Australian
Screen

Hayride to Hell shares its name with a Hoodoo Gurus song, which is no coincidence as the film’s director, Kimble Rendall, was one of the band’s founding members. Another band member, Dave Faulkner, composed the score. The music connection continues with the presence of pop icon Kylie Minogue in one of the lead roles.

The film is not about music but knowing this context makes it feel part rock’n'roll moment, part homage to the mysteries and mood of film noir. Kylie offers an unhinged, punk-ish take on the femme fatale, who looks like she’s spent a few days clubbing before appearing out of the night to hijack George’s life. Her character, motives and the reason for the day’s sudden transformation into chaos remain enigmatic – Rendall and his team seem to revel in mystery for mystery’s sake. According to an interview with David Stratton on The Movie Show, Rendall and co-writer Phillip Roope based the story on a friend’s anecdote. They filmed the project at a lightning pace.

In addition to his music projects, Rendall’s directing career has spanned music videos, commercials, film and television. He directed the Australian slasher film Cut (2000, also featuring Kylie Minogue), the sitcom The Jesters (2009) and worked as a second unit director on the Matrix sequels (2003), I Robot (2004), Ghost Rider (2007), Knowing (2009) and Killer Elite (2011).

Hayride to Hell screened at the 1995 Telluride and London film festivals.