Within the coronary heart of Western Australia, Miley Tunnecliffe’s debut characteristic Proclivitas arrives like a long-buried secret clawing its means again to the floor. This psychological horror, written and directed by the Perth-based filmmaker, is now marching towards cinemas on March 19. What units it aside isn’t simply its supernatural chills however the best way it weaponises probably the most odd human frailties—grief, nostalgia, and the delicate scaffolding of restoration—into one thing genuinely terrifying.
Clare (Rose Riley) is barely holding her life collectively as an addict in restoration when her mom’s sudden loss of life drags her again to the hometown she fled fifteen years earlier. There she collides with Jerry (George Mason), the teenage sweetheart whose reminiscence she may by no means fairly extinguish. A tragic accident as soon as ripped them aside; now a second probability at love appears inside attain. However as previous flames rekindle, so do ghosts—literal and figurative—that refuse to remain buried. The movie’s logline says it finest: some ghosts hang-out you, others wish to personal you.
Riley delivers the sort of uncooked, lived-in efficiency that makes you neglect you’re watching an actor. Her Clare is equal components metal and glass: fiercely protecting of her sobriety one second, heartbreakingly weak the subsequent. Mason matches her beat for beat, their chemistry crackling with the awkward tenderness of people that as soon as knew each secret and are actually terrified to rediscover them.
Tunnecliffe’s path is astonishingly assured for a primary characteristic. She glides between tender romance and creeping dread with such subtlety that you just barely discover the second the ground drops out from below you. The script well refuses to deal with dependancy as window dressing; as a substitute it turns into the central battlefield the place the demonic pressure wages conflict. Influences from Japanese horror’s slow-burn psychological strain and even Alien’s bodily violation are current, but the movie by no means feels spinoff—it feels distinctly, defiantly Australian.
Technically, Proclivitas is a masterclass in resourceful filmmaking. The sound design alone deserves awards—each distant creak, each distorted whisper, each heartbeat-like thud ratchets pressure till your personal pulse joins the soundtrack. At its core, the movie is a devastating metaphor: the demon isn’t some random evil entity; it’s the embodiment of relapse, disgrace, and the seductive pull of the previous. Tunnecliffe by no means lets the horror eclipse the humanity. Each soar scare is earned by emotional stakes, each supernatural flourish rooted in Clare’s very actual psychological fractures. It’s the uncommon horror movie that leaves you each terrified and moved, forcing you to confront your personal “demons”.
The overwhelming impression is one in all confidence, craft, and braveness. That is the sort of debut that says a filmmaker to observe for many years. When you’re in Perth or wherever throughout Australia, clear your calendar for March 19. Proclivitas isn’t simply the most effective native horror in years—it’s a visceral reminder that the scariest monsters are sometimes those we invite again into our lives ourselves. Put together to be possessed.
- Electronic mail: neill@outloudculture.com
