Wolf Creek
Starring: Cassandra Magrath, Nathan Phillips, Kestie Morassi, John Jarratt
Directed by: Greg McLean

Wolf Creek Reviewed by Paul Heath

So much was promised of WOLF CREEK and the movie caused a storm when it was screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Hell, it even started a bidding war with some of Hollywood's biggest players before Harvey Weinstein picked it up. A year on and the movie has made it to DVD on region two. I can't actually recall this movie playing in UK cinemas (apparently it screened back in September), but similar events in the news recently saw the film being put back, and back.

The story goes like this. Three travellers (two gals and a guy - lucky bleeder) venture into the Australian outback to a place named, wait for it, Wolf Creek, which is the site of a huge asteroid crater. When they return to their car after exploring the crater, they find that it won't start, and their watches have mysteriously stopped working. Spooky. Night eventually falls, and the three settle in for the night. Before long two headlights appear before them, an approaching vehicle, it's driver an inhabitant of the local area, Mick Taylor. They think that they are saved, but really their ordeal is just about to begin.

WOLF CREEK follows the same sort of premise as a ton of other horror flicks before have done. Group of kids get stuck in the middle of nowhere/ madman on the loose/ they get knocked off one-by-one/ one survives overpowering said madman. THE HILLS HAVE EYES and THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (the original) have done it all so brilliantly before, so do we really need another knock off? Well, WOLF CREEK does fit that mould, but it's also different enough to stand out. Firstly, the obvious setting. We're deep in the Outback, miles from anywhere - a country so vast it's unsettling - which is the hook. The frightening thing is not so much the obvious psychotic madman in the form of John Jarratt's Mick Taylor, but the fact that these guys are in the middle of nowhere, and even if they can escape from his grasp, they have absolutely nowhere to run. This was also the same in last year's brilliant, THE DESCENT.

The main problem that I had with WOLF CREEK is that it takes so long to get to the juicy stuff (about a half way in), and by the time that you do get there, you find yourself dozing in your chair. Well I did anyway. However, the film does step up a gear when it gets to this point, and the action really kicks in. I found some scenes alittle unsettling, and in places very disturbing and uncomfortable to watch, mostly down the the superb performance from the villain of the piece, John Jarratt. The guy scares the crap out of me.

The other three actors in the film, Cassandra Magrath, Nathan Phillips, and Kestie Morassi, who play the 'victims', are all watchable but in places a little unbelievable, and I'm not sure if I cared enough about them, which is an essential part of any horror movie. That said, I did find myself screaming at the screen for them to 'run', or 'get the hell out of there', so some good was done by the actors.

Greg McClean's director is good, and the movie is exceptional for such a small budget. The fact that the movie was shot on HD gives it a rich look, and some of the cinematography is amazing.

All in all. WOLF CREEK is a decent horror film. There's a brilliant performance from John Jarratt (who has apparently landed a part in Tarantino/ Rodriguez effort GRIND HOUSE his year), and some kick arse gripping scenes. It's not the best horror flick that I've seen in the last couple of months, but it's not a bad movie either.

WOLF CREEK features your average deleted scenes, which tend to be included on most current releases. This bunch of clips were excluded from the movie, and it's easy to see why. The first is barely a scene, with Nathan Phillip's character looking at maps in a store, the second is set after the night of the wild drinking session in the first act, which suggests that a couple of the characters slept with one another (a plot line omitted from the finished film altogether), and the last deleted scene is entitled 'Cass Down The Well', which is set just at the point where one of the characters realize that they have been abducted by this madman. The film suffers from a lack of pace in its opening half anyway, and the decision to remove these fairly uninspiring group of scenes was probably for the best.

When I sit back and watch a movie, particularly a low budget movie, I love to see a great accompanying making of doc. Here we have a 50 minute look behind the scenes, quite obviously made for television. The featurette reveals a little about the production of the film and features interviews with all of the cast, director Greg McClean, the director of photography and production designer. McClean also shows the many storyboards that he created to prepare for the film, and shows off a couple of the few computer generated scenes used in the production. An insight and comparison between McClean's HD footage and his original choice of stock, Mini-DV is also covered. We're also treated to how the HD footage was graded for the 35mm transfer and the film's post production is also covered, something which we don't usually see in these behind the scenes features. I've seen more in depth making of's on recent releases (The Devil's Rejects mammoth two hour plus feature will be hard to beat) but this one was interesting, and accompanies the movie nicely. A must for fans of lower budget filmmaking, and those interested in what the emerging HD format can produce.

A lot more information is shared by Greg McClean in his feature commentary (with the main cast members - excluding the brilliant Jarratt). Again, this is a must for filmmaker and students, as McClean reveals as to how some scenes were accomplished on their very tight budget for the movie.

There's also an interview with Mick Taylor himself, John Jarratt, who talks about his role in the film, his career and how he found working for Greg McLean (a guy he seems to have a lot of respect for). This guy is quite obviously proud of the work that he has done in the film, and true, he kicks ass as the madman of the piece. An interesting and extensive feature.

We also have some trailers, both the theatrical and teaser for WOLF CREEK, as well as a look at upcoming release CRY WOLF, SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE (aka HIGH TENSION), and Shane Meadow's DEAD MAN SHOES (a great movie).

This is a great package, and it's well worth you parting with your 15 quid or so. Fans of the genre will love the film, and it will definitely find a home on DVD, and no doubt do even better than it has internationally already. A superb release.

Grade: B

Paul Heath