I will admit that I have a soft spot for all things horror and that I'm more than pleased about the huge amounts of gore and blood thrown into movies these days. However, that's not really what "Wolf Creek" is about. Unlike recent flicks such as "House Of Wax", "Wrong Turn", "The Hills Have Eyes" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", which you may or may not have enjoyed, this movie is about realism. The violence is not the main focus here. Much more is it an element that serves the story instead of the other way around, which sets this movie a million miles apart from any of the slashfests mentioned above. Besides, the vast scenery of the Australian desert is a perfect and much more believable setting than some unknown little town somewhere in America. "Wolf Creek" is clever and unconventional, and I guess that's probably what a lot of people who wrote negative reviews didn't like about it.
Director/writer Greg McLean takes an incredibly long time to set his story up, although it didn't really seem that long to me. The first two thirds of the movies unfold like a love story rather than a horror flick. The cinematography is beautiful and it's real nice to see the three main characters hanging out, having fun and falling in love with each other as they travel across the country. Those aren't your average shallow horror characters. You can identify with those people, you like them and the more you do, the more you feel uncomfortable as they descend into trouble. BIG trouble!
The cast is amazing. I've hardly ever seen anyone looking as genuinely terrified on screen as Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi. They act and react just like you'd imagine someone in their situation would. John Jarratt as the villain, however, steals the show. Again, this guy just seems so REAL. You could easily see yourself falling for his tricks only to wake up to him torturing you. This is no chainsaw swinging, skin wearing monster, but a seemingly regular guy that turns out to be a relentless psychopath.
Greg McLean may not re-invent the wheel with "Wolf Creek" but he manages to drive an old genre to near perfection. The movie remains unpredictable throughout and never relies on old tricks. The most disturbing thing about "Wolf Creek" is that you really feel like this could happen to you, which is quite an achievement in a genre that's usually so over the top, it makes you laugh instead of scaring you. "Wolf Creek" will achieve what your mother never could: you'll think twice about trusting helpful strangers.
Director/writer Greg McLean takes an incredibly long time to set his story up, although it didn't really seem that long to me. The first two thirds of the movies unfold like a love story rather than a horror flick. The cinematography is beautiful and it's real nice to see the three main characters hanging out, having fun and falling in love with each other as they travel across the country. Those aren't your average shallow horror characters. You can identify with those people, you like them and the more you do, the more you feel uncomfortable as they descend into trouble. BIG trouble!
The cast is amazing. I've hardly ever seen anyone looking as genuinely terrified on screen as Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi. They act and react just like you'd imagine someone in their situation would. John Jarratt as the villain, however, steals the show. Again, this guy just seems so REAL. You could easily see yourself falling for his tricks only to wake up to him torturing you. This is no chainsaw swinging, skin wearing monster, but a seemingly regular guy that turns out to be a relentless psychopath.
Greg McLean may not re-invent the wheel with "Wolf Creek" but he manages to drive an old genre to near perfection. The movie remains unpredictable throughout and never relies on old tricks. The most disturbing thing about "Wolf Creek" is that you really feel like this could happen to you, which is quite an achievement in a genre that's usually so over the top, it makes you laugh instead of scaring you. "Wolf Creek" will achieve what your mother never could: you'll think twice about trusting helpful strangers.