Opening 13 Jul 2006
Directed by:
Greg McLean
Writing credits:
Greg McLean
Principal actors:
John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, Nathan Phillips
Slasher movies seem to follow a pattern: a small group of young people get lost in a remote area, fall into the hands of a sadistic pervert, escape, are recaptured, are tortured and one person lives to tell the tale. Wolf Creek is no different. Liz (Cassandra Magrath), Kristy (Kestie Morassi) and Ben (Nathan Phillips) drive to the Australian bush in an old jalopy, which breaks down. Naturally, a soft-spoken geezer, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt), helps them and they end up in his shack, tied to the wall or a stake, looking at the bloody remains of their predecessors. Supposedly based on a true story, the film begins by saying that 30,000 people go missing in Australia every year and thousands are never found. Director Gary McLean said that the purpose of the movie is, “to scare the shit out of the viewer,” which he manages to do very well, besides making me, in particular, sick to my stomach at the blood and screams and hacked-off finger. He creates a murderous atmosphere with darkness punctuated by low headlights or a single flashlight. Where are we going in the night? The film reminds me of Hostel, so if you enjoyed that, this is the film for you. The saving grace for me was the beautiful shots of the fantastic Australian scenery at all times of the day or night by photographer Will Gibson. (Becky Tan)
