Wolf Fever

A couple of my friends invited me to watch Wolf Creek with them yesterday. I was really looking forward to this movie. I didn't know too much about it, since the trailer shown on TV didn't show a whole lot. But what I did see made it seem like this was going to be a good movie. Word of warning though, the description given for the movie is a little off. It talks about strange lights following the people in the movie around and that never happens.

Wolf Creek comes to us from Australia so everyone talks "funny," as my friend would put it. I asked if she wanted someone to translate for her, and all I got in reply was a mean look. There are some beautiful shots in this film, wide shots of the land and sun sets. The director (Greg McLean) does a wonderful job of showing us how empty the land can be, and how far away help can be when you want it the most. Wolf Creek has what most people call a slow start. The story takes its time in telling the story and we get to know the characters because of this. Being a horror movie we know something bad is going to happen to these characters, we just don't know when. With this movie, when things go bad, it is like a coin flip.

If you have watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre then you have, in a way, watched Wolf Creek. It is different but you can see how Wolf Creek owes itself to TCM. Wolf Creek claims to be inspired by true events. I have looked up a little bit of this on the internet and came across The Backpack Murders. However, I have yet to find anything that goes on in this movie that relates to those murders. The person that was charged for the murders was said to have personal items of the murdered people at his place, which was shown in Wolf Creek. Outside of that I couldn't really find much.

Liz and Kristy (Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi) are two British students who meet and become friends with Ben (Nathan Phillips) during college. Before the two girls leave for home they all decide to take a trip. Along the way they stop at Wolf Creek Park. This is an area where a big meteor hit the earth. They take a few things to eat and have a good time while there. On their return they discover that their watches have stopped and the battery is dead in the car. Just before this Ben was telling the girls a story about UFO's and brings that up here as well. I thought maybe this is a UFO story, but it wasn't and I'm very glad for that. I like sci-fi stories but I never thought they work to well with horror.

Late that night they see lights heading towards them. Turns out it is nothing more than a truck. We then meet Mick (John Jarratt). He decides to help them and tells them that he can't fix it there but can at his shop. He gives them the choice of going with him or staying there for the rest of the night. They talk it over and decide to go with him. Once there they talk for a while and he offers them some water. There is a close up shot of the water, and if you have watched enough horror movies then you know that usually means something. Mick seems like a nice enough guy. He jokes around with them a lot before going to work on their car. While he does, one of the girls comes over and thanks him for all his help before she turns in. We watch as she goes to sleep and we watch as she wakes ups, tied up and gagged. This is what I meant by it being a coin flip. The tone of the movie changes that quickly. For the rest of the movie we watch Ben, Liz and Kristy try and escape from Mick. What happens kept me watching and wondering what could possibly happen next. It has been a while since I have really felt that way while watching a horror movie.

I really liked all of the actors in Wolf Creek. They all did a great job at keeping me on the edge of my seat. Once things get serious we don't really see Ben again until the end of the movie. He escapes and is found by a passing couple. If this was based on a true story, then the liberties were probably taken with what happened to Liz and Kristy. The main thing I have heard from a few reviews for this movie was that the killer went only after the women. While that isn't 100% true, since Ben is tied and nailed to some wood, women are mainly all we see Mick go after and kill. This has never bothered me and I'm a woman myself. It's a sad fact but more women get raped and murdered than men do. Is this a thing to show on screen? I don't have the answer to that, but I know it doesn't offend me when I do see it.

I really loved this movie. I can't stress enough how much I loved it. The set up for most of the movie really pays off once the movie changes its tone. It slows down just a little at that point, but then builds and builds on itself. The ending left me a little disappointed. That is the only thing I can say bad about Wolf Creek. Not everyone liked this movie, even among people I thought would like it. I loved it and wish more movies came out like this one.
5 out of 5 Lone Wolves