Wolf Creek

31 Horror Movies I Own #25: Wolf Creek

One of my greatest fears is being stuck out in the middle of nowhere being tormented by a sadistic mad man, with no possible hope of escape or finding help. So, uh, needless to say, Wolf Creek succeeded in scaring the pants off of me.

This is also exactly why you’ll never find me doing something crazy like hiking in unfamiliar country and then agreeing to accept the help of a total stranger when my car breaks down—and you ESPECIALLY won’t find me drinking anything said stranger happens to hand me.

But I digress. Ignoring that the stupidity of the main characters landed them in a situation they totally deserved, this film’s villain is packed full of creepy, unsettling glory. Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) is a truly frightening man, gleefully executing each torturous assault with just the right amount of rage and restraint.

The lowdown: three tourists head out into the Australian Outback to explore, come back to find their car isn’t working, and conveniently get picked up by what appears to be a helpful good Samaritan…only to be drugged and awake tied up and in various states of distress.

At first a little slow, Wolf Creek dives into the bloody parts with gusto, showing us a good range of torture and terror. But of all the horror contained on screen, the one that really gets to me the most involves a bowie knife and a spine. One bone-crunching turn and I am squirming for weeks!

If you’re curious and have the same appreciation for well-done serial killer pieces that I do, you should check this one out. It’s worth your time, for sure.