Wake in Fright Czech poster

The cult classic Wake in Fright really gets under your skin. It tells the harrowing story of a city slicker’s slow descent into madness while stranded in a small outback town called 'The Yabba'. 

A group of unruly locals lead him down a dark path where drunken benders, gambling and blood sports are the norm. In the US, the film was simply titled Outback, while the Czech title Zapadakov translates to One-horse town. 

In this 1976 Czech poster, with artwork by Zdeněk Vlach, the film title appears below an image of a rock outcrop against a yellow-and-brown background.

Overlaying the centre of the image is an Australian postage stamp featuring two kangaroos, postmarked Australia and dated 6 August 1975.

This is an unusual poster design that focuses more on the emptiness of the Australian outback than the conflict between the main characters.

The starkness and foreboding of the landscape are well rendered but ultimately say little about the film itself. The inclusion of the postage stamp tells the local audience they will be watching a film from a far-flung location.