Wolf Creek
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Wolf Creek is reminiscent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in that it is merciless in its meanness and fear. Like Chainsaw, Wolf Creek has discovered a new terror. It does all this without high-tech special or visual effects, and makeup. Wolf Creek puts the clamps on you and will not let go until the final terrifying end. In the meantime, you will have suffered more than be entertained. The characters here, like in any other slasher film, are merely around to be slaughtered.
Three students are on spring break and drive to the remote Australian outback. They are here to visit a site where strange things are said to have happened. A bad sign already. After the visit, as they head home, the car’s battery shuts down. Bad sign number two. Now they are stranded in a remote place – the Australian outback, and no one is around (well, no one sane). Bad sign number three. Anyone want to guess what will happen next?
The big bad Wolf comes a-calling, in all its malevolence.
Wolf Creek is not original by any means. It has all the elements of the traditional horror films. What it does well is change the formulas around a little bit. This results in situations where what you think will happen does not happen. Also, the script, by director Greg McLean, makes us care for these three students. As the movie gets deeper into terror, our feelings for these people are heightened.
The film has a documentary feel to it. This adds to the film which is supposedly based on a real story. It gives the film a reality and the terror becomes real. The violence, surprisingly, is more implicit rather than in-your-face all the time. There are moments, however, when the violence comes full bore. The film relies on the tension and the characters to carry the film. It does this very well.
The three lead actors (Nathan Phillips, Kestie Morassi and Cassandra Magrath) all give nicely balanced performances. They make their characters believable and real.
Wolf Creek like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will leave you drained by the end. Like Chainsaw, there are moments when you will feel like running to the nearest exit. If you want another Texas Chainsaw Massacre, if you want a film that will give you nightmares, Wolf Creek is your ticket to this horrific landscape.
Rating: *** out of *****
Three students are on spring break and drive to the remote Australian outback. They are here to visit a site where strange things are said to have happened. A bad sign already. After the visit, as they head home, the car’s battery shuts down. Bad sign number two. Now they are stranded in a remote place – the Australian outback, and no one is around (well, no one sane). Bad sign number three. Anyone want to guess what will happen next?
The big bad Wolf comes a-calling, in all its malevolence.
Wolf Creek is not original by any means. It has all the elements of the traditional horror films. What it does well is change the formulas around a little bit. This results in situations where what you think will happen does not happen. Also, the script, by director Greg McLean, makes us care for these three students. As the movie gets deeper into terror, our feelings for these people are heightened.
The film has a documentary feel to it. This adds to the film which is supposedly based on a real story. It gives the film a reality and the terror becomes real. The violence, surprisingly, is more implicit rather than in-your-face all the time. There are moments, however, when the violence comes full bore. The film relies on the tension and the characters to carry the film. It does this very well.
The three lead actors (Nathan Phillips, Kestie Morassi and Cassandra Magrath) all give nicely balanced performances. They make their characters believable and real.
Wolf Creek like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will leave you drained by the end. Like Chainsaw, there are moments when you will feel like running to the nearest exit. If you want another Texas Chainsaw Massacre, if you want a film that will give you nightmares, Wolf Creek is your ticket to this horrific landscape.
Rating: *** out of *****