Wolf Creek (the movie)

[fringe_dweller]

Recently seen a dvd at a friend of a friends place of the australian horror movie 'Wolf Creek' - while not a pleasant movie for the squeemish! I was really impressed by the all the widefield scenery shots of the outback - bloomin awesome - very photogenic the old outback specially at dawn and dusk.
I believe a fair bit or at least some was shot in SA, despite it being set in WA around the 'Wolfe Creek' meteor crater :) I am sure I recognised some highways and places? and from memory I think I read some was shot in SA as it was made by the SA film company.
It *sort of* reminded me a lot of one of me and my friends road trips to see comets and do photography LOL - without the murderous psycho *gulp*
Highlight would have to be the superb footage of the SA dec 2002 total solar eclipse, I remember also reading way back at the time they said it was going to be in the movie, i think it may of been shot from the rave party spot at Lyndhurst?, but they filmed him in the eerie light of the eclipse for that scene as well - I'm impressed! EDIT: although I think it may have been the sunset light post third contact
I believe the psycho killer is an amalgamation of several of our notorious killers - including Ivan Milat, and the falconio one, plus another perth based killer - all city/town people that kill in the bush, not very nice for outback
people IMO - they have played on a few misconceptions to sensationalise it . In my experience about the worst country people will do is ignore you LOL - its the visitors that are the worry! But then the yanks did that long ago with 'texas chainsaw massacare' and some others - that also arent based in fact at all.
I believe this film generated a lot of controversy and may be one reason for the recent advertising campaign promoting australia mentioned in another thread - i know the federal gov and tourist industry werent to happy about its misconceptions and inaccuracies when it was released at the cinema
I give it 5 stars rating - just for the eclipse scene and the scenery (Fast forward thru the gory bits!) - loved it
what do you all think?

[rowena]

I absolutely loved it *shivers up my spine*
I very rarely come away from a Horror saying that was a good horror, or that was not expected. This was a total shock! It wasn't the Gore factor that got me, more the concepts of some of the things said or done.

John Jarred did an absolutely fantastic job in his role (im not saying what his role was because i dont want to spoil it for people who have not watched it).

The sceneary was fantastic aswell. It did take a little while to get into it at the beginning. But bare with it.

It would be in my top 2 rated Australian movies with The Dish being in the number 1 spot.

[fringe_dweller]

I agree Rowena - I have to admit to jumping and squirming a lot while watching the tenser bits myself :scared: :face: superb tension sustained
i just read today it was only shot using high definition video!!!?? - a true shoestring masterpiece!

on aussie budget movies in the vein of 'the dish' and 'the castle' of which i also loved - some other recent years shoestring aussie movies 'the Honourable Wally Norman' shot in adelaide hills around Nairne (whose town story loosely mirrored the theme strangely enough!??)

and "the Nugget" with eric bana wasnt too bad, love the Victorian goldfields used in movie - beautiful looking place

and i did like 'Chopper' too at the time

[dennislowe]

Not a bad movie, pitty about the science. Total eclipse one day gibbous moon by night. I dont think that fits.:shrug:

[robin]

Maybe the next movie after Wolf Creek will be entitled 'Snake Valley'?

[rowena]

and whoever drives in with the headlights on, will be chased around by mad angry astronomers!

[alan meehan]

I Agree Rowena- A Really Tense Movie Loved The Eclipse Bit Sorry About The Wolf Crater In There,i Would Have Liked To Go And See It But No Chance Of Taking The Misses There After That.

[alan meehan]

:eyepop:

[Jonathan]

I finally got around to watching the DVD over the weekend and I was impressed. I thought it was quite funny at times and pretty horrible at other times. The acting is very good and the photography is brilliant. It's certainly worth watching, but it's not one for the kids to see!



I can confirm that the scenes when they are driving along near the start of the movie are filmed on the road from Pt Augusta through Stirling North and on to Quorn and some near Hawker too (and not shown in the right order either:P). I know that stretch of road like the back of my hand. Lots of the landscapes in other bits of the movie looked very familiar too but I don't know for sure where they are, possibly on or near the Willochra Plain just north of Quorn.

[vespine]

I very much enjoyed this film too, it was very well done. Like has already been said, the scenery was great and acting actually held up, which was nice to see since so frequently I'm let down by 'young unknown' actors in these kinds of films. I was also pleased to see that it doesn't resort to 'cheap scares' just to be sensational like most movies that intend to be 'unsettling' these days. It was just straight up harsh and disturbing.
As for the 'eclipse', I almost forgot that was in there and I only saw it on the weekend.... I can't quite remember the scene very well, did they make it out like a big deal or could it have been like a metaphorical eclipse? An image used as a foreboding representation of what is to come rather then a real event that actually happened to the characters.

[fringe_dweller]

thought so! Cheers for confirmation Jonathan :)
Should add: I said earlier it was made by SA film corp (or whatever their name is again) - when in fact they were just one of a couple of groups in a collaborative venture I think.

Vespine, your correct the 2002 SA eclipse used was definately some sort of dramatic device perhaps - I agree that science as usual (re moon phase mentioned) is a bit dodgy lol - the eclipse sequence was reversed also - or upside down? anyway just happy to see it be immortalised? for all time now :-)))