WOLF CREEK

D. Greg McLean :: Australia 2005 :: 99min :: 35mm :: Dimension Films
John Jarrat, Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, Andy McPhee

Antipodean horror films are pretty rare, which always surprised me given Peter Weir's repeated talent for evoking a mythological dread from the rugged terrain of rural Australia. But PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE LAST WAVE, the films of Brian Trenchard-Smith and LONG WEEKEND aside, Australia's been conservative in terms of genre output considering its potential. With the world's eyes turned toward Asia and France, an independent Australian horror film could easily have gone unnoticed, had the Weinsteins not snapped up rights before it even debuted stateside, causing an immediate media buzz.

Backpackers have been going missing along outback highways for decades, and Greg McLean's well-crafted debut is loosely based on true events - most notably the disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, and the exploits of infamous Australian serial killer Ivan Milat. The film follows the typical slasher film trajectory: three young campers are stranded when their car breaks down in the outback; a seemingly-harmless local appears in the dark to help them and then sets about imprisoning, torturing and trying to kill them. But what sets WOLF CREEK apart from other films of its ilk - despite quease-inducing, drawn-out torture sequences that have had audiences fainting at previous screenings - is that it is primarily performance-driven, and deliberately paced so as to punctuate the shocking violence of its confrontational third act. WOLF CREEK is a harrowing journey that'll keep you from venturing into unknown territory anytime soon.