Inspirational Movies and TV for Dark Conspiracy

[ReHerakhte]

Obviously I don't ned to tell those here assembled that 1992's "Split Second" is pretty much first edition Dark Conspiracy in movie form. Well, just found out today that someone has finally put together a luxury edition BluRay version with tons of extras - it must be mine!

https://www.horrorsociety.com/2020/06/1 ... n-blu-ray/

I'll fight ya for it!
Seriously though, that is some happy news. I think I had Split Second on VHS tape sometime in the distant past and at times I'd even considered buying digital streaming versions but couldn't find any.
All in all, I'd prefer to have a physical copy so if a DVD is in going to be available, I'm quite happy!

[Morthrai]

I think I had Split Second on VHS tape sometime in the distant past and at times I'd even considered buying digital streaming versions but couldn't find any.
All in all, I'd prefer to have a physical copy so if a DVD is in going to be available, I'm quite happy!

Oddly enough my standard DVD copy, which is no better quality than the VHS version, is an Australian edition! There is a cleaned-up version available which I daresay one could find in the naughty corners of the interwebs, but this collectors edition looks to be the shizz

[ReHerakhte]

You know, I am not at all surprised. Movie distribution in Australia is bizarre sometimes.
For example, The Cars That Ate Paris is considered an important Australian movie for a few reasons but one is that it had an influence in creating the Mad Max movie. Is it readily available in Australia? Absolutely not. I had to get my copy, which is a German produced version, through a Canadian DVD sales website. Apparently Australian distributors don't think that there's any market in Australia for this Australian movie, the first movie of a well respected Australian director (Peter Weir)

I don't recall seeing DVD sales for Split Second but that just means they didn't happen in my part of Australia and depending on when they were available, I was living in some rural towns (which aren't exactly prime real estate for DVD sales) so probably missed out.

Incidentally, The Cars That Ate Paris probably deserves a place in the list of inspirational movies for Dark Conspiracy maybe for the bizarre vehicles featured in the movie but more so for a main concept of the story - the town residents deliberately cause vehicle accidents and then sell parts from the wrecks and personal possessions of the victims as a means to keep the town's economy afloat.
I could go on but I don't believe I can describe it better than this comment posted on IMDB about the movie: -

Superb film, very dark
30 March 2003 | by glennwalsh44
Of course the cars don't literally 'eat' Paris... This film was a good indication of what Peter Weir was capable of over twenty years before he made 'The Truman Show.' This is a strange movie, set in a weird town in a barren outback landscape where the normal rules of western society are being quietly ignored by the citizens for their own ends. There are peculiar parallels with 'Mad Max,' and I wonder if Australians are somehow daunted by the vastness of their own country, what it might conceal and their reliance on the automobile. 'The Cars That Ate Paris' is a gothic horror which takes a glancing swipe at consumerism and how it disassociates small communities. This is flagged right at the beginning with the opening parody of a cigarette commercial (also killers!) ending in the first wreck. There are lashings of black humour like this and a few things to say about religion and the cult of the car. A fine low-budget film.

[Morthrai]

Several Aussie movies factor into my DC world view even if I've never actually used the ideas in a game, and The Cars That Ate Paris is definitely one. Others include the first two Mad Maxes, Razorback, and Long Weekend. I also have a vague memory of an Aussie film about illegal nuclear waste dumping but I'm not sure

[ReHerakhte]

I really should not be surprised that you're aware of The Cars That Ate Paris. Ever since I've know you, you've been aware of various Aussie movies that aren't well known around the world!

[Morthrai]

These films used to turn up randomly on the BBC when I was a young'un. Remember I couldn't find "The Odd Angry Shot" anywhere but you sent me a copy because it was only a couple of dollars? First time I saw that was in a short series of Aussie movies they put on

[ReHerakhte]

It's quite interesting to learn that because here in Australia we don't often hear much about how Australian movies do overseas unless they're big productions or they have big name stars or directors etc. etc.
So it is a bit of a surprise to hear that the BBC did a run on Aussie movies, particularly the lesser known ones. I suppose, if I think about it, it's got to be quite likely that some Aussie movies get shown on foreign TV but for us here, it's usually the other way round (originally TV was dominated by British movies, for the last three or so decades it's been American movies) so we don't really expect Australian movies to be doing the same thing on TV in the UK or USA.

On a somewhat related note, did the BBC ever show any New Zealand made movies from around that same era? They've certainly had some good ones. Some of my favourites include (and they could also be used for inspiring thoughts on DarkCon gaming): -
Sleeping Dogs - one of Sam Neill's earlier movies
The Quiet Earth - post-apocalyptic and I believe it was the first sci-fi movie ever made in New Zealand
and Bad Blood although this a manhunt type movie and doesn't have anything I can recall that could be used for DarkCon gaming, I like this movie because it's rather good!

A much more recent movie that I also found excellent was The Dead Lands and obviously there's also Once Were Warriors but I'm pretty sure that movie is quite well known around the world, it stars Jango Fett after all
I also like Peter Jackson's earlier movies Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles (yes I own both as well as another early movie of his called Braindead AKA Dead Alive) but I think all three of them are well known by now so I don't need to elaborate

Edit: Another movie from the 70s-80s period that I remember as being pretty good was Utu

[Morthrai]

Another non-DC movie from New Zealand that I recall was Goodbye Pork Pie. A mate of mine who has since passed away mentioned it once, and it turned out that from our mutual peer group only us two had ever heard of it! As for Peter Jackson, the first stuff of his that I saw were his short films like Valley of the Stereos and Save the Lemming

[ReHerakhte]

I see the scriptwriter for Goodbye Pork Pie also wrote Sleeping Dogs!
As for those early works of Peter Jackson, I knew there were such things but I hadn't seen them. Coincidentally enough, I found a copy of Valley of the Stereos online and gave it a watch. With the humour and also the props used, I am not at all surprised to know Jackson was involved and also because of the direct references to Braindead and Bad Taste (the rocker's muscle shirt and the cover of one of his records respectively).
For those wanting to see it, it can be found here: - https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/valley ... ereos-1992

[Linden]

The Quiet Earth - post-apocalyptic and I believe it was the first sci-fi movie ever made in New Zealand

I remember The Quiet Earth being on TV here in the UK, many years ago. Hasn't show up since. I wouldn't mind seeing it again. Strangely enough a mate and I ended up talking about it down the pub a few months back. He asked me if I remembered a sci-fi film where some bloke on his tod shot up an empty church - quite a memorable scene that.

Back to Australian films, one I enjoyed when it came out was Death in Brunswick. Sam Neil stars as a mild mannered chef working in a biker club who gets his own back on his oafish employers. Had quite mixed reviews but I thought it was funny.

Another one from the days of late night showings on BBC2/Ch4 that always sticks in my mind is Summerfield, a mystery story starring Nick Tate of Space 1999 fame, as a school teacher in a seaside town who gets involved with a strange young woman and her brother. It's not really DC related but I remember it having a really strange, creepy atmosphere to it. Like The Quiet Earth a film I wouldn't mind seeing again.

[ReHerakhte]

For once wiki doesn't reveal the entire plot of a movie, which is a pleasant change...
The name Summerfield sounded vaguely familiar and when checking wiki I realised I had seen it but had totally forgotten Nick Tate. I've mentioned before that I don't pay enough attention to actors/actresses but I definitely remember that movie. I'd also like to see it again as I remember certain things but have forgotten many others. For example, I can remember the reason for Sally's blood disorder but I can't recall what happened to the original school teacher and I don't recall the atmosphere so much

I completely missed out on Death In Brunswick and I don't know why I never got around to watching it. Must remedy that some day.

[Linden]

Summerfield looks like it might be on a well known video sharing website - must give it a watch some time soon.

[ReHerakhte]

Thanks for the tip regarding Summerfield. Just watching the trailer alone was enough to refresh some memories of the movie. I had a recollection of a bridge and the trailer put that into context, it was the bridge leading to the estate itself.

[Marcus Bone]

Not quite Dark Conspiracy, but my wife and I have just finished watching SS-GB which played on the BBC back on 2017. It has a great feeling and atmosphere about it, and I think the setting and build up have a lot in common with DC.

Seems like the book is a bit different from the series, but it was a good eerie look at a country under occupation - which is a style I like to go for in my DC scenarios.

[Linden]

I really liked SS-GB, a fine adaptation of one of Deighton's most opaque novels. I think it mainly differed from the book in that things were left open for a second series*. The novel has a certain finality about it.

*Although I gather it's not going to happen now.