NEXT OF KIN (1982)—A Slow Burn Pressure Cooker Ozploitation Horror Classic!

Experience one of Australian horror’s great underknown classics —an eerie, dreamlike slow burn mystery that builds to an explosive finale! A KIND OF HUSH: Cinema of Ambient Dread October 9th-27th It’s in the air…a shadowy footstep behind a locked door, a stranger’s dead-eyed stare, a glimpsed figure at the edge of an empty lot, a whisper from the other room. Something felt before it is seen. Something not quite right. There’s an uneasy stillness that settles over a certain strain of horror, where the slightest sound, movement, or suggestion of a presence can become almost unbearable. This October, 7th House presents A KIND OF HUSH: Cinema of Ambient Dread, a six-film series devoted to movies that unsettle less through shocks than through atmosphere: quiet rooms, empty streets, unfamiliar landscapes, troubled dreams, and the uncanny feeling of being not quite alone… Spanning the ghostly memory palace of THE CHANGELING (1980), George A. Romero’s occult portrait of suburban disquiet SEASON OF THE WITCH (1972), the grief-haunted isolation of FULL CIRCLE (aka THE HAUNTING OF JULIA, 1977), the somnambulant seaside nightmare MESSIAH OF EVIL (1973), the rain-lashed Gothic fever dream of NEXT OF KIN (1982), and the hypnotic pastoral dread of LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971), these are films saturated in an atmosphere of gentle dread, where unease lingers long before frights are delivered. Join us throughout October for six singular excursions into the quieter reaches of horror, where silence draws us closer, shadows beckon, and the waking world slips into nightmare. As part of their October series A KIND OF HUSH: Cinema of Ambient Dread, 7th House proudly presents Tony Williams’ NEXT OF KIN (1982), a masterfully controlled slow-burn supernatural pressure cooker of unrelenting rain, shadowy corridors, half-glimpsed figures, and gathering unease. Set within the strange, suspended world of an isolated retirement home, Williams’ long-underknown Australian cult classic unfolds as both an unnerving ghost story and Gothic mystery, following a young woman’s attempt to unravel a succession of increasingly inexplicable disturbances whose roots seem buried somewhere in her own family’s past. Moving with the logic of a waking dream, the film tightens its grip almost imperceptibly—until its carefully maintained hush gives way to an unexpected and explosive final turn that sends the film hurtling into entirely new territory. Jacki Kerin gives a remarkable performance as Linda Stevens, a young woman who returns to her rural hometown after the death of her estranged mother and inherits Montclare, the sprawling old estate her family has converted into a retirement home. There, Linda discovers her mother’s diaries, filled with accounts of strange disturbances that seem to be repeating themselves around her. As unexplained sounds, fleeting impressions, and increasingly ominous incidents begin accumulating, Linda is drawn deeper into the mystery of Montclare and the unsettling possibility that whatever stalked her mother may not have disappeared with her. Klaus Schulze’s extraordinary electronic score gives the film a pulse all its own: hypnotic, ominous, and increasingly propulsive, establishing the sonic atmosphere within which Williams exercises extraordinary control over the film’s strange and shifting tone. Its tension accumulates through suggestion, suspended stillness, and the persistent sense of an impending darkness lurking just beyond comprehension. Montclare becomes a world unto itself, its cavernous interiors and shadowy corridors transformed into a labyrinth of buried memory and gathering dread. Kerin is essential to the film’s spell, grounding its mounting strangeness in a performance that moves convincingly between mousy vulnerability and a growing determination to uncover—and right—whatever heinous wrong lies buried at the heart of Montclare. Long underknown outside its native Australia, Next of Kin has gradually grown in cult stature, its singular fusion of Gothic horror, art-film atmosphere, and Ozploitation strangeness now rightly recognized as one of the great achievements of Aussie genre cinema. Eerie, dreamlike, and deeply unsettling, it masterfully uses every minute of its runtime to draw its strange world ever tighter around you—before proving just how unpredictable that world can be. Dir. Tony Williams, 1982, 89 mins, Australia, English, Rated R, Digital. Tickets: $12 (All Screenings Are In Person Only) Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions. ADVISORY DISCLAIMER With some exception, The Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House Screenings does not typically provide advisory warnings about potentially upsetting content or subject matter, as sensitivities are particular to each viewer. Please be sure to read event listings, research on the web, or visit Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com for thorough info on content and age-appropriateness. If you have any specific content advisory questions, please email [email protected]. CONTENT DISCLAIMER The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes. ACCESSIBILITY PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you. REFUND POLICIES All sales are final. There are no refunds for PRS events. In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event. PARKING Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in both the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east), as well as street parking on Griffith Park Blvd. and (after 7 PM) on Los Feliz Blvd. We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking. PRS EVENT POLICIES • We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. • Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers. • We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats. • Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events. • No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed without permission. • There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds. • We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. • PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code. • Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events. • Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.