When the younger cop pulled off his shades to reveal it was Andrew Daddo… a powerful surge ran through me.
As a local council mayor said recently during a radio interview, “Think global, act local.” And genres can always travel internationally, globally, such as horror with lots of gore and goop. But that local touch, the thing that makes it recognisable to an Australian audience is also special. I appreciated that the casting in Body Melt (1993) is such a great layer that will only have specific meaning for Australian audiences, and audiences from a certain era, recognisable faces from TV drama and soap actors across the 1980s, 1990s and beyond like actor Ian Smith, better known as Harold from Neighbours, starring one of the villains, which is disorientating and hilarious to witness. But then to also have two future icons of Australian television, known for their likeable appeal, Lisa McCune (from Blue Heelers) and William McInnes (from Seachange) play future victims of the deadly vitamin powder. Even Russell Dysart, the guy from the Yellow Pages ads who became known for spelling “goggomobil”, shows up as a cop in the last ten minutes. Talk about an all-star cast! Not to mention the most intentional casting homage with Vincent Gil as the country mechanic and father of a mutated yokel brood, better known as the actor who played the Nightrider in Mad Max.
Like pulsating goo exploding from a body, director Philip Brophy sprays its satire across several targets: health-food and athletic heath culture, pharmaceutical companies, outer suburban cul de sacs and inbred country yokels. A junk food soap opera and sitcom air permeates, and we shift across several characters, most fated to die in grotesque and gross-out ways. A splatter comedy not really out to terrify, but to be revolting and sly within its anarchic and scrappy spirit. Great pulsating techno score by Brophy, and fun practical special effects. Body Melt is a mutant in itself, to be such a repulsive flick funded by the Australian Film Commission at the time, remaining an aberration that takes the stock thematic focus of quirky suburban Australians (like Muriel’s Wedding) to this video nasty genre territory.
Available to stream on Brollie. Glad I finally saw it after so many people recommending it over the decades. And I recommend it to you.
VHS Tracking 