50 Years Later, This 91%-Rated Horror Gem Set on Valentine's Day Still Haunts Viewers
It is one of the most mysterious movies in the history of cinema.
Mystical dramas are a widespread genre today, and often they deal with phenomena that cannot be explained.
A magical light kidnaps people, an invisible witch makes students go crazy in the woods, or unexplained paranormal activity destroys the inhabitants of a wealthy house. The mystery genre has many roots in the Australian film Picnic at Hanging Rock by Peter Weir.
The movie, based on Joan Lindsay's novel of the same name, was released in 1975, but the mystery surrounding the disappearance of three girls and a teacher remains unsolved.
What Is Picnic at Hanging Rock About?
1900, Australia. On the last Valentine's Day of the 19th century, a group of girls from a private school go on a picnic to Hanging Rock with their two tutors.
Strange things begin to happen in the wilderness: the clocks stop, and soon three of the girls and one of the teachers disappear without a trace.
Viewers Never Got an Answer About What Really Happened
The authors give no explanation of what is happening, only small hints and clues that force the viewer to make dozens of guesses, none of which are directly confirmed. What happened to the four women? We do not know.
In 1980, the book The Murders at Hanging Rock was published, in which author Yvonne Rousseau listed nine possible explanations for the disappearance – from abduction by alien forces to a run-in with a serial killer.
Picnic at Hanging Rock Was a Breakthrough for Australian Cinema
Peter Weir radically changed the language of cinema and put the Australian industry on the map. Picnic at Hanging Rock is full of mystical and detective elements, but above all – hidden subtexts.
It is a movie of contrasts, where for every image there is a direct opposite: a strict college – wild nature; a cruel headmistress who suppresses the desires of her students – freedom-loving girls whose impulses turn out to be stronger; strict, rationalistic orders – the irrational mysticism of Australia.
Weir has achieved such sensuality and expressiveness that every frame in Picnic at Hanging Rock is open to interpretation and ambiguous.
7 Years Ago, Picnic at Hanging Rock Received a TV Adaptation
In 2018, a television adaptation of the novel by Joan Lindsay was released. The new version of Picnic at Hanging Rock has something to surprise the viewer, at least thanks to the running time: in five hours the authors manage to reveal more details.
Mrs. Appleyard was played by Natalie Dormer – Margaery Tyrell from Game of Thrones. And in the role of one of the students appeared the then not very famous Samara Weaving, who is now known for the movie Ready or Not.