Blog Monster Movie Monday: Wolf Creek
Wolf Creek (2005)
Starring: John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, and Nathan Phillips
Directed by: Greg McLean
Written by: Greg McLean
Production Company: True Crime Channel and Best FX
It’s interesting to watch a foreign horror film and think about how it differs from American film. First, if Wolf Creek had been an American film, it would probably be about werewolves. Second, there’d be a murder before even the title credits ran. Instead, Wolf Creek starts off as an innocuous buddies’ weekend out film. And while some reviewers I’ve read disliked the slow beginning, I feel it added to the anxiety.
Ben, Liz, and Christy are on a trip to visit Wolf Creek, the site of the second largest meteorite impact crater in the world. The first half of the film is their progress toward their destination. They party, they drink too much, they encounter some jerks who make lewd comments to Liz and Christy, Ben finds himself in a love triangle with his two friends…all the elements of what could be a drama or romance. However, I spent the time anxiously awaiting the horror. After all, I’m sure anyone who chose to watch Wolf Creek knew it was a horror. Knowing something is to come and it not quite showing up adds to the anxiety. It’s going to be scary, why won’t it just scare me? The film, however, doesn’t let us forget what it is even when it’s not ready to fulfill our craving. Noticeable is a distinct lack of sound. Wolf Creek is a very quiet film. Almost know musical score of which to speak. Subdued and natural sound effects. There are very few cues to let us know that we should be scared, but knowing that we should be, knowing that Wolf Creek is a horror film, makes the tension worse…We are so used to musical scores telling us when we should be frightened that the lack of a score actually has the better result. After all, what do we fear if not the unknown?
Wolf Creek is, all in all, a subdued horror film. Ben, Liz, and Christy are not over the top characters. This makes them all the more real. They really could be us, we could be them, and the horror could be real. The killer is a regular looking guy. He kills his victim in regular ways…with gun, with knife…nothing unusual. Normal. The characters who die don’t die in horrible grotesque ways. And the more restrained McLean directed this movie, the more horrible it became.
Starring: John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, and Nathan Phillips
Directed by: Greg McLean
Written by: Greg McLean
Production Company: True Crime Channel and Best FX
It’s interesting to watch a foreign horror film and think about how it differs from American film. First, if Wolf Creek had been an American film, it would probably be about werewolves. Second, there’d be a murder before even the title credits ran. Instead, Wolf Creek starts off as an innocuous buddies’ weekend out film. And while some reviewers I’ve read disliked the slow beginning, I feel it added to the anxiety.
Ben, Liz, and Christy are on a trip to visit Wolf Creek, the site of the second largest meteorite impact crater in the world. The first half of the film is their progress toward their destination. They party, they drink too much, they encounter some jerks who make lewd comments to Liz and Christy, Ben finds himself in a love triangle with his two friends…all the elements of what could be a drama or romance. However, I spent the time anxiously awaiting the horror. After all, I’m sure anyone who chose to watch Wolf Creek knew it was a horror. Knowing something is to come and it not quite showing up adds to the anxiety. It’s going to be scary, why won’t it just scare me? The film, however, doesn’t let us forget what it is even when it’s not ready to fulfill our craving. Noticeable is a distinct lack of sound. Wolf Creek is a very quiet film. Almost know musical score of which to speak. Subdued and natural sound effects. There are very few cues to let us know that we should be scared, but knowing that we should be, knowing that Wolf Creek is a horror film, makes the tension worse…We are so used to musical scores telling us when we should be frightened that the lack of a score actually has the better result. After all, what do we fear if not the unknown?
Wolf Creek is, all in all, a subdued horror film. Ben, Liz, and Christy are not over the top characters. This makes them all the more real. They really could be us, we could be them, and the horror could be real. The killer is a regular looking guy. He kills his victim in regular ways…with gun, with knife…nothing unusual. Normal. The characters who die don’t die in horrible grotesque ways. And the more restrained McLean directed this movie, the more horrible it became.
In the end, whether or not you should see this film is dependent upon your tastes. If you can wait and watch as this quiet little Australian film develops its atmosphere, then you should check this one out. But if you need everything to start right away…well, maybe you should give this one a pass.
posted by Bodog at 11:12 PM
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