From way Down Under comes Lady, Stay Dead, an Australian horror film that features an incredibly creepy handyman who enjoys raping women and killing whoever gets on his bad side. Suffice it to say, there are some disturbing scenes to be had, and it starts right from the very beginning until the very end.

Writer and director Terry Bourke starts things off by showcasing his villain right off the bat, and there is no doubt that this man is going to be the antagonist of the film, given the opening scene. It all begins with him fondling a life-size doll, rolling around on his bed with it like he is making love, while newspaper clippings of a woman flash by. It is sleazy and dirty and gives viewers a sense of unease immediately because, without any context, one has to wonder if he has killed this woman or if he is going to kill this woman and not knowing, sets things up beautifully. It hooks the audience right in and keeps them watching because knowing what this creep is going to do is a must. As it turns out, the woman is still alive, and the man, named Gordon Mason, actually works for her. The day moves along, and he does his chores around her house until he cannot control himself anymore. When everyone but Marie has left, he gets her alone and rapes her, his twisted mind thinking she would like it. The fact that she does not, and what she does afterward, leads to him killing her by drowning her in a fish tank. Opening this door, more bodies follow, including a dog, until a new fixation enters the picture: Marie’s sister Jenny. From then on until the end of the movie, it is a game of cat and mouse until Gordon finally gets what is coming to him.

For the most part, the horror in this film is psychological, and Chard Hayward, who plays Gordon, makes for a perfect villain. There is something fundamentally wrong with Gordon, and not just because he enjoys sex on the rougher side. One can easily tell that his brain is broken in some fashion, even from that very first scene. From there, the way he kills so easily, the way he stalks Jenny as portrayed by Louise Howitt, it is almost as if he is part child. The man cannot pick up on signals the same as any other regular person, and in a sense, there is an innocence about him which makes things far more unsettling and alarming than if he were just another random serial killer. Seeing him stalk his victims is almost scarier than seeing him tangling with them, for at that point, there is a finality in that confrontation. The stalking creates tension in the audience and even a sense of hope that those in his sights will get away, even though viewers know it won’t happen.

There is a lot of tension throughout, and a heavy atmosphere of stress. It starts out at a good pace, then slows down a bit in the middle act, then picks up again in the finale. Hayward is excellent and carries this slice of exploitation more so than any other. Howitt is good and should get her fair share of praise, as does the rest of the cast. Thankfully, not too many special effects are needed —just a little blood here and there to keep it colourful. The cast is what makes Lady, Stay Dead as good as it is. Best of all, Hayward keeps the audience hooked, so much so that one cannot help but think about the man even after the picture ends.

3 out of 5