Susan Granger’s review of “Wolf Creek” (The Weinstein Company)
Based on true serial murder cases, this violent horror picture is truly gruesome and repulsive.
It begins quietly with two British girls, Liz Hunter (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy Earl (Kestie Morassi), on holiday in Australia, preparing to explore the remote meteor sites at Wolf Creek National Park. Their companion Ben (Nathan Phillips), a Sydney native, scares them with campfire stories about eyewitness accounts of flying saucers and unexplained phenomena. But the true terror does not emanate from outer space. Instead, it occurs when their car breaks down and their watches stop working at the same moment. That’s when a huge backwoodsman Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) appears, offering a tow and help with repairs. Ignoring omens of dread, they wind up as prisoners at his abandoned mining camp. Judging by the collection of corpses on his walls, he’s into crucifying unsuspecting tourists – and they’re next. Who will succumb? Who will survive? One thing for sure: this cackling, sadistic villain is certainly no Crocodile Dundee.
While writer/producer/director Greg Mclean refers to two unsolved crimes in the Outback, he seems to channel the bloody, masochistic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” slasher concept, detailing a slow, gradual build-up, engendering mounting tension and suspense, along with a prolonged, punishing, graphic conclusion that makes “Open Water” look tame. His tortuous film-making technique on high-definition video stock is gritty and basic – with credit to photographer Will Gibson. His dialogue is realistic and Francois Tetaz’s score is creepy. But Mclean also never fully explains why the trio’s watches stopped working. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Wolf Creek” is a gratuitously vicious, ominous 1. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
