WAKE IN FRIGHT (1971) *** ½

Gary Bond stars as an Australian teacher who goes on vacation to see his girlfriend during the Boxing Day holiday break.  He spends the night in a small town where the male citizens outnumber the women about a hundred to one.  That night, he loses all his money drinking and gambling and winds up stranded.  Bond soon learns that’s about all there is to do in the town and the male populace are only too eager to enable his dysfunctional macho behavior.

Directed by Ted Kotcheff, Wake in Fright isn’t so much of a horror film, but rather a filmed nightmare you can’t escape from.  The horror elements come from the psychological trappings of allowing your male id to run rampant without limits or repercussions.  Even though it was made over fifty years ago, it feels like the perfect commentary on today’s “toxic masculinity” atmosphere.

The scene where Bond is taken by some pals to go kangaroo hunting are sure to disturb most viewers.  Even then, there’s a comical detachment to the characters that makes their action even more disturbing.  I mean at one point; the men fight the roos hand-to-hand like Sylvester used to do in the old Looney Tunes cartoons.

Bond makes for an ideal leading man.  He has the charm of Chris Hemsworth mixed with the bland manliness of Richard Chamberlain.  He’s especially good during his scenes with the drunk doctor (Donald Pleasence, who is excellent) who encourages to let go and give in to his temptations.

In the ensuing years, Kotcheff proved he can work in just about any genre.  He’s done everything from comedy (Weekend at Bernie’s and Switching Channels) to late-night cable erotica (Red Shoe Diaries 3 and 5), but he’s probably best known for the immortal First Blood.  It’s a shame he didn’t do more weird and trippy films like this.  Then again, it’s a one-of-a-kind, hard to classify minor classic.  That kind of feat is hard to replicate.

AKA:  Backwater.  AKA:  Holiday in Hell.  AKA:  Outback.  AKA:  At the Edge of the World.