| Coda | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Written by | Craig Lahiff Terry Jennings |
| Directed by | Craig Lahiff |
| Starring | Penny Cook Olivia Hamnett Liddy Clark |
| Music by | Frank Strangio |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Tom Broadbridge Terry Jennings |
| Cinematography | Ellery Ryan |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Budget | A$600,000 |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1987 (1987) |
Coda is a 1987 Australian made-for-TV horror mystery film directed by Craig Lahiff who described it as "very much a telefilm. I suppose it's very Hitchcocky - and de Palma inspired." It was the first of three films Lahiff had arranged finance for which were made in succession. The film focuses on a serial killer targeting female university students.
It was shot on location at Flinders University on 16mm and features women in all the lead roles.
Plot
At a university, a music student is murdered and the main suspect is an ex of Kate Martin. She decides to investigate with the help of her friend Sally Reid.
Cast
- Penny Cook as Kate Martin
- Arna-Maria Winchester as Dr. Steiner
- Liddy Clark as Sally Reid
- Patrick Frost as Mike Martin
- Vivienne Greaves as Anna
- Olivia Hamnett as Det. Sgt. Turner
- Adrian Shirley as a real estate agent
- Bob Newman as a psychiatrist
Production
Lahiff made the film after graduating with a Masters in film. He later said " "It took a while to work out the mechanisms of how to finance it, but that was the first full-length film." Filming started 23 August 1986.
Reception
According to Variety "This kind of film can only enthrall an audience if it’s convincing, and credulity is stretched beyond breaking point time and again... Thesping is not at all bad, with both Penny Cook and Liddy Clark providing pleasing characters as the frightened ladies. The protracted climax, consisting of endless chases down college corridors and then yet another fall from a high window (again, miraculously non-fatal) is merely dullsville."
According to Lahiff's collaborator, Josephine Emery the film "opened doors for" Lahiff, "As a result of its success at American Film Market Craig was approached by JC Williamson’s with an offer of money to finance a 90-minute thriller." This led to Lahiff's next film, Fever.
References
- ^ David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 pp. 291-292
- ^ "Craig Lahiff interview". Misisonaries of the Sacred Heart. 4 August 1997.
- Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p. 27
- "Telefeatures". Cinema Papers. March 1987. p. 65.
- "Coda". Variety Film Reviews. 31 July 1987.
- "Screenwriter Josephine Emery on Strangers, Craig Lahiff, Scott Hicks and more". Cult Film Alley. 22 July 2019.
External links
- Coda at IMDb
- Coda at Screen Australia
- Coda at Letterbox DVD
- Coda at Oz Movies
- Review of movie at Cult Film Alley
| Films by Craig Lahiff | |
|---|---|
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- 1987 television films
- 1987 films
- 1987 horror films
- 1980s horror thriller films
- 1987 independent films
- 1980s mystery horror films
- 1980s mystery thriller films
- 1980s psychological thriller films
- 1980s serial killer films
- 1980s slasher films
- Australian independent films
- Australian slasher films
- Australian thriller films
- Films about miscarriage of justice
- Films set in South Australia
- Films set in universities and colleges
- Films shot in Adelaide
- Horror television films
- 1980s Australian films
- Australian mystery horror films
- 1980s Australian film stubs
- 1980s horror film stubs