Next of Kin (1982)/Additional

We will soon learn what she's traumatized about

Montclare House

I'm a sucker for a spiral staircase!

Famous shot of Linda's stalker

Wolf Creek's younger and hunkier John Jarratt

Just because I get nostalgic for isolated phone booths

Grandfather clock sighting.

Hallway is an iconic part of the film

The insane Aunt Rita

Sugar Cube tower in the diner

The diner that explodes. 

I did want to revisit this, but it was no longer on Shudder -- I didn't even know this existed until I watched it on Joe Bob's Last Drive-In -- so I found it on Tubi. I get lost in the film, though, I recognize it could be seen as dull if you want something faster paced. Director Tony Williams clearly wanted to cover practically every bit of the Montclare home and a lot of the estate. I just feel it was very important to him to establish that this location is important due to why the killings happen. Linda (Jacki Kerin) inherits the house but someone else who is "next of kin" goes about trying to "stake her claim" through violent, psychopathic means. I guess why many might consider the ending underwhelming is because Aunt Rita and her son are barely available for most of the film. The impact is not as substantial because Rita is admitted in disguise by her son, with the two of them mostly staying out of the film until the very end. And the film does take its time and builds to this explosion of violence, too. Once it kicks into high gear, the camera is very busy and active following the action. But I just wanted to include some of my favorite parts of the film above. The music to the film and end credits just adds such an extra layer of atmosphere on top of how Williams shoots Montclare, following almost exclusively Linda. The included memories of herself as a girl and how Linda sort of starts to unravel odd details about Rita, with the film sort of painting  Dr. Barton (Alex Scott) and Connie (Gerda Nicolson) as suspicious (a diversion) add upon Williams' storytelling. I still think it is the presentation and setting that works so well for me. I could see myself buying this for the library someday.