Campervan: An Ozploitation Horror Musical review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Trades Hall

In 1998, five friends went out to the Gully to make a horror movie. In a case of art imitating life, only four returned, under questionable circumstances. Ten years later, those four friends reunite on the anniversary of their friend’s death and, perhaps not so wisely, decide to head back to the Gully to finish what they started.

Written by Geraldine Quinn, Campervan: An Ozploitation Horror Musical embraces the low-fi spirit of its title, with a four-piece band (Sonja Horbelt, Cameron Thomas, Ash Smith and Quinn) taking up much of the performance space, including their drums, keyboards and guitars. There is no traditional set or collection of large props for the cast to work with. Instead, selected still and moving images are projected onto a screen behind them, giving the production a stripped-back quality.

The music is one of the production’s strengths. Quinn’s opening number is full of verve and sass, immediately establishing the show’s comic sensibility and setting the scene for what follows. As the musical progresses, however, the songs begin to feel increasingly familiar, with too many numbers settling into a slower pace and too few injecting the production with the energy needed to keep things moving.

Many of the songs have little to do with the actual deaths or horrors of the situation. Songs about aliens and conspiracy theories and about asshole friends are funny in isolation, but they do not connect to the central story. Rather than escalating the horror or pushing the characters towards their inevitable confrontation, these detours keep taking us out of the slasher film setup, culminating in a what seems like a very rushed climax and abrupt ending.

The way the murders are presented to the audience is also an interesting choice. We see them from the killer’s point of view, but also from the perspective of someone apparently recording what is happening behind them. It creates an intriguing visual contradiction, but the logic of who is filming and how we are seeing these events is difficult to reconcile.

The main cast (Han Arbuthnott, Stephanie Beza, Dove Quinn, and Sarahlouise Younger) are well suited to their roles, with each performer bringing a distinct personality and humourous presence to the group. Their chemistry helps carry some of the more loosely connected material, and they are all strong vocalists who handle the musical numbers with confidence.

At its best, Campervan captures the scrappy fun of an Ozploitation horror movie through its live music, musical performances and deliberately lo-fi presentation. However, the musical numbers do not always build on the horror or the narrative with some of the comic diversions feeling disconnected from the story’s premise. The result is an enjoyable enough ride, but one that could benefit from a little more blood, squeals, and momentum.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Season: until 11 October | Wed - Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $35 Full | $28 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image credit: Bec Petraitis