If the opening credits are to be believed, Australian director Greg McLean’s debut feature Wolf Creek is based on a true story. It’s not, but the story of three backpacking friends who fall into the hands of a psychopath in the Australian bush derives much of its impact from echoing on a number of cases that have made the headlines in the past few years – most notably, the murder of British traveller Peter Falconio, along with the high-profile manhunts that have followed the killings of other backpackers and tourists. It’s not entirely clear whether McLean was intentionally riffing on real life events or not, but Wolf Creek feels pretty timely, and this helps overcome the film’s main flaw – the overfamiliarity of the story. There’s nothing here we haven’t seen before, and the theme of an innocent’s slow descent into hell at the hands of a maniac has been pretty definitively explored in films such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Misery. Wolf Creek is distinguished, however, by McLean’s skilful handling of this material; whether the film still stands up in ten years time remains to be seen, but it feels terrifyingly now, a slasher movie that feels entirely in tune with the age in which it was made.
Part of the film’s success lies in the way the the victims of the deranged Mick are not simply generic knife-fodder. The film’s first half is very leisurely paced – indeed, it could hardly move any slower – but this allows McLean to develop Ben, Lizzie and Christy into fully-rounded characters that, crucially, we really do care for. The film’s early scenes are dominated by Ben and Lizzie’s burgeoning romance, and this is handled touchingly but unsentimentally. Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi give credible, naturalistic performances, which means that by the time the blood starts flowing we genuinely care for the characters in a manner that doesn’t feel forced or overly dictated by the director. When a dead car battery leaves the trio stranded in the middle of nowhere, the sense of foreboding is increased by our natural sympathy for them.
It’s a film of two halves, however; while the first half is slow but touching, the second half left me reeling with some of the most astonishingly brutal scenes I’ve ever seen. John Jarratt’s Mick has all the makings of an iconic screen psychopath; right from his first appearance he has a great physical presence and a rough around the edges charm that’s cast in a terrifying new light once we know the depths of his sadism. The pace quickens as the trio attempt to escape from his clutches; indeed, some of the later scenes are quite nerve shredding, as McLean combines unflinching visceral nastiness with a tense sense of anticipation that there’s something even more horrible just around the corner – and the prospect of very little relief or rescue from the terror merely aids this. Mick’s pursuit of Kristy, in particular, is utterly relentless, and if his treatment of her doesn’t have you wincing, then his antics with Lizzie will – and the phrase “head on a stick” will probably be burned into your memory for some time to come.
Wolf Creek wears its influences very unsubtly on its sleeve, but it’s undoubtedly one of the best horror films of the last few years and a welcome return for the ‘survival’ genre. It’s well made, well acted and has some unforgettably horrible imagery. Along with The Descent and the Saw films, Wolf Creek offers an encouraging indication that the horror genre is moving back towards genuine, well-crafted scares rather than simply 15-rated spooky action. It’s not for everyone, but it’s full-blooded and uncompromisingly grim. Whether it will stand up remains to be seen, but those who feel horror has dumbed-down of late could do far worse than to check this out.