Wolf Creek (2005)

It's like Mad Max, only greener... and with less law!

Genre: Adventure Crime Horror Thriller (Australia)

Starring: John Jarratt, Nathan Phillips (Snakes on a Plane)

Directed By: Greg McLean

Overview: Three tourists decide to take a road trip out to a meteor crater. When they find their car has broken down in the middle of nowhere, they accept a tow from a nice man.  He's so very nice.

Performance:

The number one thing that people expect not to be good in a horror film is the acting.  Burgeoning actors eking out their career path by starring as 'the screamer' in Kill That Thing Before it Kills You XII: Butcher's Dozen... Wow, I should write that... are an all too common thing.  The joy that comes in watching a horror film unfold where the players are three-dimensional and can act a scene with subtle nuance rather than blunt trauma, well that's a film worthy of high praise. The scene where we finally see the long awaited first kiss made me realize that this calibre of acting and direction is almost a shame to find in 'merely a horror film'.
Rating: 9

Cinematography:

On top of everything else, it's frikken gorgeous!  From vast open Australian panoramas of azure blue skies, to constant care in visual composition, there's nothing here that won't appeal to everyone... unless you don't like the sight of up-close icky gore, cause there's plenty of that too.
Rating: 9

Script:

[pointing at corpse] She was good for months... until she lost her head!

'Real horrorshow, like', as little Alex would say. Dialogue in horror films also tends to lean towards the all-too-obvious, but really what else can you say when you awaken nailed to a cross other than "Uhh! Ahhh! AHHHHHH!" The best lines come from our sick little stalker, who often lets us know he's deranged, all while keeping a comical - though not too much - edge to it all, and rather than making it funny, it makes it just that much more twisted. 
Rating: 8

Plot:

As with the typical road trip movie, we have the young man and the two cute girls growing closer to one another as they travel to their destination, including the scenes with budding love interest, yet rather than stretching it out and lingering on the suspense with hints and starts, we jump right into the terror.  The tale of survival that we witness is better than most because it really isn't about how three people make it out (or don't).  It is ultimately a tale that is very individual in its nature, as our assailant rightly separates his prey to play with each in their due time. The story is logical, and dwells on the right things for the right amount of time, and though simple in it's concept, it delivers fantastically.
Rating: 8

Mood:

You can have an assailant run into their prey haphazardly, and you can make him a killing machine.  Both these things are an acceptable standard for suspension of disbelief.  However, when a script is so meticulously planned that in hindsight hints are everywhere, it really does something great to enhance the mood. A simple line of dialogue is all it takes, "I used to hunt kangaroos for a living, one summer I wore out five bolts on my rifle."  Hearing that, you may think 'interesting job' without realizing the consequence of a man with so much experience as a marksman. The fear is genuine, and Wolf Creek keeps you guessing from one moment to the next.
Rating: 9

He doesn't look all that bad! 

Overall Rating: 86% (You Won't Go Hungry)

Aftertaste:

As we were deciding what to watch, Girlfriend of Squish asked what I knew about Wolf Creek. I told her that one of my best friends said it was boring garbage, while Wyatt, Indie Film store owner extraordinaire said is was one of the best movies of its kind of the year.

As we watched the movie, neither of us could understand what was wrong with this film. It's gorgeous, well acted, it's got familiar situations that aren't too cliché, and it's nasty enough to scare the girls away. I thought it was great. When I asked my best friend about it, it looks like the version we saw was a much different and less censored edit. All that to say, this is more than a typical horror.  It stays in the genre quite solidly, however it does so intelligently. I recommend this quite highly.