Wolf Creek

The creepiest movies are those which can actually happen in real life. And that is part of the appeal in Wolf Creek, a disturbing, frightening, yet oddly beautiful Aussie horror movie.

Wolf Creek has a simple yet effective premise. Three tourists are traveling throughout Austrailia when they encounter some technical problems. Nothing works. Their watches, the car. Nothing. So they allow a friendly man passing in the area to tow their car and take them to his area in the meantime. The tourists are amazed with their good luck and grateful for it, until they wake up in the morning and realize....they have the shittiest luck ever.

One of the perks of Wolf Creek lies in the performances. First off, I didn't recognize any of the lead actors in this which is pretty beneficial. It's cool being able to watch someone on screen and not have the million other movies that they have done in the back of your head at the same time. All three of the tourists' performances are pretty damn awesome. They actually perform as real people. Not ducks to be lined up and shot in a row. You actually really like them and dread the moment that they will meet their enemy (played with all the nasty, toxic, harmful attributes that you would want in a killer, by John Jarratt). Not one of these performances comes off as an actor giving their reading as a person. You're just watching people in a fucked up situation.

Now for the shit everyone wants to see in a horror movie; the murders. Let me just say that even though there aren't that many (I only counted three total), none of them go by quickly without pain and extreme tension surrounding them. Mick Taylor (what a cool name for a killer) really enjoys this shit. It's disturbing. At times when he's fucking with the tourists you swear that you just stumbled into a snuff film about some horrific crime. The killing scenes are brutal, bloody, and at times...very hard to watch. Wolf Creek will surprise you with the order of their deaths (and how they go down) and it will shock you with the raw carnage that is displayed in front of your eyes.

Another thing I really loved about Wolf Creek was the cinematography. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. At times you feel that you're in another world which might have even been the director's approach. Even when these crimes are going on, the outside surroundings and the lighting used almost make the movie seem like a painting in motion. A fucked up painting, probably created by someone like Tarantino, but hey...art is fucked up at times.

Wolf Creek is a nasty, disturbing movie that will stay in your brain for a while. It doesn't feel like a movie when looking back. It just seems like a really shitty situation that was displayed for the public to view. And that is more frightening then anything in this world; real life.

3/4