaware of a murderer at large, stops for fuel at a petrol station and is given an uneasy reception by locals who seem wary or suspicious of outsiders. They leave to meet the rest of the crew at a river where houseboats have been hired for transport and accommodation.
A local patrol officer, seen earlier at the petrol station, gets killed by the unseen assailant by way of an axe
to the head while he is observing the film-makers aboard the houseboats. His death comes as a surprise to viewers as his behaviour at the petrol station and his decision to then spy on the new arrivals gives the impression he may be the killer.
The film-makers sail downriver and stop to record the rock band performing some songs. Later that night, sitting around a campfire, two staff leave to search the area for hallucinogenic 'magic mushrooms', which they believe to be in season. During the search, one produces a hypodermic syringe from his shirt pocket, assuring the other crew member that he has a supply of "the other stuff" if their search for hallucinogens is fruitless.
After finding only toadstools, one leaves to rejoin the rest of the crew. The crew member who continues the search for mushrooms is stabbed by the killer, and the staff member returning to camp is alarmed by a bright flashlight shined into his eyes. Assuming it his fellow crew member playing jokes, he admonishes him with the words "don't fuck around!" but a machete is directed at his head and he unsuccessfully attempts to escape. The syringe, discovered by the assailant after the first murder, is pushed into the crew member's cheek and he is stabbed to death with the machete.
Meanwhile, the rest of the film crew are visited at the campsite by an eerie local woman who emerges from the darkness to tell them of another film crew who visited Lake Infinity only to have members of the entourage killed in a tragic fire.
The next day, several of the film-makers decide to look for the two crew members who "pissed off" overnight and, during the search, a couple find what looks like an abandoned stable
. They wander inside to explore and, as they do, the man is stabbed and the woman is eye-gouged with a horseshoe
.
The strange woman who told the crew about the fire is then seen talking to the mysterious assailant, explaining that if he continues, he will be taken away from her.
Later that evening, the remaining crew socialize and get drunk aboard one of the houseboats, still unaware of the danger surrounding them. A female staff member gets knifed repeatedly from underneath her bed after retiring for the night and a male crew member (US-based Australian media personality Gavin Wood) returns to his houseboat with a female crew member for sex, only to be shot with a harpoon
, while the woman is stabbed through the neck.
Meanwhile, another of the film crew takes to jet ski
ing on the darkened river and is killed when the assailant hurls a spear.
The bodies of the couple shot by harpoon and stabbed through the neck are then discovered, and the remaining crew lock doors and windows. They make plans to contact police, only to learn that another staff member had accidentally dropped their portable phone into the water while partying.
The assailant, credited as "Acid Head" and played by Zlatko Kasumovic, then slices the director's
fingers off and splits his head in half. A further crew member gets stabbed, although we later discover that his injuries are not fatal, and a blonde woman has her neck broken. Another female staff member tries to escape through the woods on the riverbank, during which time she discovers the bodies of the missing film-makers who left the crew's campfire after the first night of filming.
By morning, the woman is still running. The crew member stabbed non-fatally unties one of the houseboats, and he and the woman make plans to escape.
As they depart, Acid Head appears on the boat's outside deck. Emerging from the cabin, they wrestle with him. Eventually the woman sets him on fire and he falls into the river. The film then cuts to a scene where the woman is woken by a police officer, giving the impression that the ordeal was only a nightmare, while elsewhere the rock band encounters the mysterious woman who had told them the history of Acid Head, saying that he was her brother, supposedly killed by fire.
She instructs them to come with her to call the authorities, which makes audiences believe that she is in fact plotting to kill them.
The end credits roll and subtitles tell that "on October 17, Peace and Tranquility returned to Lake Infinity...FOR A TIME".
Acid Head's arm and fist are then seen emerging sharply and victoriously from the waters of Lake Infinity, indicating that he has survived the attempts on his life and is still at large.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
released to video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
in 1989.
Plot
A film crew composed of media types and party animals from the city embark on a road trip to record music videos of a hard-living rock band at rural Lake Infinity.Along the way, they stop to offer transport to a female hitchhiker, later dropping her at a remote campsite where she plans to meet a friend.
After farewelling the crew, the hitchhiker is shocked by the grisly discovery of her friend's dead body. Alone and forced to run through dense scrubland to escape an unseen assailant, she fails to evade the killer and is stabbed multiple times.
The film crew, unaware of a murderer at large, stops for fuel at a petrol station and is given an uneasy reception by locals who seem wary or suspicious of outsiders. They leave to meet the rest of the crew at a river where houseboats have been hired for transport and accommodation.
A local patrol officer, seen earlier at the petrol station, gets killed by the unseen assailant by way of an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
to the head while he is observing the film-makers aboard the houseboats. His death comes as a surprise to viewers as his behaviour at the petrol station and his decision to then spy on the new arrivals gives the impression he may be the killer.
The film-makers sail downriver and stop to record the rock band performing some songs. Later that night, sitting around a campfire, two staff leave to search the area for hallucinogenic 'magic mushrooms', which they believe to be in season. During the search, one produces a hypodermic syringe from his shirt pocket, assuring the other crew member that he has a supply of "the other stuff" if their search for hallucinogens is fruitless.
After finding only toadstools, one leaves to rejoin the rest of the crew. The crew member who continues the search for mushrooms is stabbed by the killer, and the staff member returning to camp is alarmed by a bright flashlight shined into his eyes. Assuming it his fellow crew member playing jokes, he admonishes him with the words "don't fuck around!" but a machete is directed at his head and he unsuccessfully attempts to escape. The syringe, discovered by the assailant after the first murder, is pushed into the crew member's cheek and he is stabbed to death with the machete.
Meanwhile, the rest of the film crew are visited at the campsite by an eerie local woman who emerges from the darkness to tell them of another film crew who visited Lake Infinity only to have members of the entourage killed in a tragic fire.
The next day, several of the film-makers decide to look for the two crew members who "pissed off" overnight and, during the search, a couple find what looks like an abandoned stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
. They wander inside to explore and, as they do, the man is stabbed and the woman is eye-gouged with a horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
.
The strange woman who told the crew about the fire is then seen talking to the mysterious assailant, explaining that if he continues, he will be taken away from her.
Later that evening, the remaining crew socialize and get drunk aboard one of the houseboats, still unaware of the danger surrounding them. A female staff member gets knifed repeatedly from underneath her bed after retiring for the night and a male crew member (US-based Australian media personality Gavin Wood) returns to his houseboat with a female crew member for sex, only to be shot with a harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
, while the woman is stabbed through the neck.
Meanwhile, another of the film crew takes to jet ski
Jet ski
Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the...
ing on the darkened river and is killed when the assailant hurls a spear.
The bodies of the couple shot by harpoon and stabbed through the neck are then discovered, and the remaining crew lock doors and windows. They make plans to contact police, only to learn that another staff member had accidentally dropped their portable phone into the water while partying.
The assailant, credited as "Acid Head" and played by Zlatko Kasumovic, then slices the director's
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
fingers off and splits his head in half. A further crew member gets stabbed, although we later discover that his injuries are not fatal, and a blonde woman has her neck broken. Another female staff member tries to escape through the woods on the riverbank, during which time she discovers the bodies of the missing film-makers who left the crew's campfire after the first night of filming.
By morning, the woman is still running. The crew member stabbed non-fatally unties one of the houseboats, and he and the woman make plans to escape.
As they depart, Acid Head appears on the boat's outside deck. Emerging from the cabin, they wrestle with him. Eventually the woman sets him on fire and he falls into the river. The film then cuts to a scene where the woman is woken by a police officer, giving the impression that the ordeal was only a nightmare, while elsewhere the rock band encounters the mysterious woman who had told them the history of Acid Head, saying that he was her brother, supposedly killed by fire.
She instructs them to come with her to call the authorities, which makes audiences believe that she is in fact plotting to kill them.
The end credits roll and subtitles tell that "on October 17, Peace and Tranquility returned to Lake Infinity...FOR A TIME".
Acid Head's arm and fist are then seen emerging sharply and victoriously from the waters of Lake Infinity, indicating that he has survived the attempts on his life and is still at large.
External links
- Houseboat Horror Review entry by Tony Martin on his own segment "Undiscovered Masterpieces of the Cinema" on The Late Show
- DVD of Houseboat of Horror