Wolf Creek (Unrated Widescreen Edition) | DVD Review

Australian director Greg McLean’s WOLF CREEK doesn’t go quite as horribly wrong as the road trip taken by its three young traveler protagonists but it tries awful hard to get there. The film unfolds in two acts. The first act follows the naïve trio as they make their way towards the Wolf Creek Crater, where a meteor once struck the earth. They cover a lot of ground in the scenic Australian Outback, chatting each other up along the way without saying anything relevant at all or doing anything that would suggest a plot might develop after they leave the next truck stop. The second act begins after they’ve cozied up by the fire while they wait for an eccentric Aussie hermit to fix their car so they can continue their pointless journey. As it turns out, the man they’ve befriended has no intentions of helping them out but rather he intends to torment each of them separately before brutally killing them. Dimension Films bought WOLF CREEK during the 2005 Sundance Film Festival in hopes that it’s strong visual quality and twisted torture scenes would connect with the young crowd that had already devoured the SAW films. However, the film’s gritty, unpolished approach that was supposed to differentiate it from the typical American horror genre offerings ultimately alienated audiences that couldn’t understand why there isn’t even a hint of horror an hour into the film. It certainly doesn’t help when the characters end up in situations without explanation and make decisions without motivation that worsen their plights. The tension that usually characterizes a strong horror flick is replaced in WOLF CREEK by frustration. How else can you react when you watch one character tell another that she’ll return in five minutes only to stop to investigate the photos and clippings on the killer’s office wall? He’s obviously going to find you and you’re obviously going to die. By having his characters make such dumb moves, it’s as if McLean wants them to die and is delighted we’re there to watch.

The DVD contains the unrated version of the film, which boasts ten extra minutes of footage that the director actually acknowledges as unnecessary during the feature commentary. Joining McLean on the commentary track are executive producer Matt Hearn (who went on to direct the fantastic “Making Of” feature) and lead actresses Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi). The commentary flows well and the foursome have good chemistry while McLean does most of the talking. Aside from learning that it rained so much during the shoot that they had to write it in to the script and that so many scenes were shot when it was very cold, the commentary points out the film’s flaws. It doesn’t acknowledge them as flaws but makes mention of how this shot was inserted or that cut was made to clear up any confusion the viewer might be having. They actually say things like, “You might not have noticed but she dropped the gun down the well there and that’s why she has to go down there.” And they’re right, I hadn’t noticed. Thanks for pointing that mistake out, Mr. Director. As previously eluded to, the “Making Of” featurette is very enjoyable. It runs just under an hour and covers every aspect of the production, from the cinematography to the editing to the music to the makeup to the acting to the stunts even. Those involved in the shoot looked to enjoy themselves so much that it made me sorry the film didn’t turn out stronger. Finally, don’t bother with the deleted scene, “G’Day.” It should’ve been deleted from the DVD.

WOLF CREEK is worth checking out if strong visuals and gruesome torture are your vices but don’t pick this one up for a scary movie night with a bunch of friends. You’ll be wondering when something’s going to happen and you may get bored before it actually does. Then before you know it, your friends are gone home and you’ve thrown a crappy movie night

Movie rating – 2.5

Disc Rating – 4