This is certainly one of the best horror movies out there. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen this earlier, but I’d put it down to my bias against Australian cinema, which more often than not, manages to produce duds. This is one rare gem that not only rates as one great horror movie worldwide, but one of the best Australian movies spanning all genres.

It’s the combination of the slow build up of the story, the realism of the acting and script, and of course, John Jarrat who played Mick Taylor. As one review said, Mick Taylor has to rank as one of the top villains, alongside the likes of Hannibal Lector. He’s eccentric, damn scary, and most importantly, damn believable. I liked the way the story spent a lot of time building up and it wasn’t really horror until the second half. You kind of get used to their little road trip and then, ‘Bang!’ you’re thrown into this gritty and edgy movie, which actually scared and disturbed me in some scenes that will be hard to forget.

I haven’t watched or read a lot of horror in Australian settings, and even though I don’t have a patriotic bone in my body, I kind of like seeing it. I’m also reading Brett McBean’s, ‘The Mother,’ which is set on the Hume Highway. It kind of clarifies for me how to write in an Australian setting. Some of the imagery in Wolf Creek – the chains, the hooks, the barbed wire – reminded me of my abattoir story, which I’ve forgotten since I started working. I hope to get back to it soon, but saying it on this blog is one thing, doing it is quite another.

movie, horror, review, Wolf Creek, John Jarrat