Wolf Creek, released in 2005, was a shockingly brutal story based on alleged true events of multiple murders in the Australian outback. Now eight years later comes the sequel and serial killer Mick Taylor is back and still pursuing his bloody hobby. Two German tourists (Shannon Ashlyn and Philippe Kraus) are hitchhiking their way across Australia when they are extremely unfortunate to encounter Taylor (John Jarratt) as he does his rounds searching for hapless individuals to quench his thirst for blood. As they try to escape his clutches they run into British tourist Paul (Ryan Corr) who unwittingly becomes embroiled in Taylor’s macabre plans.
As plots go that’s about all that needs to be said. The premise is similar to the first film but the interesting thing is that while Wolf Creek’s strengths are stronger in the sequel, the weaknesses are also weaker. Director Greg Mclean, who also wrote and produced both films, has clearly identified that the sociopathic and intriguingly psychotic killer Taylor is the dark heart of the franchise and his role is considerably more prominent in the second film than the first. This time he is a much more rounded character and if possible even more violent as we see much more of his treatment of his victims than before.
Mclean has also provided a motive for his lead as well, establishing him as a one man anti-tourism force of nature apparently cleansing the outback like some Keep Australia Tidy activist with a penchant for human flesh. Any wit in the film stems from Taylor’s misguided, yet cleverly observed, sound bites and one particular scene of drunken questioning provides as much humour as it does sinister portent. The higher budget has also allowed the director to play with effects more and he has indulged his potent imagination fully with as much nastiness as any genre fan could possibly want.
The problems come from trying to be too shocking at times. There is a curious scene of kangaroo killing and one of an old couple who offer nothing to the plot but bring real emphasis to the phrase “wrong place at the wrong time.” There was no need to add any more gore or violence than was already in the story as what is shown is visceral and unsettling enough to have as much impact as could possibly be required. These unnecessary scenes take you out of the drama a little and are possibly the result of the increased budget rather than any narrative requirement. The ending is also problematic as it parodies the first film a little too much to be effective.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Wolf Creek 2 then is perhaps better than it could have been, but not as good as it should have been, but at least in Taylor there is a character worth watching and one that is surely one of the most interesting and unpleasant antagonists to have emerged this century. It is he, and Jarratt’s intense portrayal of him that elevates these films above similar fare such as the dull and formulaic Wrong Turn franchise. This is a decent Friday night horror to watch from behind a cushion or two.
