STACK #126 Apr 2016

DVD & BD

FEATURE

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“ Mad Max meets Dawn of the Dead ” in WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD , the fast, furious and ferocious film debut of Sydney siblings Kiah andTristan Roache-Turner. Scott Hocking spoke with the affableTristan about bringing the dead back to life Down Under.

I t’s been over a decade since

zombies invaded the Australian landscape in the Spierig Brothers’

debut feature, Undead . But now they’ve made a long overdue return thanks to the efforts of another pair of talented siblings, Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner, who have added a liberal dose of Mad Max -inspired mayhem to their zombie apocalypse in Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead . Boasting knockout production values and action sequences, an inventive screenplay that brings something new to the genre, and most importantly buckets of blood and gore, it’s difficult to believe that Wyrmwood is the brothers’ first feature film. So who the hell are these guys? Tristan Roache-Turner, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kiah and also served as producer, prop designer and project manager, says he and his brother, who directed and edited the film, are just “pretty normal Aussie blokes” who love movies. “We’ve loved watching movies since we were teenagers, and always had a bit of a flair behind the camera, I guess,” he explains. “Kiah was always running around shooting cool videos and stop motion-type things. We started off making really low budget short films and a couple of video clips for mates’ bands and stuff. They

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Tristan holds the reflector while brother Kiah mans the camera.

held hostage by a sinister doctor and his gasmask-wearing goons. Beyond the obvious Mad Max influence, reflected in the film’s customised vehicles and zombie-proof body armour, Tristan cites the original Evil Dead and Bad Taste as major inspirations. “Across the ditch, Peter Jackson mate, he was the man! Bad Taste was what really pushed us to start

just got bigger and better and before we knew it, we were hooking into a full-length zombie film.” Wyrmwood follows mechanic Barry (Jay Gallagher), who hits the road after his wife and daughter fall victim to the living dead. Teaming up with fellow survivor Benny (Leon Burchill), Barry attempts to locate his sister (Bianca Bradley), who’s being

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