There’s something quite perverse about releasing “Wolf Creek” on Christmas Day.
With brutality that rivals “Saw” on the sadism scale, the Australian shocker follows three hikers who encounter a menacing stranger while exploring the Outback. It’s not your typical holiday attraction, but it should lift the spirits of horror devotees, if no one else.
First-time writer-director Greg McLean gets a lot of mileage out of a standard stalker scenario and resists the urge to end the story in a twist. Mood and tension drive the film rather than gimmicks and gore. He draws inspiration from the oft-borrowed “Deliverance” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” yet crafts something original out of those influences.
The movie has a verite vibe that ratchets up the scares. The performances are naturalistic, not camp. McLean captures the eerie desolation of the setting with shots of barren landscapes and sunsets. The panoramas are so surreal, at times it looks like the action is taking place on another planet.
“Wolf Creek” has its rough spots. One questionable element is the supposed truth of the tale. An opening title card reads, “The following is based on actual events.”
It’s misleading because McLean doesn’t really dramatize a crime story. The characters are composites and the narrative is fiction. Only certain details are factual, taken from a few different murder/abduction cases.
Audiences are also told at the beginning that 30,000 people are reported missing in Australia every year, like you’re about to watch a public service announcement.
The reality angle indicates a self-doubting filmmaker and McLean should have more confidence in his movie. “Wolf Creek” works fine as a harrowing fable.
During the first half of the film, McLean concentrates on character development, something horror movies often lack. Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) are British tourists on vacation Down Under, traveling cross-country with an Australian friend, Ben (Nathan Phillips). They revel in debauchery, drinking all night and crashing on the beach in sleeping bags, their campsite littered with empty bottles.
The film’s tone darkens once they hit the road, bound for the remote Wolf Creek National Park, home to one of the largest meteor craters in the world. During a campfire scene, Ben tells a story about the area’s UFO activity, frightening his traveling companions. Further along, a stop for gas nearly devolves into a violent confrontation, as the patrons of a roadside cafe harass Liz and Kristy. The sky is curtained with storm clouds when they reach Wolf Creek and set off for a hike.
Weird stuff happens near the crater. Watches stop ticking and the car’s engine dies, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere.
After dusk, they see mysterious lights approaching. They are relieved to find the glare is from a tow truck driven by a gregarious Bushman, Mick (John Jarratt), who says he’ll fix their vehicle at his garage, which isn’t all that far away. Any movie fan can tell you to beware of rogue mechanics lingering around meteor craters late at night.
The film offers shocks infused with subtext. It addresses themes of man vs. nature, colonists vs. natives and believers vs. skeptics, as it creeps towards a bleak conclusion.
“Wolf Creek” is definitely one of the stranger places to visit this Christmas. Consider it Australian for horror.
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