Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek is a fine example of a rare breed nowadays: a horror film that pulls no punches and makes no apologies for frightening and unnerving the audience.

Three young people are hiking in the Australian Outback when they're unlucky enough to meet Mick Taylor (played brilliantly by John Jarratt), one of the most twisted psychopaths to grace the big screen in years. Mick is a guy who did some hunting at one time, is pretty good with a rifle, and is a survivalist with some possible military training... we're not really sure of much else. All we know is that at some point he took up hunting people for his own amusement and found out he was quite good at it.

What makes this film frightening is how realistic and plausible the story is. Mick seems like a demon that could actually exist in the real world. He's not a super-genius serial killer always toying with the cops. He doesn't kill to fulfill some grandiose plan or message. He doesn't kill his victims in elaborate, unlikely scenarios or games. Rather, he's a pure sadist who just seems to enjoy watching pain, suffering and death. It's that simple. It doesn't take much imagination to realize, in the the middle of the Outback, it would be quite easy for a psycho like Mick to operate for a long time and never get caught.

Wolf Creek is brutally violent and unflinchingly realistic. It never gives the audience time to catch their breath or to feel any hope. This movie is not for everyone. It leaves you unsettled and feeling uneasy. This is only for real horror fans who desire a scare that will stick with them long after the movie ends.

When one thinks of horror films, one generally does not associate Australia with horror. Sure, they have had a few, but most genre fans think of England, Italy, and, of late, Japan. This film, made on a minuscule budget, is effectively creepy, imaginatively convincing, and just plain terrifying to many degrees. It is not a complete film by any stretch, but when one looks at the small budget used and the effective use of the Australian outback as a setting for horror, Wolf Creek makes the grade as being a quality horror film. We have all seen variations of the story before: a group of people, out on vacation, are tricked, captured, and tortured by a crazy man living in the middle of nowhere under his own code of ethics and what he believes is right and wrong. There really are a lot of similarities with this and movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, and countless other films, but all of those films have not used setting so effectively and created one of the films more modern truly despicable villains. Mick Taylor, the stereotypical Aussie in American minds, is a terrifying parody of outward Aussie charm with a perverse, psychotic, twisted inward mental persona capable of some of the most disgusting acts. Actor John Jarratt does a good job playing such a vile man - he made my skin crawl every time he was on screen in the second half of the picture. Wolf Creek moves at a fast pace - perhaps too fast at times, but we are able to invest some interest and care about the victims. I appreciate the ending and final scene, but I really wanted a more satisfying ending for closure. The film uses, what it says are true accounts, as the basis for the story and couches the film with such pieces of information at the beginning and end with missing people in Australia every year. This documentary device was also used in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre originally as well. So for me, Wolf Creek is effective in creating true, genuine horror although in many regards the film is very derivative. The change of locale to the vast, desolate Australian outback was wonderfully used. The tension throughout the film is like a roller-coaster ride. The acting is pretty good overall. The film has many distasteful images and will stay in your mind days after having viewed the film. That, to me, is a powerful horror film in some respect.

Yikes! This is one scary movie. After an innocuous build up the film reveals three back packers (two Brit girls and their Aussie boyfriend) in the clutches of a murderous psycho. The film is slow to start but we can sense that something evil is about to happen. The acting is decent enough with no stand outs. This film does occasionally cross over into slightly dubious territory with some nasty scenes of torture, but is generally far more controlled than bottom of the barrel stuff like 'The Devil's Rejects' and Hostel/Hostel 2. There are some genuine scares as the tension rises in the bloody second half. See this film if you enjoy visceral unsettling horror.

Overall 7/10

Wolf Creek won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's unflinchingly violent and the film takes its time in building to that violence which will leave many viewers twiddling their thumbs out of boredom, but once it gets going, there are few films as scary and nightmarish. The idea of being trapped in the outback with no one around for miles and nowhere to hide as a psychotic killer terrorizes and tortures you and your friends is as scary as it gets.

wow! like many other movies i review, i literally only just saw this. and i must say that I'm impressed with the SAFC, this is a truly horrific movie. The highlights: * Unknown cast- gave the movie a very realistic atmosphere. i was so happy to realise that none of the actors were remotely familiar. * Low Budget- the obvious low budget gave the film a gritty and unsettling appearance. the locations were convincing and didn't look too perfected for cinema. * Character Development- This was my favorite aspect of the movie. unlike the corny Hollywood slasher/horrors that jump straight into the gore, this movie gave about an hour of very carefully planned events made solely to adapt to the characters. it was strange because although nothing was really happening during that hour, it still seemed interesting. I've come to realise that this was because of how realistic it was to show non-eventful scenes. not every second of life has something interesting. * Psycho- Mick Taylor was a very creepy character because of how familiar his behaviour is. before we see his psychopathic ways, he comes across as just some friendly bloke trying to lend a hand. and his creepy smile is still terrifying long after the movie has ended.

Negative points: * a couple of factual mistakes, none too bad though * only loosely based on true stories, therefore not as scary

Apart from that, this was actually one of the best horror movies out there. definitely the best gore-fest horror, anyway.

Congrats to the South Australian Film Corporation!