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The Snowtown Murders

Play trailer Poster for The Snowtown Murders Released Mar 2, 2012 2h 0m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
85% Tomatometer 74 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A charismatic but violent predator (Daniel Henshall) takes his girlfriend's teenage son (Lucas Pittaway) under his wing and makes him an accomplice in a murder spree.
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The Snowtown Murders

The Snowtown Murders

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Critics Consensus

It's a bleak and brutal endurance test, but for viewers with the strength and patience to make it to the end, Snowtown will prove an uncommonly powerful viewing experience.

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Critics Reviews

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Jyoti Roy Bitch Media The film is a fascinating psychological study, both on the effects on the audience and the arc of the characters as we are see them (and ourselves) slowly consumed by this bleak, murderous, poverty stricken town in rural Australia. Jan 12, 2021 Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times The grimy social realism and gurgling torture scenes place director Justin Kurzel's startling debut midway between Animal Kingdom and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Rated: 4/5 Mar 19, 2012 Full Review Ben Sachs Chicago Reader Your appreciation of this Australian horror movie will depend on whether you think its artistry justifies its unrelenting ugliness. Mar 15, 2012 Full Review Joe Lipsett Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting Director Kurzel and screenwriter Grant adapt the horrifying true story of the Snowtown (aka the "bodies in the barrels") murders. It's an incredibly difficult - but important - watch and features a terrifying performance by Daniel Henshall Rated: 4.5/5 Mar 18, 2025 Full Review Kat Hughes THN Stark, gloomy, and fuelled with anguish and despair, Snowtown is an unrelenting film that once watched, will never be forgotten. Rated: 4/5 Feb 3, 2022 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia The great strength of Snowtown, aside from superb acting performances, is the way it shows how domination, fear and control operate on vulnerable people. Jan 27, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Gareth v A haunting, brilliantly made true-crime drama that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll — but not for the faint of heart. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/10/25 Full Review Chris W. Cathartic cathartic cathartic Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/01/25 Full Review Diet Dr. Paul . This is an incredible brutal and abrasive film to watch, and I would venture to guess that it’s the most difficult watch of my life. You do not enjoy the Snowtown Murders, you endure it. Be warned this movie is FUCKED… and yet captivating, clever and poignant! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/27/25 Full Review Horror fan 4 A gruesome and disturbing Movie about of the worst serial killers in the world. Tim Treakle Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/17/25 Full Review Alan C Brutal and excellent. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/25 Full Review Ian S Incredible performances and direction make for bleak and real viewing. The film leaves nowhere to hide from the horrors of abuse, murder and the power that some people hold over others. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/09/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Snowtown Murders

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Cast & Crew

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Justin Kurzel

Director

Daniel Henshall

John Bunting

Lucas Pittaway

Jamie

Craig Coyne

Ray

Richard Green

Barry

David Walker

Mark Haydon

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The Snowtown Murders

(L-R) Matthew Howard as Nicholas, Marcus Howard as Alex and Anthony Groves as Troy in "Snowtown." (L-R) Matthew Howard as Nicholas, Lucas Pittaway as Jamie Vlassakis, Daniel Henshall as John Bunting and Marcus Howard as Alex in "Snowtown." Daniel Henshall as John Bunting in "Snowtown." (L-R) Lucas Pittaway as Jamie Vlassakis and Daniel Henshall as John Bunting in "Snowtown." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A charismatic but violent predator (Daniel Henshall) takes his girlfriend's teenage son (Lucas Pittaway) under his wing and makes him an accomplice in a murder spree.
Director
Justin Kurzel
Producer
Sarah Shaw, Anna McLeish
Screenwriter
Justin Kurzel, Shaun Grant
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Australia, Warp Films Australia
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 2, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.0K
Runtime
2h 0m
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