Back from the Dead (1996) - Tasmanian feature film

Before he was owner/operator of two Hobart waterfront restaurant's - the Drunken Admiral and Mummaluka's - Craig Godfrey wrote and directed Back From The Dead (1996). Shot around Port Arthur and Hobart, it deals with that perennial Taswegian archetype, the cannibal convict, in (what was then) a pretty novel way: a horror musical. 

Summary:
June 1837: mass murderer Kavendish escapes from the Port Arthur penal colony and, after committing several acts of murder and cannibalism, vanishes...

in the present day, a scientist and his student are experimenting with past life regression, using the dim-witted Corbet as their subject but the spirit of Kavendish lives on and possesses Corbet, leading to more violence and brutal death.

Unfortunately it comes off a bit like one long fart joke. Think early Peter Jackson smothered in Beavis and Butthead's impression of Benny Hill. It gets some laughs, but not a lot and though it looks really good - the costumes, locations, sets look pretty authentic in the 1837 sequences - it is let down by pretty bad sound (at least on the vhs copy I watched it on). 

I saw this about eight years ago, but I remember thinking at the time that Godfrey's direction and sense of timing was quite good - it was the script that let the film down, which is a real shame.

The thing that becomes clear when watching this film is that it was a pretty huge effort by a lot of people and anyone interested in local film will definitely get a kick out of it.

It's supposedly available from Dragon Film Entertainment, but I can't find a link. It used to be available for hire at Sandy Bay video. Pretty sure Craig still lives in Hobart though...

Here's a review of  Back from the Dead on sexgoremutants and another on digital-retribution

Back from the Dead

Country of Origin: Australia
Year of Production: 1996
Running Times: 89 mins

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Pocket Money Productions Tasmania
Producers: Craig Godfrey
Co-Producers: Tony Francis, Mark Tomlinson

SCRIPT
Script: Craig Godfrey

DIRECTION
Director: Craig Godfrey
1st Assistant Director: Angela Franca-Meloni

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Mark Tomlinson
2nd Unit Camera / Grip: Ken Robinson
Gaffer: Gordon Nutt
Best Boy: Red Beard
Grip Assistant: Michael Jordan
Camera Assistant: Scott Harwood
Stills: Ken Mellers (thanks Walter)

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Dan Yeomans
Assisted By: Paul Yeomans, Jim Henry
Edited At: Winning Post Productions, Tasmania

MUSIC
Music / Performed By: Tony Francis
Song: Tony Brennan (Wapping Song)
Song Performed By: Tony Brennan, Damian Stolp (Wapping Song)

SOUND
Sound Recordists / Editors: Sonic Solutions
Sound Editor: Stewart Long
Assisted By: George Goerss, Mal Huddleston, Wayne Rowlands

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Liz Goulding of Making Faces
Location Make Up: Nicole Frith
Location Make Up Assistant: Tracey Mcnamara
Period Wardrobe: Kate Stephens
Period Uniforms Made By: Rose Solomon

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Fly Blown Torso FX
Computer Graphics: Kevin Gleeson of Imagine It
Pyro Technician: Werner Ihlenfeld
Assisted By: Simon James

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Liz Goulding
Props Makers: Ken Godfrey, Glen Clarke
Props Painter: Noel Hammersley-Cave
Set Builders: Jon Bowling (Aspect Design), Bob Dicakson (Half Twist Design)
Carpenters and Painters: Tim Allen, Red Beard, Richard Bladel, Noel Hammersley-Cave, Mark Linhart, George Sutherland, Andy Machen
Specialty Set Painter: Michael Sladd
Art Department: Tony Francis, Andy Machen

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: Angela Franca-Meloni
Caterer: Marcus Marriot
Best Bonk: Ivor Bigsnatch

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Cheers To: Pullers Arms boozers
Many Thanks To: Nigel Kidd, the 'Gildert and Sullivan Performers' and all those wonderful extras who helped create old Wapping Town lynch mob
Many, Many Thanks To: Leonie Godfrey, Andy Machin, Guardians of the Historic Site of Port Arthur, The Astor Grill, Hobart City Council, Cascade Brewery, Playhouse Theatre, Glen and Rose, Southern Cross Network, Ken and Dorothy Godfrey, Grant Godfrey, Francis Family, Machin Family, Mellers Family, Scott Reynolds, Advantage Tours Port Arthur, Lee Hobba, David Stewart Autos, Tasmania Police, Melissa, Scofield, Wreckair, Tas Medical Supplies, Jerry Stam, Grove Country Meats, Fisheries, Tony Fox, Brent Fraser, ABC Television, WIN TV

STUNTS
Stunt Driver: Craig Sehre

CAST
Tim Aris (Kavendish / Corbet)
Genevieve Morris (Ruby)
John Xintavelonis (professor)
Josephine Lee (mother)
Chris Baz (Lunas)
Graham Richards (Cecil)
Sybil Edwards (Sky)
Luke Swan (Fish)
David Hadley, Marcus Marriot, Collin Dean, Paul Cooper, Asley Law (Port Arthur guards)
Gareth John, Ian Gordon, Franz Docherty, Michael Hibbert (guards with stretcher)
Michael Lowenstein, Philip Stary, Werner Ihlenfeld, Peter Miller (guard house guards)
Kate Chessells (Astor Grill waitress)
Bob Dickason (dentist)
Col Machen (patient)
Max Keal (ukulele player)
Brierlie Godfrey (cart girl)
Noel Hammersley-Cave (whaler)
Rick Mourant (squashed convict)
Red Beard (shit bucket man)
The Volunteer Artillery (red coats)
Craig Anderson (innkeeper)
Allulshus Wong (Chinaman)
Brad Wilson (thug)
Shenna Franklin (maid)
Sebastian Godfrey (innkeeper's son)
Kevin Williams (horseman)
Duke (horse)
Mal Huddleston (surgeon)
Rene Knott (chicken plucker)
Roy Goode (drunk)
Geoff Stubbings (policeman)
Michael Sladd (butcher)
Paul Beard (blacksmith)
Tony Brennan, Damian Stolp, Michael Fortesque, drummer (God bless, whoever you are!) (pub band)
Danny James, Carl Pepper, Mal Huddleston, Kenny 'The Wonderdog' Robinson, Richard Pepper, Roy James, Paul County, Pamela John, Col Machen, Ben Chaffey (lynch mob)
Gail Friswell (landlady)
Tildy Platt (Corbet's mum)
Anthony Harwood (little Corbet)
Grant Godfrey (doctor)
Minka Gillian, Lyndall Pitchford, Jane Anderson (prostitutes)
Betty Davidson (fortune teller)
Greg Hind (busker)
Marcus Marriot (pizza porker)
John Fisher, Greg Hall (truckies)
Kate Johnson, Roy Gilbert, Brierlie Godfrey, Jackie Moore (ghosts)