Coffin Rock (2009) User Reviews

Below the average Thriller

[dschmeding · 4/10 · 5 December 2009]

"Coffin Rock" starts out pretty interesting and slow. A couple unable to get a child and building up some relationship problems because of this goes to an Invitro Clinic to try solving their problem. The man gets his sperm tested but unfortunately the woman catches the attention of a strange young guy working at the clinic. The guy decides to follow the woman and make her fall in love with him and this is the first point the viewer wonders about motivation because it seems pretty random and is barely hinted at. The guy, Evan, follows the couple to their home in Coffin Rock where he starts working in a cray business and lives in a trailer just to try to get near the woman.

From here on you pretty much know where its going... the woman gets in a one night stand with Evan after having trouble with her husband who is afraid to read the results of his fertility test and starts acting strange. The woman immediately regrets her drunk misjudgment and realizes that Evan is a little coo-coo and clingy... but to top it off the next pregnancy test is positive. From here its kind of like the Horror Version for "Fatal Attraction" with the roles reversed. The man gets to know about the pregnancy and starts celebrating while his woman is busy trying to hide the truth. Of course Evan gets stranger and invades the privacy of the couple until everything leads to disaster.

"Coffin Rock" builds up tension with moody music, beautiful landscape shots and the slow rising dread around Evan whose past is hinted at in obscure telephone calls to his dad. The acting is superb and helped a lot to get the viewer through the first hour of the movie which is taking damn long for the plot to unfold. Problem is that there is now reward for the viewers patience. The more Evan shows his maniac face the more ridiculous the movie gets and at all times its pretty tame on the violence. Its pretty obvious that "Wolf Creek" was an influence on the lingering dread and atmosphere, the depiction of a kind of cynical and at times joking madman and of course the dozens of cool landscape shots. Anway this movie falls flat because most of the things Evan does are stupid and you are left in the dark about his motivation to follow right this woman and his strange fixation on her child. Except for some fast flashbacks to his dad who of course is dead by now nothing is clear. If you think that around 80 minutes you saw a lot of ludicrous scenes just wait for the finale because they really went overboard with Hollywood clichés there. The last 20 minutes of the movie seem so incredibly forced and yet still as boring as the opening of the movie I really wonder what happened. If you like moody slow thrillers watch "Coffin Rock" for 70 minutes and leave the rest to your imagination. The acting of Evan and the lead woman is great and the creative cinematography and music are also pretty good but the plot is a total mess and pulls everything down.

Australia apparently has no humane society . . .

[charlytully · 6/10 · 11 January 2012]

. . . since filmmakers can get away with peppering this FICTIONAL story with such graphic civilized world no-nos as having a man with anger management issues swinging a poor little baby kangaroo against his wall until its brains are jelly, and biting a large fish in half. Maybe Aussies view this as some sort of macho survival-of-the-fittest BS, but it's clear to any educated person that the ill-fated fish and doomed marsupial each had more brain power than COFFIN ROCK's wretched main human character (Evan, played by Sam Parsonson, who is obviously one "-son" short of a hat trick). TAXI DRIVER's Travis Bickle is about as much of a loser as you'll see on American film, and even HE can come up with unforgettable succinct tag-lines (such as, "You talking' to ME?!). However, perhaps U.S. film goers are spoiled. Maybe down under you can point the camera at the sun on an overcast day, and folks will watch the footage patiently for 90 minutes, hoping for something to happen. COFFIN ROCK is one of those totally predictable anti-thrillers, where you can see every tiny twist of the plot coming from a mile off. It is distinguished only by the nearly unprecedented and totally gratuitous animal slaughter, a clear throwback to yester-century.

Good Ending Rescues Unpleasant Psychological Thriller

[drpakmanrains · 6/10 · 15 May 2012]

A friend recommended this Aussie thriller to me so I rented it on Netflix. Like other reviewers stated, the plot is sort of Fatal Attraction in reverse. A married couple can't conceive, the wife desperately wants a child, so they go to a fertility clinic, but the husband is afraid to open the envelope when the result arrives in the mail. Meanwhile, frustrated wife, sure it's his fault, gets drunk and has a one night stand with the much younger phone clerk from the infertility clinic, who apparently found her instantly very attractive. Turns out she discovers she is pregnant shortly thereafter and assumes its Evan's child, her one-nightie guy. But Evan is somewhat obsessive, possessive and psycho, which Jess soon realizes, and now she is in a quandary trying to keep the event secret and allow Rob, her husband, to think he is the father.

The problem for me was that none of the characters were particularly interesting or likable, so there was little fun in the set up. Thus when the terrifying moments finally arrived, they did not involve me deeply, so I watched more for the shock value than for true excitement. Also there was no humor in the movie at all. But while the ending was what I expected, it was very satisfying, and contrary to one reviewer, I believe the director gave viewers enough information to know essentially what happened after the end. The film is about 90 minutes, though it seemed longer, probably because it was all rather unpleasant, while sluggish during the first half. Though not a great film, it is worth renting, but I doubt I will ever purchase it, as I don't think I would want to watch it again, with or without viewers who haven't seen it. If you want to see a thriller that gets it right, rent or buy "Stuck".

Coffin Rock (2009)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 3/10 · 10 June 2012]

Not tense or thrilling, Coffin Rock mixes some well rounded drama with ridiculous and laughable "horror". The Oirish madman has some delightful hilarious monologues as he slips into comic madness. The idea of the couple trying to conceive is interesting, and it could have made a great thriller. If only it hadn't revealed the loony's intentions so soon. It should have built upon a fairly absent character, rather than showing us a vicious Kangaroo beating to begin with. Anything after that just seemed tame by comparisons. This is the danger of making a simply serious film on such a low budget. Had it some comical moments, or quirkier scenarios, the entertainment could have made up for the shortcomings. Not exactly worth your time.

Great Australian movie

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 25 October 2009]

A great little thriller that walks a very thin line. Movies like that can easily fall into the cliché category. But the actors really save it from going there. I personally would have wished that some things would have been resolved differently. But still even as it is, the movie delivers on it's premise.

Foreseeable and predictable most of the time? Yes, but as I said, still really enjoyable and very good. I watched it at the Fright Fest and the guy who played the villain (and pulls off a very mean scene) was there too. Actually a nice guy, which is a credit to his acting in this movie as a bad guy.

Not my cup of tea

[mgar8599 · 2/10 · 30 October 2009]

I rented this film expecting a good thriller but I almost turned it off after an hour because nothing thrilling had happened! To give it its due, it did improve at that point but, as has been mentioned in other reviews on this site, it was too predictable.

For me, the first hour was dull and could've been condensed to about 10 minutes and the final half an hour didn't do enough to rescue it. It was acted well enough but I didn't believe the relationship between Jessie and Rob - they just didn't seem like a couple (maybe it was their looks, I don't know).

Anyway, I certainly wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for an "edge of the seat" thriller that'll keep you guessing 'til the end cos they'd be sorely disappointed.

fun, dark, darkest.

[trashgang · 7/10 · 4 February 2010]

Those Aussies, they surely know how to make a good movie. Remember Wolf Creek. this one is from the same producer and I can tell you, this surely hits again. It's not your typical flick with blood and gore, this one plays with your mind a bit more and it works better with the score they use. Made me think of the remake of Last House On The Left. The story line is simple. A couple would like to have a child but the man has some problems. He love his wife but he can't make a child. His wife adores kids and that's what we see in the first 10 minutes. Argue about what to do he goes to a clinic to do a research on his seed. So far so good but troubles between the man and wife still gets worser resulting in the wife going out for a drink. Wrong. A one night stand happens and the movie starts. It take a while before it really starts but be sure, it starts. The weird thing about this flick is the almost no use of the red stuff, even no gore but I assure you, if you are weak you won't be able to watch it. And not being made in the US gives us a not expecting ending. Again the last minute hits hard. It's a great movie, go get it.

Mind numbingly boring thriller.

[poolandrews · 2/10 · 4 April 2011]

Coffin Rock is set in a small coastal fishing town in Australia where Rob (Robert Taylor) & Jessie Willis (Lisa Chappell) live together, their lives would be perfect except that after two years of trying Jessie has failed to become pregnant. Rob & Jessie decide to seek medical help & the first thing to do is check that Rob's spunk is up to scratch, he whacks one out at the clinic & leaves the sample behind to wait for the results. When the letter arrives Rob is too scared to open it & a big fight with Jessie ensues, upset & frustrated Jessie goes out drinking & ends up having sex with the younger Evan (Sam Parsonson) who has an obsession with Jessie & uses the tension between herself & Rob to get inside her knickers. Although Jessie regrets cheating on Ron life goes on, soon after Jessie discovers that she is pregnant but she is unsure if Rob or Evan is the father. Evan's already unbalanced mental state goes downhill fast & in a rage of violence kidnaps Jessie...

This Australian & British co-production was written & directed by Rupert Glasson & is as dull a psycho sexual thriller that I have watched in a while, Coffin Rock just takes ages to do next to nothing. Although the posters & video artwork proudly proclaim that Coffin Rock comes from the 'producers of Wolf Creek' this is more of a slow burning drama that only really comes to life for the final twenty minutes & even then it's still pretty dull going. The best way to describe Coffin Rock would be a really bad Fatal Attraction (1989) rip-off with the main roles reversed, instead of the man having an affair & endangering his family life it's the female who has the affair & the main plot revolves around whether the baby is her husband's or one night stand's. I can't say I liked Coffin Rock at all, I thought the script was poor with a really plodding pace that kills any tension because it's just so slow & I thought the story was underdeveloped. There's never any reason given as to why Evan falls for Jessie, I mean he only sees her across a waiting room once & then suddenly falls in love with her, leaves his job, his home & moves near her to try & be with her which seems excessive for someone you have never even spoken to before. None of the character's are likable, from the rather possessive husband Rob to the nut-job Evan to stuck up friends & annoyingly grizzled locals who have never heard of razors before to the rather weak Jessie herself. The dialogue is sparse, the story never gripped or drew me in to it's world & just why the hell is it called Coffin Rock? While Evan's motives are baffling the film doesn't do a particularly good job of defining his character or making him menacing or scary or sympathetic, I mean most of the time he just talks to himself & in one bizarre scene starts sucking on a fish & bites it in half after someone calls him gay. As you would. Then if you manage to stay awake during this thing there is one final kick in the nuts as there is virtually no resolution to anything that happens, Rob & Jessie's relationship is left hanging in the air as the film just sort of stops.

There is one moment that I found very silly in a film that takes itself so seriously, after Rob shoots his load into a bottle at the clinic he just slams it down on the receptionists desk & walks out! Wouldn't it have been better to hand it to the doctor? Could you just leave your bottle of man juice on the receptionists desk? I'm not sure I would appreciate it myself if I was working there for the minimum wage just answering the phones, you know what I mean? It's unhygienic for one thing. While some may find the Australian outback striking I found it boring, dull & grey with no need for the film to be set there anyway. Coffin Rock is maybe the first time Crab racing has ever been committed to film, I can't see the attraction myself but the locals here seem to like it. There's no real horror here, only one person dies & Coffin Rock is definitely more of a psychological thriller than straight horror. A boring one too. The whole film has very muted overcast colours which just adds to the overall dullness.

Apparently shot in South Australia the film has nice cinematography, there's no fast editing or hand-held camera work & it looks fairly nice. The acting is good, everyone seems to be trying anyway.

Coffin Rock is a really boring psychological thriller that really bored me, I found it a tedious & predictable waste of 90 minutes. I'm sorry but that's how I felt, so sue me. Unlikable character's, a snail's pace, no real incident worth noting & an unsatisfying none resolution means Coffin Rock just doesn't have much going for it as far as I am concerned.

A drama about simple people with a big problem

[mike_cable · 7/10 · 7 November 2010]

After a visit to a city clinic to find out why they cannot conceive a child, a middle-aged couple from the country become caught up in a young man's obsession when he takes advantage of the woman through manipulation and confidential knowledge. A drunken, vulnerable moment with the young man leads to a terrible secret and tragic events in the town as the young man takes his obsession further.

It seems that a lot of people didn't like this film but maybe they were expecting too much from it. I enjoyed the personal drama and the chance to observe a group of simple towns folk go about dealing with the events in this film.

It has a common theme of an obsessed individual who wants to be intimate with someone who is already married. What makes it different is the setting in an outback coastal country town where everyone knows each other and the limited resources available to them. Not too much effort goes into character development, just that there is a general bleak outlook and a false happiness when the truth is hidden.

A good example of light Aussie drama.

Upsetting and Misleading

[maddiepermenter · 3/10 · 31 January 2020]

The entire movie centers around the idea that she had a one night stand, but given the fact that what happened to the main character was rape, the entire plot is just upsetting. She was drunk, he was sober, she said NO multiple times and fought him to the best of her ability. That is rape. No question. The rest of the movie is just victim blaming! The rest of the characters who should be supporting her (best friend, witness to the rape, husband, etc) just make it out as though she made a choice. The entire movie is essentially a rapist impregnating and stalking his victim and in the end she is left even further traumatized and completely without support.

Honestly, the movie would have gotten a much higher rating from me if it weren't for the disgusting ideology it promotes. It had wonderful acting and a compelling story line, all ruined by by the appalling choice to write the victim out to be a cheater.

How disappointing.

Excellent thriller - refreshing change from Hollywood banality

[miles-l-thorne · 8/10 · 14 November 2009]

I had no idea what this would be like when finding this on the shelf in blockbusters. The reference to wolf creek got my attention (same producer).

With no real expectations I was thrilled shocked and entertained. This has all the elements that I need in a film..... good acting, great script and the right 'atmosphere'.

The lead two characters were superb. The menace of Evan (Sam Parsonson)grows as the film develops in parallel with Jess's (Lisa Chappel) anxiety, guilt and horror.

Do yourself a favour forget the latest same old same old Hollywood blockbuster and rent this one.

Enjoyable horror/thriller; an Australian "Fatal Attraction" attempt

[Rosser94 · 7/10 · 12 March 2012]

I had low expectations of this film after reading a multitude of negative reviews, however these expectations were outdone by my viewing experience of "Coffin Rock".

This movie is, essentially, an Aussie equivalent of "Fatal Attraction" that is, admittedly, of a lower standard. Yet, despite this, the films practical, realistic style gives it a sense of originality that ensures it is not something you have witnessed on-screen before (through the many "Fatal Attraction" clones that exist).

In addition to this, the acting is solid; I don't consider the cast to be particularly spectacular, however I couldn't negate any of the performances given. Sam Parsonson, in particular, contributes strongly to the movie's overall solidity, as he takes on a crucial, challenging role with clear-cut confidence.

Furthermore, I felt that the pacing of this film was spot-on, therefore an unoriginal plot was executed well. Having said that, the fact the plot is unoriginal does not suggest that this film is not worth watching if you have seen similar movies already; the Aussie characters and location give it a distinctive style and there are some fresh ideas thrown in to make this film very individual.

Whilst many positives are evident for this movie, I did feel that, despite a fresh overcoat, the core plot is an overused one in cinema, therefore major film fans may feel slightly unexcited by "Coffin Rock". Furthermore, whilst the acting is solid and pleasing given the unspectacular cast, it is not memorable. Also, the entire movie left me feeling negative about Australian people; they seem to be conveyed as uncivilised, emotionally trivial and generally a bit difficult to relate to, which I am sure is inaccurate to reality.

Overall, "Coffin Rock" has an unfamiliar, unorthodox style but is, ultimately, only worth a watch if you believe you will enjoy a solid, if not fantastic or entirely original horror/thriller.

Not worth your time

[daggersineyes · 3/10 · 27 April 2014]

I'm not a fan of Wolf Creek so the proud boast that this was done by the same people was not exactly a selling point for me. I thought I'd give it a go anyway because the reviews seemed reasonable. That was a mistake and I definitely wont be rushing to see anything else made by this guy. Fortunately I was skipping sections by about half way through and I gather from reading reviews afterwards that this meant I missed the slaughter of the kangaroo scene. I'm pleased about that but to the reviewer who thought it was real, yes we have a "humane society" and NO it would not have been real. You would not get away with mistreating an animal on film in Australia. Anyway - to the movie. It was dull & predictable. It dragged on and on with very little happening. There is no horror or suspense or anything. Just a bunch of irritating people annoying each other and the viewer. THe lead female actor over-acted so badly it was ridiculous and I wanted to slap that constant hysterical over-the-top behaviour right out of her. On the other hand she didn't have a great script to work with so perhaps she was over-compensating. I was also a bit dumb-founded by some of the character decisions. For example, your mate has serious burns to large sections of his body so do you race him to the nearest hospital to save his life and stop his suffering? Of course not. No, you stick him in the back of your car, drive to your house and leave him groaning in agony/dying in the car so you can take time out to yell abuse at your wife.... Really? And at the end of the film he's clearly shown as the good guy at the poor burnt bastards funeral while the wife is shunned. LMAO Funny set of values they got in that town. It was horrible. Don't bother.

Same Tired Ending

[jimcarter1959 · 5/10 · 25 September 2021]

I would have given this movie an 8 if they had avoided the ending that 99% of movies fall back on. A 9 would have been awarded if the audio wasn't so out of whack. The dialog was very low and every conceivable background noise was AMPLIFIED.

Worth watching

[laragi · 7/10 · 24 October 2019]

Sam P is the entire film. He's a great psycho. Truly the reason to watch. Hated the last shot of the film. Why?

Momma's baby, Papa's maybe.

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 3 September 2017]

Jessica Willis (Lisa Chappell) is crazy about having a baby. Having not yet conceived, her husband Robert (Robert Taylor) gets a sample of would be swimmers for testing. Evan (Sam Parsonson) is the receptionist at the clinic, the only person in town crazier than Jessica. Robert gets his results back, but never opens the letter. Neither he nor Jess know the results.

After a fight, Jessica gets drunk and has an indiscretion with Evan, one she tries to stop after he was at the point of no return. Of course now Jessica is with child...one she doesn't want to keep. Evan really really wants to be a dad.

Things become tense and crazy. The acting was decent for what it was. None of the characters were likable.

Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity.

Coffin Rock

[louise-364 · 9/10 · 27 February 2009]

Liked this movie, kept me interested and intrigued. Good to see some new Aussie talent. Well edited. Believable story and excellent continuity. Had some really gruesome scenes but believable, nice location, nice film work and well acted. Sam Parsonson (Irish lead part) is one to watch out for in the future. Well done to Rupert, David and Aysha. Should do well at the box office. Location sensational. Story about a woman who is trying to be pregnant, meets a young Irish traveler and 'does the wild thing'. The Irish boy becomes obsessed, the woman becomes pregnant, the husband thinks its his child, the manic Irish traveler thinks it's his. The Irish traveler has delusional ideas that the woman loves him and he becomes obsessive to the point of obtrusive. Some serious delusion happens to the young Irish boy, it ends all kind of scary but happy. Some magnificent acting along the way, and some expert direction. Has a fatal attraction feel, but more realistic. Worth a look for the untouched Aussie talent portrayed. Sam Parsonson is outstanding in this role.

Predictable but good!

[Jackal75 · 6/10 · 15 March 2015]

Coffin Rock tells the story of a rural Australian couple who are having difficulties starting a family due to the fact that the husband seems to impotent. This drives a wedge between the couple and although he cares for his wife he finds difficulty expressing it. His impotency makes him feel less of a man and causes him to become somewhat introverted. In a moment of weakness his wife has an affair with an man who has become infatuated with her. Turns out he is psychotic. The rest of the movie is self explanatory.

The acting is very good and although the plot is very predictable there are some parts where the movie leaves you guessing. I saw this movie free on Youtube and would encourage you to see it. Worth a rental or wait for it on free to air TV.

Jackal

Give Hollywood a rest for a while.

[whipthedog · 9/10 · 3 September 2011]

I must admit that there was a time when I took the unfortunately wide held view that all Australian movies were crap. I avoided them like the plague.For me Hollywood was king. Big budgets, big stars, big special effects, bigger explosions. One day I was in the local Video Ezy and saw a Cate Blanchett movie called Little Fish. I did not even know that Cate made an Australian movie until I put it in the DVD player. Wow, what an experience. Low Budget, local actors, no special effects , no Hollywood BS. Just gritty, believable, local storytelling. From that day forward I have watched nothing but Aussie films.

I found Coffin Rock to be superb. As for being predictable, we are all just guessing as to what happened after the final scene. Everything about the movie is excellent. The storyline, the acting , the direction. I must admit that cheating wife movies are not amongst my favorites, but this was handled thoughtfully, and it did not make me want to throw the DVD at the wall.

Well manufactured and written thriller from Australia ...

[dwpollar · 8/10 · 1 December 2011]

1st watched 11/27/2001 – 8 out of 10(Dir-Rupert Glasson): Well manufactured and written thriller from Australia that does a lot of things very well and does very little wrong as far as this type of movie. The story is about a couple(played by Robert Taylor and Lisa Chappell) who are having a hard time conceiving a child – so they visit a specialist to see if the husband's sperm has some issues. There, a male secretary at the clinic, apparently becomes quickly attracted to the wife or sees some potential with her or the couple -- quits his job – moves close to them and tries to establish something with the wife. Kind of by accident -- after they develop a friendship, the women gets drunk and has sex with the former secretary. She then becomes pregnant before the couple knows the results of the tests at the hospital. The husband assumes he's able to reproduce and his test was normal – so doesn't even attempt to find out the results. The wife, at this point, isn't sure who's child she's carrying but the other man then starts stalking her and turns out to be pretty much a crazy person. These type of crazy person-stalking movies have been done before, but this movie sets up the story and characters so well that by the time the scary parts begin you care about the individuals, and it makes the movie scarier. The acting is very good and the only real down point of the movie is the premise, as far as why the male secretary chooses this couple for his torment. Overall, this is one of the better movies in this genre(if you can call it a genre) and shouldn't be missed.

Rock coffin.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 28 October 2021]

Deciding to go for two Horror DVD's from CEX before seeing Dune (2021-also reviewed) at the cinema. Getting The Skeptic (2009-also reviewed),I looked for another title to pair it up with. Having enjoyed Australian Horror films such as The Babadook (2014-also reviewed) I got ready to see this coffin rockin.

View on the film:

Breaking the calm of this small town, Sam Parsonson gives a terrific, twitchy performance as Evan, who slithers round town wearing a thin smile, a dirty hoodie and keeps his head down, until a brief encounter with Jessie, cracks open the psycho killer brutality under the surface of Evan's grin.

Getting intimate with Evan when drunk one night, Lisa Chappell gives a great performance as Jessie, who Chappell has battle anxiety over Evan's increasingly nasty behaviour, with a sharp fearfulness, of her husband discovering what has happened.

Reeling in all the details Jessie attempts to keep private, writer/director Rupert Glasson unveils a stylish feature film debut, via closely working with cinematographer David Foreman in starkly contrasting camera styles, introducing Jessie on the beach in peaceful tracking shots that spin into dolly shots which bring out a up-close documentary quality as they span the small fishing shop Jessie and her husband own,that gets burnt down by frantic, slick hand-held camera moves,as whirlwind Evan enters.

Chewing a tasty bit of Ozploitation in a sequence involving a fish, the screenplay by Glasson grills a lean psycho Horror Thriller, as flashbacks ignite Evan from a creep into a full-blown nutter, whose vicious mind-games push Jessie to the edge of the coffin rock.