#01. Wolf Creek (2005, Greg McLean)
By Eivind Langdal
6th Septemeber 2009

I shall begin this merry journey by reviewing Wolf Creek, a film that has the ability to do to Australian tourism what the nuclear bomb did to Hiroshima. Not sure what that means? Well, let’s just say that if you had doubts about going backpacking in the great Australian wilderness before watching this film, you’ll find that, once you’ve seen it, you will find those doubts to have been replaced by a lot other set of doubts. Like, you know, doubts about stepping outside the door. Getting out of bed. You know, that kind of doubts. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating. Or maybe not. I mean, that depends more on you than me, I guess. Maybe you can stomach Wolf Creek. Maybe you cannot. The only way to find out is to see it. Or, alternatively, you can read this review and base your decision of checking the film out or not based on what I say.

So, what’s the story, morning glory? Okay, so maybe Oasis isn’t Australian, but they speak with silly British accents. That’s probably not the smartest comment I could have made on a site that is mostly populated by people coming from Britain, but they know I’m not to be taken seriously anyway. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Wolf Creek. Basically, the story is as simple as you’re going to get it: two British chicks and one Australian mate are planning on doing a little trip to the great Australian outback by renting a car so cheap it’s bound to break down. I sound like I’m mocking the film, but I’m not. I guess I just have a natural gift of ignoring some of the less plausible elements of horror films (though even I can’t ignore those where one of the characters starts shouting in the woods – luckily, Wolf Creek doesn’t have nothing resembling that). Then again, these people are young students, so it’s not like they are going to cash out on some expensive automobile either. I mean, where’s the fun in that? If the car doesn’t break down, you don’t have a horror film. You have people driving through nature. You have National Geographic.

Actually, if you stop the film halfway into it, that’s what you might actually think you have been watching. Again, it sounds like I’m taking the piss off the film, but I’m not. This film is really good looking. Some of the shots here will leave you so breathless you’re likely to become an adept Darth Vader impersonator after the film is finished. The film knows this too, as it takes its well-adjusted time to “finally get going” (as a 12-year old would put it). Now, I don’t mind that, because, you see, that’s one of the great things about horror films. I mean, because you know “shit is going to go down eventually” (as some other 12-year old would put it), you accept the fact that pace of the film is best described as “snail-like”. It creates what wordy people call “tension”.

Eventually, things start happening as the three youngsters encounter upon a Crocodile Dundee-like guy (take away the charm and keep the knives and he’s basically the guy’s twin brother). They meet him, rather conveniently, after their car breaks down, and he tows them from one remote location to another. There, they enjoy a night of drunken laughs before tiredness eventually kicks in and all but one of them (guess who) falls asleep. To say what happens next would be to spoil the surprise, so let’s just say that if the great-looking shots of the first half of the film did bad things to your breath, you might consider turning the film off at this point.

Wolf Creek is an interesting little film made on a low budget. Instead of pretending to be a more expensive film, it takes advantage of the things that doesn’t require much money to work (like fantastic cinematography, a good screenplay, bone-chilling terror). Alas, the film isn’t perfect, though, which is best demonstrated in some of the decisions the characters make. Now, I’ll be the first guy to say that the characters in this film are smarter than the ones usually found in horror films, but they make some choices here that seems to have been made more because of the benefit of the screenplay than to the benefit of logic. Sure, they experience a large portion of stress in the movie, but wouldn’t it be smarter to make decisions that lowered that stress instead of raising it? Sure, the film wouldn’t have been as tense then, but it’s hard to scare your audience if you ask them to leave common sense at the door.

Ultimately, what really brings the film down is that it’s simply too short. It ends a bit too quick, maybe because the makers ran out of money. Or maybe ideas. The film reminded me of a joke without a punch line. You’re listening. You’re engaged. All you need is that final line, and then… nothing. Wolf Creek is not a bad film, but it lacks that spice that gives great films that extra sweet taste. Still, I wouldn’t be too shy to ask for seconds.