Wolf Creek
Also reviewed by:
Uncle Cliff
Even before its official release, Australian horror film Wolf Creek had gained a reputation as being unbearably graphic and violent. People were running out of screenings at festivals apparently. When I heard this, it reminded me of that scene in the film Matinee, set in the 50s, in which kids are lining up to see the latest B movie (Mant – half man, half ant!) and they have to get their blood pressure checked by a nurse before they can buy a ticket. It's all just hype really.
Don't get me wrong, Wolf Creek is bloody disturbing, but I don't think it's because of its depiction of violence, which actually isn't all that graphic. This is the horror genre we're talking about after all. Watch the films of George Romero, Tom Savini or Peter Jackson – that stuff makes me want to throw-up every time. But Wolf Creek is a different kind of horror film, far more psychological and subtle (at first), and this is probably why it's such a difficult film to watch.
Based on the plot, it could sound like any other slasher film. The difference is Wolf Creek looks and feels real. It has some superb performances, a well-written script and a very documentary-style look to it. Also, rather than quickly introducing the characters and then killing them off one by one, this film spends a good forty minutes setting them up before anything even begins to go wrong. The effect is strong. Everything has a creeping pace to it, and these aren't teenagers who can't act to save themselves, they're real people whose lives are in danger.
As much as I think Wolf Creek is a brilliant film – probably one of the best horror films I've ever seen – I wouldn't recommend it to many people. It's just too full-on. If you do enjoy being terrified, as I do, this is a must on a big screen, where you don't have the liberty to use the remote control when things get too hairy. It will lose something in its translation to DVD I think.
It is not very often that a film breathes new life into a genre, especially the horror genre. In the past 5 years I can only think of two other films that have achieved this – The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project. At a time when it seems like every cheap horror film of the 70s or 80s is being remade into these big budget Hollywood films (Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Amityville Horror, etc.), it's good to see a film out there that knows its roots, but also brings something new to the table.