Wolf Creek is One of Australia's Better Contributions to the Horror Genre
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Wolf Creek illustrates what can be accomplished when the confines of "polite society" are ignored.
Pull no punches, shock the hell out of you and scare you to
death...and that's what happens in this Austrailian gem.
Written by BHM Editor Don Sumner
2006
DVD release: 2005
Written and Directed by: Greg McLean
Starring:
John Jarratt as Mick Taylor
Cassandra Magrath as Liz Hunter
Kestie Morassi as Kristy Earl
Nathan Phillips as Ben Mitchell
Is Wolf Creek the Aussie version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I have heard that comparison before, and there are some similarities in terms of torture and setting. Wolf Creek is not, however, a blatant rip-off that is devoid of imagination. The promotional message for this movie states that it is based on a true story...and it is certainly feasible and believable as such. Here's the story.
Three college-aged kids set off across the outback in Australia for a cross-country adventure. One of the stops planned is at "Wolf Creek", the site of the largest meteor crater in the world.
After a near-miss confrontation with some local folks (the Australian version of "rednecks" no doubt) our trio finds the beginning point of a 3 hour hike to the crater site. Add a bit of sexual tension between the one male and one of the girls, compounded by the fact that the OTHER girl slept with our hero the night before, and you get a bit of character development and an opportunity to care about these kids prior to their impending doom.
The hike is fine, and to this point in Wolf Creek it might as well be an Aussie-teen-road trip movie. Then things start to get a bit strange.
Upon returning to their car after the hike, each of them realizes that
their watches have stopped while showing the same hour. Then it's the
car...it won't start either. Since they are in the middle of the
Australian Outback this is a serious situation. Lucky for them (?) help
arrives as darkness falls - a personable bloke reminiscent of
"Crocodile Dundee".
The Outback "mountain man" can fix their car, but the part necessary is back at his house...and his house is several miles away. Nice guy that he is, though, he will tow their dead car to his Aussie sanctuary and fix it "good as new". Seems innocent enough, but then we know that Wolf Creek is a horror movie...
Take a VERY long trip to Dundee's compound, add some kind of drug in the water the kids are offered, and the result is horror mayhem that rivals the best in terms of graphic gore, suspense and terror.
Wolf Creek seems to start slow, but the character development in the beginning lulls the viewer into a feeling of calm and security that is decidedly false. The scenes are shocking, the scares intense. Wolf Creek takes you on a ride that starts gently but then goes crashing out of control. Suspense is high, and the co-eds rarely succumb to the common dumbness often evident in the horror movie world.
If you want to be shocked, scared, and you enjoy a bit of surprise at the ending, then Wolf Creek is for you. This is one that you will want to own and watch again. Might also be a great movie to watch with someone that hasn't been exposed to much horror, as the beginning segments will not betray your intention to scare the pants off your (former) friend.
Highly Recommended. Questions or Comments about Wolf Creek? Contact us!
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