Through The Rear Window: Movie Review ... Wolf Creek 2

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Movie Review ... Wolf Creek 2

You can’t keep a good horror villain down with ‘Wolf Creek 2’s inhumane monster one of the nastiest. The long delayed sequel to the 2005 local hit ‘Wolf Creek 2’ is just as intense and scary as its predecessor. Once again directed by Greg McLean and featuring a mesmerising performance from John Jarratt. This wicked duo serves up another slice of Australian horror. Time hasn’t diluted their skills with their latest having a deadly edge other movies could only hope to emulate.

Rutger (Phillipe Klaus), Katarina (Shannon Ashlyn) and Paul (Ryan Corr) are young explorers excited about travelling through Australia’s harsh lands. When visiting Wolf Creek crater they soon discover how foreboding it can be. They meet Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) a strange person protecting his turf with force. The unsuspecting trio discover how evil Mick can be as they fight to survive the bloody carnage he unleashes.

The first sequel to a local horror film made, ‘Wolf Creek 2’ delivers. Whilst the original’s thumping impact is missing, its successor effectively expands its horizons. This is clearly evident in the superb cinematography with the vast landscape becoming Mick’s bloody playground. His knowledge of the various vistas gives him an advantage against the poor souls he meets. It would be wrong to say one ‘admires’ his grisly abilities but how he traps his prey sets him apart from his fellow horrific brethren.

Director McLean has clearly copied from the horror franchise template perfected by Hollywood. A cross between the ‘Friday the 13^th’ and ‘Halloween’ series, the ‘Wolf Creek’ films aim to conjure scares at minimal costs. It succeeds due to some decent characterisation and avoiding becoming yet another dull ‘slice and dice’ yarn. Jarratt makes his role truly repulsive and yet instantly recognisable making him scarier. The small cast imbue some personality with their potentially doomed characters as they try to out-wit the outback psychopath.

As bloody and gory as you’d expect ‘Wolf Creek 2’ manages not to be a simple re-tread of its forebear. Adding to its growing mythology it’s a shocking ride for horror fans even if it may not do much for the local tourism industry.