Wolf Creek (18)

Written and directed by Greg McLean
On general release from September 16th 2005

Reviewed by Colin Serjent

One of my friends - who sat with me watching Wolf Creek - had to leave midway through the film when it came to the part where a scene of torture was enacted upon a young woman. I stayed to the end but have to admit the violence shown was sometimes very nasty.

The first half of the film is light hearted in tone with three hitchhikers: two English women - Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) - and a bloke from Sydney called Ben (Nathan Phillips) driving off into the Australian outback on a holiday of adventure and fun.

But the second half is very brutal and disturbing. They arrive at Wolf Creek where a huge crater has been left by a meteor. After walking around it they arrive back at their car to find that their watches have stopped and their car won't start.

They are left stranded in their car and set to spend the night in Wolf Creek when a seemingly genial Crocodile Dundee type of figure, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) arrives on the scene in his truck and comes to their rescue. He tows the vehicle back to an abandoned mining shaft where he lives, telling them that he will repair the damage and they will be able to leave in the morning. Then the nightmare begins for the three of them....

Kristy wakes up bound and gagged, and after struggling free of the ropes discovers Liz tied to a pole inside a hut covered in blood and screaming uncontrollably while Taylor delights in inflicting pain on her.

Suffice to say there is a lot more bloodletting perpetrated on the travellers by Taylor later in the film, with perhaps the most disturbing incident the moment when Liz has her spinal cord slashed apart by his large knife.

The film is apparently based on a true story - the opening caption informs us that 30,000 people are reported missing in Australia every year - so I guess the people who work for the Australian tourism industry will not be too enamoured with this chilling horror movie.