Coffin Rock

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

Movie Info

A drunken one-night-stand has potentially deadly consequences in this thriller from writer and director Rupert Glasson. Rob (Robert Taylor) and Jess (Lisa Chappell) are a married couple who run a general store in a small fishing village on the Australian coast. While Rob and Jess love one another deeply, they want to have children and their inability to conceive after three years of trying has caused tension to slowly build between them. One day, Evan (San Parsonson), a handsome young drifter, arrives in town looking for work. Jess gives him some odd jobs at the store, and the two strike up a friendship. One night, Jess sees Evan at a local tavern, and after a few drinks too many, they end up sleeping together. Wracked with guilt, Jess makes clear that she considers her infidelity to be a mistake and won't allow it to happen again. But Evan goes from being sweetly infatuated with Jess to becoming dangerously obsessed, and she's not sure how to get rid of him without letting her husband know what happened. However, Rob may find out whether Jess likes it or not when she discovers a few weeks after having sex with Evan that she's pregnant. Coffin Rock received its United States premiere at the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense
Directed By:

Rupert Glasson
In Theaters:

Sep 4, 2009 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Dec 28, 2009
Runtime:

89 minutes
Studio:

Bankside Films

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Cast

Lisa Chappell
as Jess

Sam Parsonson
as Evan

Terry Camilleri

Geoff Morrell

Jodie Dry

Kylie Delre

Robert Taylor (VII)

Joseph Del Re

Guy O'Donnell

Peter Green

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Critic Reviews for Coffin Rock

All Critics (20) | Top Critics (6)

The only thing scarier than a crazy lover carrying your child is carrying the child of your crazy lover.

Feb 2, 2010 | Full Review…

J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic
Rupert Glasson's persuasive psychological thriller offers an interesting variation on the sociopathic 'stalker' plot.

Oct 23, 2009 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Nigel Floyd
Time Out
Top Critic
So bad it's funny. And yet, so bad it's just bad.

Oct 23, 2009 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…

Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
Top Critic
Generic and workmanlike.

Oct 23, 2009 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
Top Critic
Robert Glasson's film is well-shot and directed, and more than decently acted. As a genre movie, it suffices.

Oct 23, 2009 | Rating: 3/5

Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
Top Critic
Glasson's feature debut boasts both writing and performances of great subtlety, although the effect is somewhat undermined by the odd moment of sensationalist grotesquery (fish-fellating, eye-gouging, flashbacks to patricide, etc.).

Sep 7, 2009

Anton Bitel
Little White Lies
Top Critic
Spinning Adrian Lyne's Fatal Attraction on the gender axis and milking maximum suspense from its isolated Australian setting, Rupert Glasson's Coffin Rock is a well-crafted thriller.

Aug 9, 2010 | Full Review…

Simon Foster
sbs.com.au
A genre picture that reveals some strong qualities before going just a bit off the rails during the home stretch.

Mar 12, 2010 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
Just off the beaten track from Wolf Creek and Cape Fear is Rupert Glasson's promising feature debut Coffin Rock; a must-see destination for deftly crafted thrills and chills.

Dec 19, 2009 | Rating: 4/5

Anders Wotzke
Moviedex
he quiet, understated setup of the first part of the film is an honest and thoughtful exploration of male ego and infertility. Then Glasson turns up the horror heat and his film becomes another bunny-boiler look at obsession.

Oct 30, 2009 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Cosmo Landesman
Sunday Times (UK)
Murky, predictable, but well enough played.

Oct 30, 2009 | Full Review…

Philip French
Observer (UK)
While produced by the Wolf Creek team, the comparisons end there since it's more a humdrum hybrid of Cape Fear and Fatal Attraction, let down by few surprises and even less tension.

Oct 30, 2009 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

David Edwards
Daily Mirror (UK)

View All Critic Reviews (20)

Audience Reviews for Coffin Rock

Nov 21, 2011

I'm not to sure about this 1.It was OK I guess but not really all that entertaining.It seemed to start off good but as it went on, I felt like I was watching it to be watching it.The best thing about Coffin Rock was Sam Parsonson as Evan.He played his part as the obsessed psycho stalker perfectly

Brody M Super Reviewer
May 26, 2011

Cast: Robert Taylor, Lisa Chappell, Sam Parsonson, Terry Camilleri, Geoff Morrell, Joseph Del Re, Jodie Dry, Guy O'Donnell, Peter Green Director: Rupert Glasson Summary: A moment of weakness breeds unexpected terror for happily married Jessie Willis (Lisa Chappell) and her longtime husband, Rob (Robert Taylor), when she sleeps with a young stranger named Evan (Sam Parsonson) and finds herself pregnant with his child. The pregnancy is problematic enough, considering Jessie and Rob have been trying for years to conceive. But then Evan reveals himself to be an unstable stalker. My Thoughts: "The movie has received mixed reviews. I happen to be one who enjoyed it. The movie gave me chills. Sam Parsonson was really creepy and totally believable in his role. The guy has some major psychological problems and obviously some daddy issues as you will see in the film. I have seen many stalker/psycho killer films, but this one was definitely one of the better ones that have been made. For a low budget, independent, Australian film it was a pleasant surprise. Give the film a chance. WARNING: For animal lovers who don't like watching films with animal violence, there is a disturbing scene having to do with a baby kangaroo. It's a disturbing film."

♥˩ƳИИ & Super Reviewer
Jul 08, 2010

a dull and moody tale, concerning a couple trying for a baby, and a young man going psycho, when he cant have, the wife, and the baby she wants to get rid off, some okay moments, but very few, and story is unimaginable

scott g Super Reviewer
Feb 21, 2010

There was nothing wrong with this movie but the problem for me was that they took an old stalker formula a did nothing new or novel with it and in the end it was forgettable. The acting was actually really good in this and pretty much drives the film along with some brutal, disturbing and shocking scenes but nothing that was truly terrifying or scary just unsettling. This movie wanted to be movies like Fatal Attraction, Cape Fear or Inside but didn't quite make it to their greatness and to be honest it was slow through most of it and there wasn't any action until towards the end and sometimes I felt like I was watching a lifetime movie of the weak because it was pretty average on most counts. Overall this thriller had so much potential to be horrifying but fell flat to deliver most of the goods so I can't quite recommend it but if you happen to catch it on television someday I'd say watch it but don't expect much from it but it was an ok but disappointing watch. More of a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Matt S Super Reviewer