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I got my money back from the theater after I explained to the manager that there was no way this could be a true story considering the only survivor was chained up in a cave while everything else was suppose to be going on.So unless he's clairvoyant there's no fucking way anyone would know what happened to the girls except them.The only positive thing I can say is that the fictitious killer did a good job at being creepy.A true insult to any intelligent person to believe the based on a true story tag line.Plus the movie is boring as hell to boot.I did enjoy Rogue a whole hell of allot more than this cruel joke of a movie.
Probably the best Australian horror movie, this movie is raw and realistic and never lets up. Some people may get bored from the slow beginning but this part is crucial to make the characters seem real and not just ordinary slasher-fodder.
Then we have a great villain who is like the dark version of Steve Irwin and Crocodile Dundee rolled into one.
Finally, the incredible environment of the outback really sells the horror as you are far away from civilisation. The cinematography is also beautiful here.
But no, it doesn't avoid all slasher movie cliches like the victims do some dumb things just to advance the plot (IE looking at the video cameras when she is being chased by the killer).
Overall though quite an excellent and brutal horror movie.
Posted By: Slasher17 at 8:20am, September 13, 2009
First of all, this movie is not that violent, and there isn't really any gore. We don't even get to see any action until the last 20-25 minutes!One more thing is that they should have put at least 5 or 6 lead characters. 3 people who die in a horror movie like this isn't enough! Anyways, this movie is good enough to watch at least once.
Posted By: evil_ash86 at 5:47am, September 13, 2009
One of the best Australian movies I have ever seen in my life, and still is today.
Some parts were scary, gory and just intimidating, especially with a criminal like Mick Taylor (John Jarratt).
10/10
Posted By: deadgoon697 at 9:40pm, September 11, 2009
Boring. Predictable. And annoying. The only thing this movie has going for it is the cinematography.
Posted By: trickytreats at 7:57pm, September 11, 2009
I get really frustrated by movies that include a scene where the victim has the bad guy dead in his/her sights and then somehow screws it up. Wolf Creek has one of those scenes and it ruined the movie for me.
Posted By: Razor_Sharp at 6:10am, September 8, 2009
Very boring movie. I oly likede the “that's not a knife, this is a knife” thing :D
Posted By: format916 at 10:20am, September 2, 2009
One of the best! Minus a few inconsistencies, this movie is TCM for this generation.
Wolf Creek, a simple Austraillian horror, with a twist. This is pure terror at it's best, Wolf Creek is a powerful true story, with amazing acting, some great, gory death sequences, and an amazing cast! One thing this movie actually did well, was you actually grew to like the characters, and there background, and the main villian is a great actor, he is the modern Freddy! Wolf Creek is scary as hell, gory adventure, with some great plot twists and great one liners to make sure, you'll want more!
loved it, i thought the film was so well shot just brilliant, the gore was amazing and the tension established was something i havent felt watching a horror film in years
I used to think this movie was just, okay. But wow after giving it a couple of views i have to say its terrefic. Great directing by Greg Mclean and Mick Taylor is really scary. Great Great movie.
Like so many B films of this nature (sexy kids lost in the sticks) this one took a long time to take off, but there are some choice scenes that make it all worthwhile: SPOILER
1) The paralytic knifework on the brunette hotty, and
2) The long-range marksmanship that croaks the remaining character's escape by highway.
wolf creek is amazingly scary.
you cant find another horror movie quite like this.
it was intense and even though the beginning was a little slow, it was for the reason that the characterization bulds up the intensity and raw horror towards the end.
i also love the fact that only a few people die unlike these other horror movies where a ton of people die.
wolf creek is one of my favorite horro movies.
Instead of the usual obnoxious 20 somethings who quite frankly you can't wait to see get the chop, you get three very likeable ordinary characters who you actually care about. John Jarratt plays his role with gusto and is one of the best screen screen villians I have seen in years. When you first meet him he is almost likeable himself in an eccentric uncle kind of way with that creepy laugh :)
There are some great twists and shocking moments that are totally unexpected. The lass who came across as the heroine who you thought would save the day meeting a sudden and brutal end. That wasn't expected!
Anyone who can make a film this good without resorting to the old horror film *cliches* of sex, nudity, excessive swearing and the villain coming from a trailer trash family; well they deserve a 10/10!
I don't understand the hype for this film one bit. Not only does the film take forever to start, trying to get you to like unlikeable characters, but when it gets to the action the characters are so stupid they acctualy deserve what they get! For example who here would watch some crazy guy torturing their friend then distract them with a lound bang in a close procsimity to you? Anyone?...........I thought not. Trust me when I say this film is only good for the violence. I got so bored of this film it has acctualy taken me about 5 times to complete it! To conclude you will regret buying this film as I did!
i havent seen this movie in a while and just thought i would see what people were saying about it. NOT being an ass or anything i could not disagree with everyone more. Just to get this out of the way before i start so everyone doesnt throw a hissy fit. yes im only 18 and no im not movie ignorant. ok this is what i do with my life. all day everyday so im sure i know what im talking about.
There is no way in hell i am ever watching this movie again. Honestly how could anyone after they seen it. The movie only takes what 6 years to get to the action and then the only thing it has going for it then is it is amazingly bloody.
To me this is the movie i hate the most. Its purely horrible. This movie wouldnt even be good if it was a B-movie. i honestly wish i had the time i watched this movie back so i could do something that actually was worth while.
The begining of this movie was like watching grass grow. It takes forever to get going.
i actually heard from people that this was shitty and it turned out to be one of my favorite horror films. great movie, i love how less people die in this movie than in almost any other horror movie ive seen, but still manages to be scary and be one of the best. Loved it.
An honestly good slasher, with a great direction and photography. There are images, in the beginning, that seems like a BBC documentary. That tranquilizes you...so that the second half of the movie can hit you hard!
I don't get the hype for this movie and it wasn't scary at all.....I feel that theses people got what they deserve because you can't trust anyone so its not worth renting....I really loath when they make a movie more scary then its suppose to be.
I can't figure out why there was such praise for this film. I know Tarantino liked it and all that but come on; it just ain't that good. And it took way too long to get going on top of that. There were some great true life Aussie serial killers; it's time to have a great Aussie serial killer flick based on one but this ain't it. Sorry.
this movie took an hour to get moving and then sputtered to a complete stop with basicly no ending, sorry but i didnt buy it.
Posted By: horrorking95 at 8:16am, February 14, 2009
This is a creepy slasher and slashers don't usually creep me out. This is also based on a true story so that made it scarier! Some of you are saying the first hour was boring! Well you can't just start with the killings right away you need to get to know the characters and stuff and anyway halloween was boring for the first hour it only livened up at the last half hour and besides this film has much more kick! It's gory and creepy and your on the edge of your seat the whole way through. The killer is also just brilliant he's very creepy and pyschotic! I would recomend this film very much it will give you a good scare!
****
Out Of
*****
This movie was all I hoped it would be, gritty and I am sorry for all those who found it predictable, but it was actually quite unpredictable. The character we believe to be the heroine of the film gets turned into a "head on a stick" come on, there is no way that any of you saw that one coming! It was very well done and John Jarrat is one the better villians in horror movies of the past 10 years, that maniacal laugh was spectacular. Any film that make you think twice, even if for a second, about doing something common, like backpacking in a desolate area hits the mark. Great film!
coming from oz and knowing the back storys for this movie . its one of the best aussie movie
Posted By: GRUDGE4life at 4:32pm, January 19, 2009
this movie makes me scared to go backpacking across australia...the killer was the creepiest character besides penny the clown that i have ever seen! i loved it
A++++++
One of the most overrated films I've seen in ages. IT wasn't awful, but it certainly wasn't nearly as good nor original as it was made out to be. Another crazy redneck in the middle of nowhere retread. I kept waiting to see what the big deal was and why it was considered so disturbing and brutal. There are worse ways to spend a Friday evening, but this certainly wasn't that big of a deal.
How did this film get such good reviews? There's barely anything redeemable or original about this film! The plot line is predictable and linear, the script is pretty weak. The Aussie accents are a hoot!
I didn't enjoy this film. Thought it was pretty run-of-the-mill. Just realise that there's nothing to be gained by watching the film.
Time Killer!
Posted By: whitewire at 10:08pm, December 28, 2008
Very good movie. It's simple and somewhat predictable, but it works and I enjoyed it a lot.
Posted By: BRLAXATTACK22 at 10:47am, December 5, 2008
This movie was good but i wouldnt watch it because it was "Based on true events". The first hour is pretty boring, though you do begin to know the characters. *SPOILER* The 2 girls were never found and the killer or his location were never found, so really the only thing that may be true is what happened to the guy and everything before they went to sleep at the camp fire. *END SPOILER* So when you watch this movie expect some sick twisted scenes and to be really creeped out, but keep in mind that even though these scenes are well done, well shot, written, acted, etc dont count on it to be true.
Posted By: BK's Finest at 4:22pm, November 29, 2008
Great film. 3 tourists stuck in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide whilst being pursued by one of the most twisted and psychotic villains ever created. This film succeeds as the characters are people you actually care about and to see them literally being dragged into hell at the hands of a complete loon sharpens the impact. Nice slow building tension turns into want to look away unbearableness with just the right amount of blood and gore to go with it and the fact that **SPOILERS** the killer walks of into the sunset, perfect. The 'based on true events' poster tag isn't just a lame reel you in hook either. Do a google search on 'Ivan Milat', the whole head on a stick kill was actually one of his methods and the inspiration for Mick Taylor, hell, they even look alike. A very different look at the Australian outback and not a pleasant one.
Oh yeah this is a creeper , in line with the Hitcher ....I couldnt stop thinking about this movie for days !!!!!!!
Posted By: WinterRaven at 12:54pm, October 13, 2008
I really wanted to like this movie but to me it just blew! The first hour or so of this movie it's just them driving, screwing around and them trying to establish a love connection between two characters to make you care about them more but I couldn't have cared less. By the time they got to the meat of the movie as it were, I didn't really care what happened.
this movie was crap its painfully dull and i dont give a damn
Posted By: Protecious at 3:16pm, September 30, 2008
Wonderful film that takes place in such a beautiful stretch of empty land in australia, where later the director of this film would return for his follow up Rogue. this film wolf creek has something alot of horror movies lack and that's a villian with a really interesting personality, not since freddy krueger has a villian been so mean and funny.
Good film, interesting and take time on the possible sequel.
"I was thrilled to see a movie like 'Wolf Creek' come out in theatres: a straightforward horror film not relying on clever twists (except one, small one) or gimmicks. It was the kind of film 'High Tension' started off as before that last act mindf*ck. And while I ended up appreciating what that movie did, I would have loved it more without the twist.
'Wolf Creek' picks up where films like 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'Last House on the Left' left off, without feeling the need to necessarily "pay homage" to them. I wonder if the fact that it's not American-made has anything to do with that. I also wonder if the non-American influence kept this from becoming predictable or familiar in any way. What you think is going to happen in this film never quite happens. One of the original 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' taglines was, "Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?" I think this film asks the same question, but doesn't provide so simple an answer.
I think it's best to know little about "what happens" here before seeing it. Most people know the basics--three backpackers on a road trip, they stop at remote Wolf Creek, entering an odd Twilight Zone of stopped time and dead car engines. A friendly bushman stops by willing to help, let the nightmare begin.
I love that director/writer/producer Greg McLean never offers an explanation for the watches and the car engine. What happens in this film seems almost alien--three humans struggling to survive on what appears like a distant, barren planet, up against a hunter with no semblance of humanity in him. Yes, this movie is very similar to "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," but it is in no way a rip-off. While the early-morning showdown on the barren road may look similar to the climax of TCM, it is its own nightmarish entity. In fact, some of the scene reminded me of "Duel." The acting in this movie is brilliant. The three leads--Ben, Kristi, and Liz--are so wonderfully likable, and there is an odd feeling of improvisation in the acting. It's so natural, it seems impossible to script. When everything goes to hell, you want all three of them to survive, and you'll surely be devastated by the slightest injury any of them endures. Many have complained about the hour or so of build up, but I think it was brilliant on McLean's part to make sure we cared about these people, and then to put them through the wringer. It's sadistic, too, emotionally, but it's the sign of a great director.
John Jarratt, as Mick, is unforgettably cruel. Jarratt embodies this character from head to toe, and is fearless in his performance. Mick is an ugly, cruel man, and yet when we first meet him, he seems like the nicest guy in the world. One of the scariest aspects to this film is that you can see yourself falling for all of his tricks.
To be honest, I never want to see "Wolf Creek" again. It's not a fun movie. I left wanting to hate it, because I hated what happened. But I admire this movie for what it managed to do. I truly had to keep repeating to myself, "It's only a movie," (the infamous "Last House on the Left" tagline) but it's so realistic and so unflinching in portraying what happens, that you'll feel as if someone was always peeking around a corner with a camera, filming an actual event. Of course, this is based on true events, and frankly, there is some discrepancy to how "true" this film tries to be (obviously, much of the second act had to be dramatized, and you'll realize why once you see the movie) but it didn't need that "based on true events" tag. It's already very real.
I hate to end on the old "Jaws" cliché, but as I am going to Australia soon, I can say for a fact that this does do for backpacking what "Jaws" did for swimming. I consider this movie a parable of sorts. Well done." -- cdrucke1, imdb.com
Wolf creek is so painful to watch. I'm not talking about the brutality I'm talking about the film itself. The first hour is just teens getting drunk, acting stupid, swearing, and making videos while their drunk. Mind you this is a horror film not some drunkfest. Then when we finally get to the "horror" the film ends and it's not even scary. If I could give this zero skulls I would gladly. If you are looking for a decent horror film then I'd say skip Wolf creek.
Every time one of them were gonna get away it was so convincing that they were. Even when they were caught I thought they still had a chance. Tear tear. And by the end of the film I wasn't expecting him to make it but he did which had me at the edge of my seat.
Being from Australia and with a love of horror films, I decided that and Aussie horror film would be perfect.
Dragging several friends along to the movies the day before we were suppose to drive cross-country to Perth from Brisbane was the biggest mistake I ever made.
After watching the film that scared the beejesus out of us, we ditched the plans to travel by car instead opting for a plane ride. John Jarett gives a stellar performance as Mick Taylor. I recommend it for anyone who would like to see the Aussie outback at it's worst.
Although I feel taking almost an hour for character development was going a little overboard, this is still quite the movie. The last 45 minutes of the movie definitely make up for anything that was wrong with the first half.
People who compare this to The Descent, please get in touch with reality. The Descent was a cheap b-movie(even the director seems to agree with this) with a cheap cliche ending. Wolf Creek was meant to be as realistic as humanly possible, and it pulled it off without obvious cliches.
The only comparison between the two is they both start out slow. About 80% is nothing but collage kids having fun. Personally, though, I love the slow horror almost as much as the fast-paced action/gore in the Saw series. But it's a matter of taste, though. Avoid this like the plague if that style bores you.
The killer-dude reminded me of myself. We both do the same awkward stare and have the same funny-then-brutal personality. You have got to love the dude. He beats cliches like the killers in Mr. Brooks and Disturbia.
Lastly, and most impressively, the camera is done indie with amazing cinematography. The effect makes it look almost like perfect real life, unlike the stylistic lenses in most movies. I've rarely seen anything like it.
How's the gore? It's not as toned-down as movies like Untraceable, but it's not as extreme as Saw III, either. It's realistic and subtle. The fingers scene still makes me smile.
Overall, amazingly fun movie. But only for certain people. A lot of hardcore horror fans won't dig it, but I certainly did.
I have read BD review after review comparing all kinds of other movies to this one, and I cannot understand it. I've seen this movie a few times, I even owned it once, and I don't see the appeal. There's nothing scary or unpredictable in it...in fact, i don't even think it's a horror movie. Now granted, it was 'based' on a real story, and to its credit, the cinematography and acting were good. But the story was boring. There was no suspense, just a few cheap scares. I would never recommend this as highly as others do, it's just not entertaining. So, for one of the few times that this will happen, I disagree with BD, greatly, and I really don't think anyone should get their hopes up about this one.
I first saw this movie on Starz and, the day after that I went and brought it.
The first hour of the movie was slow and dreadful and boring. But once it got to where the girls were captured, running around and trying to escape got better! This movie was terrifying because of how realistic it was!!!! I really only have one thing to say about this movie: AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the first half is a bit slow, but that adds to the realism and makes the last half all the more shocking. the villain is memorable and funny, and hopefully we'll see him again in a sequel/prequel. over all it's a great movie, similar in style and feel to the original TCM. if you are over the age of 15 you should have enough patience to get through the slow first half, and appreciate it afterwards.
I agree with the BD review that the movie started slowly for the first hour. I was yawning through it just waiting for some excitement to happen. However that is the only thing I agree with. I did not find it unpredictable. It was obvious who the killer was. The worst part about the BD review is that it goes on to state that the movie is realistic and could happen to everyone. About an hour into the movie after being atacked by the killer the two female characters are able to disarm him by knocking the killer out. In typical bad horror movie cliche fashion they do not kill the villain when he is vulnerable. Predictably the killer arises, but this is where I had to stop watching the movie. Two problems came into existance. First the killer was not charismatic or iconic i.e. Freddy Krueger like. Second now that the two dumb female characters did not kill the villain I found myself feeling that I no longer care if they live. I no longer cared who wins. These two ditzes deserved to die. So I turned the movie off and will not watch it to this day.
Two young girls, Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) are on an Australian road-trip with Ben (Nathan Phillips) a city boy from Sydney. One of their destinations is the massive meteor crater located in the Wolf Creek National Park. After making the hike to the center of the crater, they return to find that their car will not start. After accepting the fact that there was nothing that could be done to immediately remedy the situation, especially with the night quickly approaching, the disheartened trio settle in for a night spent inside the car. As night envelopes them, they are discovered by a friendly bushman named Mick (John Jarratt) who, with his truck, offers to tow them to his garage. There he would fix their car and then send them on their way. With no other viable options to choose from, the three decide to take Mick up on his offer. However, once back at Mick's camp, these three youths find that Mick is not that nice of a guy. In fact, he is the most vile, evil human being they will ever have the displeasure of meeting.
Based loosely on the Backpack Murders of Australia, Greg McLean has created an extremely brutal, unflinching film that displays a serial killer that ranks with some of cinemas most repulsive characters. Wolf Creek deviates from the normal framework a film like this could have easily draped itself over, and instead echoes Texas Chainsaw Massacre in its' choice to take it's sweet time before showing its true colors. The camera follows these three travelers as they go from party to campsite. The two girls are convincing and actually seem to have a past history. With two noticeable different personalities, they seem fleshed out to a point that their actions seem natural and believable. Ben, the lone male in this group, is just as convincing as a happy-go-lucky type of guy who just wants to make sure the girls have a good time, as evident by his always trying to make the best out of a bad situation. But not surprisingly, it is the protagonist of Wolf Creek who steals the show. Greg McLean could have created a menace copied from recent slasher\horror films. A killer that spouts one-liners as if on stage at a comedy amateur hour, or even has the audience rooting for him because the audience could care less about the characters he is killing. But the character of Mick is one nasty customer. He is utterly despicable and repugnant. He is also played with uncanny believability. A combination of a few serial killers wrapped up in a Crocodile Dundee personality, Mick is one of the most realistic serial killers to be played on screen for some time, and really makes you think of the fate that has befell the victims of some of the worlds real-life monsters.
The cinematography of Will Gibson gives Wolf Creek an overall strong look and captures the open, desolate beauty of the Australian Outback with its ability to dwarf, engulf and in some cases hide anyone who decides to venture into it. These natural features effectively cut off our characters from any semblance of civilization with the only obstacles between the them and possible help is the expansive, desolate landscape between them. This nightmare scenario turns even worse when later, as night falls, our victims are chased into the endless terrain without the benefit of direction or light. No aliens chasing a hapless crew through endless corridors of a space-ship, or psychos wearing goalie masks chasing nubile females throughout the numerous rooms of a house, Mick is a bushman and tracks his prey with an ease and level of comfort that a seasoned hunter displays when hunting game. This attribute makes the character of Mick even more terrifying and detestable as it is clear that he is enjoying every single second of torture he deals out. The repulsion sinks deeper when the knowledge hits that this monster has done this many, many times before.
With some extreme violence and a 'head on a stick' scene that will surely make the most jaded horror fan wince a little, Wolf Creek delivers the goods. Some will argue that too much time is used before getting to the goods, as McLean could have just as easily nixed the introduction of Mick and finished off the movie as an indie love story, but Greg McLean uses the dynamics of these three youths personalities to lull the viewer into a since of safety. A film of this nature rarely takes the time to flesh out the players and try to get the viewer to actually connect with them, to possibly even like them. In doing this, the time that was used for character development is well spent and extremely effective as it makes watching some of the events that unfold even more horrifying. This is aided by McLean breaking some of the guidelines movie audiences have been accustomed to when watching a horror title that involves a psycho and his young victims. Not content in delivering yet another by-the-numbers serial killer movie, Mclean makes sure that the viewer is never quite sure exactly what to expect next and the way the events unfold may surprise even the most avid horror movie fan.
Critics have made numerous comments on the apparent misogynist slant of Wolf Creek, that the creator of this film seemed to take delight in the nightmare-ish way the females are treated. While it is true that the events these three youth face in Wolf Creek are horrific and at times, offensive...but for anyone who follows the details of the cases that this movie is based on, they are also quite realistic.
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