Subgenre Sampler
Muru (2022)
- Dir. Tearepa Kahi
Feat. Cliff Curtis, Jay Ryan, Manu Bennett… - A riveting local action–thriller that boldly fictionalizes events surrounding the Nga Tuhoe raids of 2007. Our finest actor Cliff Curtis…
Coming Home in the Dark (2021)- Dir. James Ashcroft
Feat. Miriama McDowell, Erik Thomson, Daniel Gillies… - Not for the faint of heart, this Kiwi thriller is confrontingly grim yet takes the psycho–killer genre into thematic territory it rarely…
Savage (2020)- Dir. Sam Kelly
Feat. Jake Ryan, John Tui, Chelsie Preston-Crayford - Powerful drama inspired by the history of NZ's gangs, following a young boy in three different stages of life from the 1960's to the 1980's, as he…
Sounds, The (TV Mini-series) (2020)- Dir. Peter Stebbings
Feat. Matt Whelen, Rachelle Lefevre, Matt Nable… - Kiwi mystery drama series from writer Sarah–Kate Lynch (800 WORDS), about a Canadian couple who move to the Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere region in…
This Town (2020)- Dir. David White
Feat. Robyn Malcolm, Alice May Connolly, David White… - Goofy small–town NZ rom–com about a socially awkward man (played by writer–director David White) who finds unlikely romance despite…
Blue Moon (2019)- Dir. Stefen Harris
Feat. Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Olivia Hadlow - Shot on entirely on an iphone in and around a Motueka petrol station, this twisty thriller from enterprising indie Mainlander Stefen Harris follows a…
Lowdown Dirty Criminals (2019)- Dir. Paul Murphy
Feat. James Rolleston, Samuel Austin, Robbie Magasiva… - Kiwi crime caper set in Wellington, with likeably formless best buddies Freddy (James Rolleston, THE BREAKER UPPERERS) and Marvin (newcomer Samuel…
Bad Seed, The (TV Mini-series) (2018)- Dir. Helena Brooks
Feat. Dean O'Gorman, Matt Minto, Madeleine Sami… - Four–part New Zealand crime series based on the books by Charlotte Grimshaw telling the story of two brothers from a dysfunctional family with…
Girl vs. Boy (TV Series) (2016)- Feat. Will Robertson, Emma Draper, Courtney Abbot
- Kiwi romantic whodunit set in "The Bay", where an amateur detective takes it upon herself to solve the mystery behind the divisions in her tight knit…
True New Zealand Crime Stories (How to Murder Your Wife; Monster of Mangatiti; Venus and Mars; Bloodlines; Siege) (2015)- Dir. Riccardo Pellizzeri, John Laing, Peter Burger
Feat. Mark Mitchinson, Craig Hall, Sara Wiseman… - How to Murder Your Wife: A black comedy based on the true story of Alfred Benning's outlandish attempts to murder his overbearing wife in 1977.…
Brokenwood Mysteries, The (TV Series) (2014-2024)- Feat. Neill Rea, Fern Sutherland
- A local stab at the ever popular murder mystery genre with this Kiwiana policier featuring two mismatched detectives investigating a series of…
Cure, The (2014)- Dir. David Gould
Feat. Antonia Prebble, Stephen Lovatt, John Bach… - An American–accented medical thriller in which Antonia Prebble plays a scientist who discovers that the pharmaceutical company she works for is…
Blue Rose, The (TV Series) (2013)- Feat. Antonia Prebble, Siobhan Marshall, Jennifer Ludlam
- An inquisitive office temp (Prebble) learns that the woman she is replacing in a law firm has been murdered, and becomes obsessed with solving the…
Harry (TV Series) (2013)- Feat. Oscar Kightley, Sam Neill, Hunter Kamuhemu…
- Oscar Kightley plays a grieving South Auckland detective swamped by a series of armed robberies in this dark, authentic local policier, a welcome…
Top of the Lake (TV Series) (2013)- Dir. Jane Campion, Gerard Lee
Feat. Elisabeth Moss, Peter Mullan, David Wenham… - An unnerving, atmosphere–rich 'feminist' policier from Australasian auteur Jane Campion, centred on the mystery of a 12–year–old…
Safe House (2012)- Feat. Errol Shand, Peter Elliot, Morgana O’Reilly…
- The infancy of witness protection in New Zealand is given a suspenseful retelling in this quality feature–length production from TVNZ's Sunday…
Siege (2012)- Feat. Mark Mitchinson, Joel Tobeck, Kirk Torrance
- Napier's recent siege crisis in which small–time cannabis grower Jan Molenaar barricaded himself in his home after shooting a Senior Constable…
Netherwood (2011)- Dir. Cristobal Araus Lobos
Feat. Owen Black, Will Hall, Miriama Smith - A lone drifter wanters into a North Canterbury "redneck" town and winds up as the unfortunate middle–man in an age old land dispute. It’s not…
Bloodlines (2010)- Dir. Peter Burger
Feat. Mark Mitchinson, Nathalie Boltt, Craig Hall… - The intimidating Mark Mitchinson plays another hihg–profile Kiwi criminal in this solid tele–movie of South African–born,…
Predicament (2010)- Dir. Jason Stutter
Feat. Jemaine Clement, Heath Franklin, Hayden Frost… - A macabre comic adventure of murder and blackmail in rural Taranaki in the 30's, this follows CAME A HOT FRIDAY, THE SCARECROW and PALLET ON THE…
Stolen (2010)- Dir. Britta Hawkins
Feat. Miriama Smith, Scott Wills, George Henare… - TV thriller based on the real life 2002 kidnapping of Baby Kahu Durie, which saturated NZ media at the time. Held for $3 million ransom, the child…
This is Not My Life (TV Series) (2010)- Dir. Robert Sarkies
Feat. Charles Mesure, Tania Nolan, Ariana Brunet… - Set in a fictional New Zealand town in the 2020s, this high–end Kiwi production runs with a number of well–worn science–fiction…
Cult, The (TV Series) (2009)- Feat. Renato Bartolomei, Latham Gaines, Danielle Cormack…
- A group of brainwashed cult members are desperate to escape the mysterious compound and its deranged leader they're imprisoned by in this ambitious…
I'm Not Harry Jenson (2009)- Dir. James Napier Robertson
Feat. Gareth Reeves, Ian Mune, Marshall Napier… - Tensely conceived, enterprising Kiwi thriller finds a true crime novelist so deeply invested in the violent subject of his latest book, that he…
Down By the Riverside (2007)- Dir. Brad Davison, Marama Killen
Feat. Rebecca Trelease - Stylised rural noir concerns the mystery of a notorious country house used for abortions in the 20s, and the subsequent investigation into its dark…
Five (2007)- Dir. Amit Tripuraneni
Feat. Richard Thompson - Exploratory sophomore feature from the dir. of MEMORIES OF TOMORROW leeches the mind–bending surrealism of David Lynch to intriguing,…
Tattooist, The (2007)- Dir. Peter Burger
Feat. Jason Behr, Mia Blake, David Fane… - A supernatural thriller that forges the disparate worlds of urban tattoo counter–culture with Samoan cultural taboo, Jason Behr plays an…
When Night Falls (2007)- Dir. Alex Galvin
Feat. Tania Nolan, Rosella Hart - Creeping Wairarapa–set thriller fixed on two nurses holed up in a remote country house caring for a patient while trying to steer clear of a…
You Move You Die (2007)- Dir. Ketzal Sterling
Feat. Ketzal Sterling, Bruce Hopkins - Ad hoc gangster thriller out of Auckland concerns a stolen engagement ring, and its ensuing recovery by a desperate fiancée and his posse of…
Out of the Blue (Aramoana) (2006)
- Dir. Robert Sarkies
Feat. Karl Urban, Matthew Sunderland, Simon Ferry… - A moving, uncomfortably harrowing account of New Zealand’s worst mass murder, bringing the trauma of 1990’s Aramoana massacre to the screen with…
Luella Miller (2005)- Dir. Dane Giraud
Feat. Sara Wiseman, Philip Brown, Sia Trokenheim - Competent local drama set in a small country town, where quiet lifestyle and gentle intrigues are disrupted by the arrival of an enigmatic young…
Fracture (2004)- Dir. Larry Parr
Feat. Kate Elliot, Miranda Harcourt, Jennifer Ward-Lealand… - An impressively staged adaptation of Maurice Gee's novel "Crime Story", set around two equally fractured families who enter each other's orbit after…
In My Father's Den (2004)- Dir. Brad McGann
Feat. Matthew MacFadyen, Emily Barclay, Miranda Otto… - Achieving a new high watermark in production terms at least, this vivid New Zealand melodrama harnesses the complexities of Maurice Gee's…
Memories of Tomorrow (2004)- Dir. Amit Tripuraneni
Feat. Richard Thompson, Rachel Gilchrist, Ray Trickitt - An artful psychological thriller set around a man's (Thompson) frustrating amnesia of a past which seemingly involves commando training and…
Offensive Behaviour (2004)- Dir. Patrick Gillies
- Amiable though underwritten exercise in Kiwi bad taste, revolving around one afternoon’s goings on in a block of flats. The deviants inside…
Back River Rd (2003)- Dir. Peter Tait
- A roughly–hewn thriller set in the backroads of northern New Zealand, where various characters in the dope–growing scene vie for success.…
For Good (2003)- Dir. Stuart McKenzie
Feat. Michelle Langstone, Timothy Balme, Miranda Harcourt… - Deserving of a wider audience, this assured and well–focused NZ feature debut belies its limited budget with a pertinent crime story executed…
Nemesis Game (2003)- Dir. Jesse Warn
Feat. Carly Pope, Ian McShane, Rena Owen - Twisted, overly enigmatic thriller shot in New Zealand, that concerns a student's obsession with a high–stakes game of riddles. Noticing…
Perfect Strangers (2003)- Dir. Gaylene Preston
Feat. Sam Neill, Rachael Blake, Joel Tobeck - Thriller of possessive love, set effectively on the rugged coastline of New Zealand’s West Coast, that changes tack mid–way into blackly…
Cupid's Prey (2002)- Dir. Dale G. Bradley
Feat. Joanna Pacula - Low end US production filmed in New Zealand, in which a young woman holidays with her boyfriend's troublesome family. Strictly run of the mill.
Mataku (TV Series) (2002-2005)- Dir. Michael Bennett, Peter Berger
Feat. Temuera Morrison - A well–mounted anthology of contemporary one–off dramas, adapted from the unique and mystical world of Maori supernatural legends. The…
Orphans and Angels (2002)- Dir. Harold Brodie
Feat. Emmeline Hawthorne, Christopher Brown, Cal Wilson - Risk–taking psychodrama set in a fairytale version of Auckland's seamy subcultures, and possibly NZ's most lurid excursion since ANGEL…
Snakeskin (2001)- Dir. Gillian Ashurst
Feat. Melanie Lynskey, Dean O'Gorman, Boyd Kestner… - Searching for a little excitement in those hills due west of Christchurch, NZ, Melanie Lynsky and Dean O’Gorman are sucked into a series of private…
Vector File, The (2001)- Dir. Eliot Christopher
Feat. Casper Van Dien, Catherine Oxenberg - A scientific–political thriller concerning a mutant strain of smallpox virus sought after by Russian bio–terrorists. B–grade…
When Strangers Appear (Shearer's Breakfast) (2001)- Dir. Scott Reynolds
Feat. Radha Mitchell, Barry Watson, Kevin Anderson… - A piquant little thriller set at a lonely country rest–stop – Foxton standing in for Oregon – with dir. Reynold’s (HEAVEN, THE…
Exposure (2000)- Dir. David Blyth
Feat. Ron Silver, Alexandra Paul, Paul Gittins… - Moody thriller about a former war photographer, now washed up doing nude shots in New Zealand, who becomes embroiled in a murder…
Stickmen (2000)- Dir. Hamish Rothwell
Feat. Robbie Magasiva, Scott Wills, Simone Kessell… - A crowd–pleasing and assured sports–fetish movie, this doesn't shy from being dubbed 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Pool Cues', with its…
Channeling Baby (1999)- Dir. Christine Parker
Feat. Danielle Cormack, Kevin Smith - 'First sight' romance between a blind pacifist and a shell–shocked soldier in the 70s ended in heartbreak after the tragic 'disappearance' of…
Heaven (1999)- Dir. Scott Reynolds
Feat. Martin Donovan, Joanna Going, Danny Edwards… - Banished into virtual anonymity by Miramax studio indifference, we can only assume they found this 'arty' thriller too slippery to pigeonhole and…
Scarfies (1999)- Dir. Robert Sarkies
Feat. Neill Rea, Taika Waititi, Willa O'Neill… - Kiwi icons – Dunedin, rugby, Flying Nun music, student life – upholster a formula but well–executed crime plot in which five…
Duggan (TV Series) (Death in Paradise, Sins of the Fathers) (1997-1998)- Dir. Yvonne MacKay
Feat. John Bach - Detective inspector John Bach heads up these made–for–TV policiers as a recluse drawn into a murder cases near his Marlborough Sounds…
Lost Valley (1997)- Dir. Dale G Bradley
Feat. Andrea Thompson, Meg Foster, Mandie Gillette… - Straight–to–video local thriller concerning two backpackers (Meg Foster and Andrea Thompson) and their daughters (Mandie Gillette and…
Last Tattoo, The (1995)- Dir. John Reid
Feat. Kerry Fox, Rod Steiger, Robert Loggia… - Kerry Fox stars in this American–Kiwi co–produced WW2 drama as a public health nurse who uncovers a murder mystery and conspiracy…
Heavenly Creatures (1994)- Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse - Peter Jackson follows his zombie trilogy with this Oscar–nominated tour–de–force based on the Parker–Hulme murders of the…
Jack Be Nimble (1993)- Dir. Garth Maxwell
Feat. Alexis Arquette - Alexis Arquette gets his American tongue around a Kiwi accent to portray an abused twin who finally reunites with his estranged sister. Though this…
Returning, The (1991)- Dir. John Day
Feat. Phillip Gordon, Alison Routledge, Max Cullen - An enigmatic thriller following the fortunes of a high–strung attorney who inherits a rural homestead and finds himself drawn into an obsessive…
Undercover (1990)- Dir. Yvonne MacKay
Feat. William Brandt - Telemovie depiction of the lifestyle of an undercover detective in NZ's drug underworld. A bit rough around the edges, but perhaps worth a look.
Kitchen Sink (1989)- Dir. Alison Maclean
Feat. Theresa Healy, Peter Tait, Anagretta Christian - Three shorts from director Alison Maclean. Her 1989 award–winning Gothic horror is here paired with two earlier works, TALKBACK (1987), and the…
Grasscutter, The (1988)- Dir. Ian Mune
Feat. Terence Cooper, Joel Tobeck, Martin Maguire - A new life and identity in Dunedin proves to be no escape for a former IRA gunman who gave evidence that put 23 fellow terrorists behind bars.…
Short Takes: Dark Tales (1988-1994)- Dir. Scott Reynolds, Simon Bare, Don McGlashan
- A choice selection of short and shady New Zealand films: Game With No Rules (Dir. Scott Reynolds) 17m. Eau De La Vie (Dir. Simon Bare) 13m. The…
Dangerous Orphans (1987)- Dir. John Laing
Feat. Peter Stevens, Michael Hurst, Jennifer Ward-Lealand - Three orphans act on their plan to avenge the death of their father but must undermine an elaborate crime ring to carry it out. With Peter Stevens,…
Bridge to Nowhere (1986)- Dir. Ian Mune
Feat. Bruno Lawrence - Young backpackers go bush and find themselves in a conflict of survival with bad–egg Bruno Lawrence.
Lost Tribe, The (1985)- Dir. John Laing
Feat. John Bach, Darien Takle, Martyn Sanderson… - John Bach's performance is the highlight of this mysterious drama in which he plays a man suspected of murdering his anthropologist brother who has…
- Mesmerized (1985)
- Dir. Michael Laughlin
Feat. Jodie Foster, John Lithgow, Michael Murphy… - Jodie Foster plays a young woman in colonial NZ who flees an orphanage but finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage to a much older business man…
Mr. Wrong (1985)- Dir. Gaylene Preston
Feat. Heather Bolton - A young woman acquires a Mark 2 Jaguar that appears to be harbouring the ghost a past owner. Some well executed thrills keep Heather Bolton…
Should I Be Good or Should I Be Evil? (1985)- Dir. Graham McLean
Feat. Beaver , Harry Lyon - Musos Beaver and Harry Lyon from Hello Sailor have a bash at acting in a story based on the Mr Asia drug–ring. Music by Hammond Gamble.
Trial Run (1984)- Dir. Melanie Read
Feat. Annie Whittle - Eerie occurences manifest into the worst nightmare for a wildlife photographer posted at an isolated cottage. Annie Whittle gives it heck as the…
Next of Kin (1982)- Dir. Tony Williams
Feat. Jacki Kerin, John Jarratt, Alex Scott - Moody Australian haunted house flick about a young woman who inherits a retirement home possibly contaminated with a malevolent spirit. Not a classic…
Scarecrow, The (1982)- Dir. Sam Pillsbury
Feat. Jono Smith, Tracey Mann, Daniel McLaren… - A fine film adaptation of Ronald Hugh Morrieson's classic New Zealand novel about a crazed killer who instills fear and paranoia in a small rural…
Bad Blood (1981)- Dir. Mike Newell
Feat. Jack Thompson, Carol Burns, Denis Lill - A gripping drama based on the factual account of Stan Graham, who in 1941 murdered four policemen and sparked one of the greatest manhunts in New…
Dead Kids (Strange Behaviour) (1981)- Dir. Michael Laughlin
Feat. Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher - Minor cult item concerning a series of nasty murders in a small town, which may be connected to a deranged scientist and his psychology experiments.…
Beyond Reasonable Doubt (1980)- Dir. John Laing
Feat. David Hemmings, John Hargreaves - Probing account of events surrounding the much–publicised Crew murders that put an innocent farmer, Arthur Allan Thomas, behind bars for ten…
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