Wake in Fright
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Movie Details
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Videos & Photos
- Trailer for Wake in Fright (02:03)
Movie Info & Cast
Synopsis
After a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.
Cast
- Donald Pleasence
- Gary Bond
- Chips Rafferty
- Sylvia Kay
- Jack Thompson
- Peter Whittle
- Al Thomas
- John Meillon
- John Armstrong
- Slim DeGrey
Letterboxd User Reviews
4.0
67.0K
37.4K
21.4K
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the only horror film brave enough to ask the chilling question: "what if you had to hang out with Australians."
Matthew ChristmanNov 7, 2015The most nihilistic film of all time. Worse than hell; there is nothing. You can drink, you can kill and you can try to escape but you'll still just end up in a void of your own human awfulness.
ScumbalinaMay 31, 2014Recommended to me on my Make me watch your favourite list. Sweltering and oppressive, Wake in Fright is a man's disconcerting descent into his own personal hell. Kotcheff's film first slowly peels only to end up clawing at its protagonist's humanity, exposing an…
DirkH - Dec 11, 2019
A genuine nightmare captured on film. Shockingly dismal and almost stunningly beautiful in its ugliness. The descent of a man straight into his own personal hell. Anyone who has ever spiraled out in their lives knows what this is like and since I’m one of those people, I…
Tony the TerrorMay 5, 2013Schoolteacher John Grant drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks and drinks…
FilmApeJan 31, 2021Unforgivable. Nothing justifies the mass murder of kangaroos that forms the centerpiece of Wake in Fright. However. Nothing is a more gruesome affirmation of man's evil than this extended and drawn out massacre that unfolds in Wake in Fright. It is relentless and symbolic…
Darren Carver-Balsiger - Mar 12, 2025
unlimited beer, gambling, repressed homosexuality, these are just some of experiences rural australia has to offer
JayJun 21, 2021“Wake in Fright” is a film that doesn’t so much fray nerves, as it does flay the skin clear off; roasting the remnants of humanity in the unforgiving outback heat. Director Ted Kotcheff’s Australian New Wave thriller was one of only two films to ever screen twice at…
theriverjordanMar 18, 2016the most intense exploration of toxic masculinity and queer panic ever
🔮 dana danger 🔮
Queue Community Reviews
83%
Community 253
Top Reviews
- aylin likedWake in Fright
The character was already open to corruption but it was well presented in this movie. It's a good movie for the 70s. It was nice that they explained the kangaroo scene etc.
Hank Leet lovedWake in FrightA brutal and nihilistic depiction of Outback life, including toxic masculinity, reckless drinking, ruthless hedonism and kangaroo hunting
Mickerdoo is "meh" onWake in FrightA poster child for just saying no. Hunt scene was deeply unsettling. Pleasence was good, the story was just so off putting.
- Jacob Hall dislikedWake in Fright
A very slow and boring movie about alcoholism. The kangaroo hunting scenes are unnecessarily brutal and lengthy.
10000BCman likedWake in Frightintense and unsettling, had me on edge, but just made me want a beer for the entirety
ColschQueue is "meh" onWake in FrightWeird and dark, but I wouldn’t describe as good.
- Reyham likedWake in Fright
never going to Australia
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
USER SCORE (14)
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Reviews
Oct 11, 2012
Wake in Fright is a monster movie, and the monster is us.
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Oct 4, 2012
It's simultaneously terrifying and hilarious, a full-on shotgun blast to the face of rediscovered 1970s weirdness, something like finding out that there's a classic Peckinpah film you've never seen, or that Wes Craven and Bernardo Bertolucci got drunk in Sydney one weekend and decided to make a movie together.
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon
Oct 2, 2012
Push any guy long enough with alcohol and aggressive masculinity, the film suggests, and you'll find an XY-chromosomed predator lurking behind the mask.
David Fear
Time Out
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Wake in Fright?
The movie is 1hr 49min long.
What's Wake in Fright about?
After a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.
Who's the cast of Wake in Fright?
- Donald Pleasence as Doc Tydon
- Gary Bond as John Grant
- Chips Rafferty as Jock Crawford
- Sylvia Kay as Janette Hynes
- Jack Thompson as Dick
- Peter Whittle as Joe
- Al Thomas as Tim Hynes
- John Meillon as Charlie
- John Armstrong as Atkins
- Slim DeGrey as Jarvis
Who's the director behind Wake in Fright?
Ted Kotcheff directed Wake in Fright.
Who produced Wake in Fright?
George Willoughby produced Wake in Fright.
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