Plot: What’s it about?
A trio of friends is about to embark on a road trip, one that will take them to Wolf Creek, the site of a famed meteorite crash. The friends engage in one last party before the excursion, then Kristy (Kestie Morassi), Liz (Cassandra Magrath), and Ben (Nathan Phillips) hit the road. The journey is not an eventful one, aside from a run in with some rude locals, who made unwanted comments about the ladies. But that wasn’t going to ruin the trip and soon enough, the threesome arrive at Wolf Creek. The hike is a four hour outing, but even the rain doesn’t dampen their spirits. They share some drinks and Ben tells a spooky story about aliens, then they make their way back to their vehicle. When the car turns out to be dead, the friends think things can’t get much worse, since they’re in a remote location. Not much chance of a tow truck or help of any kind, at least not until they see headlights in the distance. A man soon approaches, introduces himself as Mick (John Jarrat) and offers them a tow to his place, where he can repair the car. With no other options, the friends agree, but soon have some doubts, when the man’s place is even more remote and he seems to have an odd personality. But is he really a psychopath, or just a simple bloke and in either case, what awaits the three hikers?
As a horror fan, I’ve suffered through countless PG-13 mishaps in recent years, as the genre trend was toward bloodless, useless motion pictures. But now some of that trend seems to be fading, as we’ve seen a few returns to a more old school approach. Wolf Creek has a 1970s texture, one that leans more on realistic terror, situations we could all wind up in. I admit, toward the close things don’t always seem that believable, but compared to most horror of late, this is documentary in scope. The pace has been criticized, as the build is massive and a lot of time is taken to get to know our leads. But without that, we’re left with people we don’t know or care about and with such a small cast, that would have been disastrous. The first hour is rather deliberate, but by no means dull and the three leads shoulder the film well enough. John Jarrat is a superb villain here, a grounded (most of the time) and believable sadistic bastard. His performance brings out the balance of the “mask of sanity” better than most, so when he does turn, things get intense. I wouldn’t call Wolf Creek a genre masterpiece, but it is well crafted and very effective. Genius Products has released a loaded disc to boot, so if you’re a horror fan, Wolf Creek is well recommended, especially in this HD-DVD incarnation.
Video: How does it look?
Wolf Creek is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This movie was shot in HD and it shows, as detail is rich and depth is impressive. In close ups, you can see so much depth, with every pore and strand of stubble in clear vision. This is what HD should look like, as if you’re seeing real life through your television, this is some very impressive work. I do have to say that the more distant shots don’t retain the same level of detail, although they do still look good. The overall result looks more like a documentary than a feature film, which is going to be good for some folks, while others will detest the visual design. In any case, the movie looks superb and as intended, so I am able to score it on the high end of the scope.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 option isn’t going to dazzle your ears, but it handles the needs of the material. I expected a little more in terms of subtle presence to enhance the tension, but this is still an adequate soundtrack in all respects. The surrounds aren’t active at all times, but that isn’t a problem, since the sound design has a natural scope. The needed elements fall into place and while not memorable, the soundtrack provides a realistic environment. The music sounds terrific here, with a little more life than the other elements, but not at the expense of the other ingredients. The dialogue is flawless, even if the accents are a little thick, so no vocals are drowned out. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
All of the supplements from the standard DVD have been brought over, as well as a new feature, so no loss of value here. The most substantial inclusion is The Making of Wolf Creek, which runs about fifty minutes and is loaded with production insight. The usual interviews are present, but there is also a lot of in shoot material, as well as outtakes and such. This provides a more “on the set” feel and seems more in depth, as opposed to memories, you’re there as it happens. Also worthwhile is an audio commentary track with director Greg McLean, producer Matt Hearn, and stars Cassandra Morgan and Kestie Morassi. This isn’t a technical session, more of a casual discussion and at times, even humorous look back at the movie. The stars tend to ponder some of their character’s quirks and decisions, while the director and producer touch on some of the critic’s accusations. If you want to know more about the man behind the madman, you can view a brief interview with star John Jarrat. This wasn’t included on the standard DVD, but it should have been, though this is still an excerpt, not the complete interview. This disc also includes a deleted scene, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
