With a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a ranking of number five on The Guardian’s list of the Top Ozploitation Movies, and the endorsement of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Richard Franklin’s 1981 thriller Roadgames is a bona fide Australian classic.
Now, Umbrella Entertainment is giving fans of the film, and general movie buffs, an opportunity to experience it like never before with an Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray release.
In the video below, Umbrella presents Australian Cinema’s Lost Holy Grail, the first behind-the-scenes short film to take viewers inside the restoration of the iconic thriller Roadgames, as Umbrella’s Ben Cook hunts down the lost original camera negatives and navigates detours along the way.
The story behind the new 2026 restoration is incredible, including the discovery of the lost original camera negatives, the 4K scan of the official Roadgames trailer, and interviews with members of the original production team.
In 1981, following the success of Patrick, writer Everett De Roche (Razorback) and director Richard Franklin (Psycho II) reunited to create their own take on Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, through the windscreen of a truck instead.
“Umbrella comes from a diverse background of Australian films, from comedies like Malcolm, which was our first acquisition, to dramas like Shame and Storm Boy,” Ben tells Cinema Australia.
“Our team holds a special place for the Australian genre film, coined as Ozploitation. And Roadgames is one of our favourites, which helps explain why we went through the trouble of restoring it again to make it perfect this time around.”
American heavyweights Stacy Keach (Fat City) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) joined stuntman-turned-actor Grant Page (Stunt Rock) to form a trio of stars who barrel across the Nullarbor Plain with death and destruction in hot pursuit.
In tow were some of Australia’s best creatives, including composer Brian May (Mad Max), cinematographer Vincent Monton (Long Weekend), editor Edward McQueen-Mason (Patrick), and art director Jon Dowding (Mad Max).
“Roadgames is the perfect storm of talent,” says Ben.
“Richard Franklin sits amongst the best directors to come from Australia, and Everett De Roche also takes that pedestal for screenwriters. Together and apart, both have contributed greatly to Australian and international cinema. Add to that mix the excellent cinematography of Vincent Monton, who was himself a celebrated director, and the undeniable magnetism of Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Grant Page.
“The results are undeniably electric.”
Ben tells Cinema Australia that the Umbrella team is proud for Roadgames to be the first focus of its behind-the-scenes video series.
“It’s a film that perfectly encapsulates the energy of Australian cinema in 1981 and presents an intersection of genre in a prestigious form while not skimping on the fun and excitement of an outback thriller set in a truck,” says Ben.
“We hope that this video, and the 4K UHD release of the film, will drive more people down the wonderfully bizarre rabbit hole of Australian genre cinema.”
Support the preservation of Australian cinema by pre-ordering the 4K Collector’s Edition of Roadgames, available next week at shop.umbrellaent.com.au.
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