‘His house, your nightmare!’
Living Space – aka Nazi Undead – is a 2018 Australian psychological horror film written and directed by Steven Spiel. The Tru Dot Films production stars Georgia Chara, Andy McPhee and Emma Leonard.
Plot:
College sweethearts Brad (Leigh Scully) and Ashleigh (Georgia Chara) venture into the heartland of Germany. Their romantic holiday takes a sinister turn when they encounter a German SS Officer (Andy McPhee) and his family (Jolene Anderson and Emma Leonard), thrusting them into a psychological vortex revealing there is not always life in a ‘Living Space’…
Reviews:
“Living Space makes good use of its practical effects with the gore being a stand out feature in the film. Sequences of slicing and dicing are memorable in their originality and creativity. The definite image that sticks in my head was a ‘human swastika’ which I think was intended to sear itself into the viewers mind.” Fear Forever
“I found it clever while looking like it really wasn’t. Intelligent horror is hidden beneath generic characters and new twists on tried and tested predictability. Sure I guessed the route of the story but I also noticed Ashley’s character development within her continual loop. I enjoyed this one and I think it stands out in the crowd.” Mother of Movies
“Living Space is an exceptional debut film by an exciting newcomer. It is an atmospheric, fresh and spirited horror film that flirts with its audience and relishes in its own exploits. Steven Spiel has the attributes of an important emerging talent…” ScreenRealm
“Living Space looks fantastic, but falls short in the originality department. Though the film does offer some interesting new elements and a well-realized parallel theme on the treatment of women in the past and now by significant others, it also relies heavily on genre tropes…” That’s Not Current
“A significant piece of the film’s budget must have gone into the effects and it was money well spent […] it does an excellent job of making Australia look like Germany. What it doesn’t do so well however is have its Australian leads play Americans. There’s also no real reason for it except possibly to give it better box office potential. It’s not that Scully and Chara are bad, they just have the familiar problem of accents that come and go. Chara is actually quite good, frequently carrying the film as the only person on screen.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
In the US, Nazi Undead will be released on Blu-ray and DVD by Jinga Films on July 28. 2020.
Background:
Producer Natalie Forward has said “the film is a horror fan’s delight. It really seeps into your psyche and will have you thinking about it for days. The set was terrifying. The house we used lent itself perfectly to a horror film and really is a character of its own in the film. For an independent film to receive a theatrical release in Australia is tough and it truly shows the quality we were able to achieve.”
Writer/director Steven Spiel has commented. “I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve by creating this film. I was wanting to excite the audience from the very start. I wanted to send the audience on a rollercoaster ride of different emotions to ensure that people could escape their daily lives even if just for 80 minutes. Living Space is a horror/thriller based on an ideology but not rooted in reality. I feel it’s perfect for someone new to horror as well as seasoned fans.”
Filming locations:
Geelong, near Melbourne
Image credits © 2016, Benjamin Kerr. Used in the spirit of information and publicity for the film production, Living Space.
