🎬 Directed by Justin Kurzel | 🇦🇺 Australian Crime Drama
The Snowtown Murders is a harrowing and deeply disturbing film that delves into one of Australia’s most notorious serial killer cases. Based on true events, the film explores the string of murders carried out between 1992 and 1999 in and around the suburb of Snowtown, South Australia.
The story follows Jamie Vlassakis (played with haunting vulnerability by Lucas Pittaway), a quiet, emotionally fractured teenager living in poverty with his mother and brothers. His fragile existence is upended when he meets John Bunting (Daniel Henshall), a charismatic yet deeply manipulative man who quickly inserts himself into the family. What begins as a seeming escape from Jamie’s abusive past becomes a descent into horror, as Bunting draws him into a toxic, extremist worldview that soon spirals into murder.
Henshall’s portrayal of John Bunting is chilling—his calm demeanor masks a sadistic and calculating personality. As Bunting, he orchestrates the torture and killing of those he deems morally corrupt, including members of Jamie’s own social circle. The film does not glamorize or sensationalize these crimes; instead, it presents them with a stark realism that is emotionally shattering.
Director Justin Kurzel’s debut is marked by its bleak cinematography, long silences, and grounded performances, creating a suffocating sense of dread. The atmosphere is oppressive, and the violence—though not gratuitously shown—is psychologically intense, making the film a difficult but powerful watch.
The Snowtown Murders is not for the faint of heart. It’s a brutal, unflinching look at coercion, violence, and moral collapse. It explores how abuse, poverty, and manipulation can converge to tragic ends. This is cinema at its most unsettling—an emotionally scarring portrait of real-life evil, rendered with unrelenting authenticity. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
