Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer
This October I decided to watch and review some of those great horror movies (31 to be exact) that I missed on their initial release. And for Part 24 of my series of the 31 OF THE BEST HORROR MOVIES YOU (MAY HAVE) MISSED we will be checking out Australian horror Wolf Creek 2. Let’s get to it:
Day 24 of 31: Wolf Creek 2 (2014)
Director: Greg McLean
Starring: John Jarratt, Ryan Corr, Shannon Ashlyn
IMDb Trivia: Ironically, John Jarratt doesn’t like to watch horror movies and stated that watching Psycho (1960) frightened him when he was a child.
Plot: The outback once more becomes a place of horror as another unwitting tourist becomes prey for crazed, serial killing pig-hunter Mick Taylor.
Review: When I saw Wolf Creek back in 2005 I walked away with one main thought, “I’m never watching this again.” It’s not because the movie is scary or anything. Although as someone who enjoys hiking, camping and the outdoors, the idea of someone like Mick Taylor running around is absolutely terrifying. No, it was because I don’t like torture-based horror, or as the kids are calling it these days, “torture porn”. For me these types of films depend heavily on making you cringe rather than making you scared and I’m just not for it. Still, I heard good things about the sequel, and as this review is about horror you missed, I put on my big girl pants and pressed play on the sequel that came out in 2014 simply titled Wolf Creek 2.
Returning as the menacing-as-hell Mick Taylor is John Jarratt, he still brings real world terror to his part as the serial-killing outdoorsman who roams the Australian outback looking for tourists to torture and dismember because he sees them as interlopers in his country. But this time around there’s a dark (extremely dark) sense of humour to his actions that was missing in the previous movie. Think Freddy Krueger with his quips and messed-up jokes meets Jack the Ripper and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Joining him is Ryan Corr who has the unfortunate job of playing real-life victim Paul Hammersmith. You might be a bit confused by me saying “real life” victim and that’s because (for those unaware) Wolf Creek and the character Mick Taylor is based on an actual serial killer named Ivan Milat. Hammersmith (real name Paul Onions) as far as I remember was only person to ever escape Milat, but his testimonial to police was basically ignored and sadly Milat went on to kill more people before he was apprehended. Corr does a fantastic job portraying this unlucky man and his scenes with Mick, including one in the tunnels, will have you sitting on a razor’s edge.
Let’s leave the dark realities aside though and focus on this movie. If you’ve seen the first film you instantly feel a sense of dread from the moment Mick pops into frame. Jarratt is excellent as the magical madman who’s smile and friendly demeanour never quite sits right on his face. You know there’s something off about this guy and sadly every one of his victims pick up on this far too late. The blood and gore here is intense, so if that’s not your bag you’ll want to avoid this one by a mile. Scenes of decapitation, mutilation and bloody gunshot wounds are everywhere and are not easy to stomach. And the use of practical effects may make them seem a bit too real for the casual horror viewer.
So what did I think overall? Well Wolf Creek 2 does contain dark humour, is paced really well and the tension never lets up. That said, knowing this is all based on real life is not something that’s easy to swallow. I tend to like my horror straight-up fictional. Still, if you enjoy these types of movies and think “the gorier the better” then Wolf Creek 2 is the perfect addition to your Halloween season viewing.
Sommer’s Score: 6.5 out of 10
You can check out Part 23 of my 31 Days List and horror comedy Bad Milo below together with my review of survival horror Hunted.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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