WOLF CREEK: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by real events, Wolf Creek is the story of Liz Hunter (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy Earl (Kestie Morassi), twenty-something British backpackers in Broome, Western Australia who team up for a car trip with young Australian, Ben Mitchell (Nathan Phillips), to a remote spot in the Wolf Creek National Park. At the end of the day when their car won't start, a gruffly affable local, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt), turns up in his truck and offers to tow them to his place, an abandoned mining camp, and fix their car. When Liz wakes from a drugged sleep late the next day, she's tied up and gagged, in a hut. She hears loud music and screams from another hut and her worst nightmare has begun.

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Who says you can't make a commercial genre film in Australia on a low budget? Delivering everything it promises, horror/thriller Wolf Creek boasts excellent naturalistic performances, a strong story and a good script, taut direction and excellent cinematography. It also pushes the envelope for Australian films with its occasionally graphic violence, but within context and never splashy.

It claims to be based on real events, but it is fairer to say it is inspired by a couple of outback disappearances, with writer director Greg McLean imagining the nasty bits to fill in the story (helped by some of the gruesome records from the Ivan Milat backpacker murder trials). John Jarratt, cast against type as the good natured outback bloke who collects unwary tourists like a cat collects lizards, ends up with the sort of persona that is more frightening for his outward bonhomie and wisecracking.

The three youths caught in the nightmare are credible and the carefully handled subplot concerning a budding romance between two of them is perfectly pitched. The viciousness of their situation fuels tension without a sag, and some scenes are knuckle whiteners. In the commentary, Greg McLean pinpoints where some people walk out, based on screenings at Cannes and elsewhere. He also admits to the cheapest shot in movie history (meaning cheap trick on the audience) towards the end of the film, when we are led to believe that a shadow over the prone figure of Ben (Nathan Phillips) is Mick the murderer.

An apt score and a frightening but satisfactory conclusion - which contravenes the rules of the horror genre and makes the film tougher than most - ensures that Wolf Creek is every bit as good (horrifically good) as the premise offers, and justifies Dimension Films of the US acquiring world rights for three times the budget.

The DVD is handsomely packaged and presented with excellent sound and image, and the second disc has a 50 minute Making of, which is above average for its information and entertainment value. Student filmmakers would find it great value for its detail, from the naturalistic wounds make up to the sound mix.

The lengthy (20 minutes) John Jarratt interview (recorded prior to the film's release) is meaningful and detailed, showing how he developed the character, including four months to develop Mick Taylor's unique laugh. Jarratt manages to praise McLean with typical Aussie earthiness: "he's good at everything ... the mongrel..."

Published March 9, 2006