How Went Up the Hill Brings Ghost Stories Back to NZ

WORDS: Ocean Road Editorial Staff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Went Up the Hill is one of the most eagerly awaited movies set to be shown at the 2025 Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival. This film from Samuel van Grinsven has already been a hit at various film festivals, in places such as Adelaide, Glasgow, and Toronto, so could it lead to a new generation of scary movies in NZ?

About the Movie

This is the second release from Aotearoa filmmaker van Grinsven, following 2019’s Sequin in a Blue Room, after he left the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. This new film is set in Canterbury and tells the story of how Jack (played by Dacre Montgomery) returns for his estranged mother’s funeral. He meets a widow named Jill (Vicky Krieps) but things get complicated when his mother’s soul starts to possess both of them.

How scary is it? This review by Screen Daily calls it moody and sombre rather than frightening. It’s an atmospheric ghost story where the emotional links between the characters provide the disturbing moments, rather than scenes that make you jump out of your skin, per se. This psychological drama is restrained and uses the actors’ skills, rather than special effects, to achieve the most unsettling scenes.

The Popularity of Ghost Stories

The approach the film seems to have taken certainly comes with a great deal of precedent. Ghost stories have been a source of terror and entertainment for centuries, with the 1930s proving to be a golden period as characters like Frankenstein and Dracula became some of the most popular on-screen creations. With such a rich lineage in mind, this list from Rotten Tomatoes of the best Australian horror movies of all time includes titles such as Wake In Fright and Sissy.

We’ve also seen horror themes being embraced by other disparate creative sectors such as art and theatre. The National Gallery of Australia had a Big Spooks collection earlier this year that showed the impact of scary artwork. Then there’s the vast collection of slot titles with terrifying themes available on platforms such as Big Boost and Caxino, which are listed on the King Casino Bonus website. Ghostfather – Awakened, Blood Club, and Hounds of Hell are some of the standout games with this style. using horror-inspired imagery to add a fresh twist to their bonus features.

Bringing all of these mediums together however are the horror conventions such as New Zealand’s Armageddon Expo, and Australia’s Asylumfest and Monster Fest, which host a range of thrilling and chilling events throughout the year. The latter even offers regular chances to win tickets to see the latest and greatest horror films in the theatre, or copies of the subsequent Bluray. These festivals are a great way to bolster hype for projects like Went Up the Hill by celebrating them among the fans who care the most. Who knows, maybe there’ll also be tickets to be won for this film very soon!

The Future of Horror Movies in NZ

Just like Australia, New Zealand has a strong history of horror films. Titles including Black Sheep, The Locals, and Fresh Meat have all shown that this country can be a fitting setting for movies that cause us to gasp or squirm in our seats. The next big release to look forward to is called Mārama and is described as a Māori gothic horror film. Directed by Taratoa Stappard, it’s set in the 19th century and shows a Māori woman’s fight to protect her identity and culture. Filming has been taking place in Auckland and the Otago region.

We can expect to see more horror-style entertainment coming from New Zealand soon. If Went Up the Hill and Mārama are hits,  this could lead to a surge of interest in a more local take on the genre and more new releases for us to enjoy.