Richard Franklin RIP

The death of Australian director Richard Franklin was announced last week but I was away and never got a chance to post. Franklin may not have been a household name but his filmography includes several gems for lovers of horror/fantasy, namely Patrick, FX2 or my particularly favourite, the suspense-filled Roadgames which starred Jamie Lee Curtis as a hitchhiker who accepts a lift in Stacey Keach’s semi. An aficionado of Hitchcock — Roadgames was very indebted to the Master — Franklin actually got the chance to emulate his idol when he was handed the unenviable task of directing a sequel to Psycho. The result was so much better than anyone dared to expect and, if I remember correctly, was actually rather good. For more on Franklin check out http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22091835-16947,00.html