Wolf Creek 2

John Jarratt Director: Greg McLean Greg McLean

Overview

Outback serial killer Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) returns to torment another group of unsuspecting tourists in this sequel from original Wolf Creek director Greg McLean. The horror begins when backpacking German couple Rutger (Philippe Klaus) and Katarina (Shannon Ashlyn) make their way to Wolf Creek Canyon, where they are forced to pitch a tent for the night after failing to thumb a ride back to the city. That decision yields deadly repercussions when Taylor turns up in the middle of the night and quickly reveals his murderous intentions. Miraculously, Katarina manages a daring escape and flags down British surfer Paul (Ryan Corr), who will soon learn exactly why she is covered in blood and running scared. Now, the nightmare is bearing down on them in Paul's rearview mirror, and deep in the outback, there is no place to hide.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2014
UPC:	0014381000948
Original Release:	2013
Source:	Image Entertainment
Time:	1:46:00
Sales rank:	51,888

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Jarratt	Mick Taylor
Ryan Corr	Paul Hammersmith
Philippe Klaus	Rutger Enqvist
Shannon Ashlyn	Katarina Schmidt

Technical Credits

Greg McLean

Aaron Sterns

Greg McLean	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Nicola Dunn	Costumes/Costume Designer
Evelyn Gilmore	Executive Producer
Matt Hearn	Executive Producer
Angela Hessom	Casting
Samantha Jreissati	Executive Producer
Johnny Klimek	Score Composer
Sean Lahiff	Editor
Jen Lamphee	Makeup
Helen Leake	Producer
Toby Oliver	Cinematographer
Paul Pirola	Sound/Sound Designer
Silvio Salom	Executive Producer
Aaron Sterns	Screenwriter
Steve Topic	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Back in 2005, director Greg McLean burst onto the horror scene with Wolf Creek, a sadistic Aussie slasher flick that critic Roger Ebert condemned as "a despicable exercise in the torture and mutilation of helpless women." At the time, mainstream horror was still feeling the self-conscious aftershocks of Wes Craven's Scream (1996). By abandoning that attitude in favor of an approach that effectively bridged the gap between slasher films and so-called "torture porn" (a term frequently associated with Eli Roth's Hostel, which bloodied screens the same year), McLean reminded us that murder is an ugly, deeply intimate act, rather than something to joke about. The result was a polarizing film that struck a nerve with moviegoers and left many, like Ebert, with feelings of intense sadness. Nine years later, after delivering the sturdy but forgettable creature feature Rogue and producing the cult hit Red Hill, McLean is back with Wolf Creek 2. Also back is Aussie screen veteran John Jarratt as the terrifying Mick Taylor, a xenophobic psycho who would hang every tourist from a meat hook if he had his way. The film opens with two cops pulling over a jovial Taylor on a lonesome, sun-scorched desert road -- the last mistake they will ever make. Soon thereafter, we meet a pair of hitchhiking German tourists named Rutger (Philippe Klaus) and Katarina (Shannon Ashlyn). Deeply in love as they cross the continent while relying on the kindness of others, the duo eventually arrive at Wolf Creek Crater. After taking in the sights, however, their failure to thumb a ride back to civilization leaves them with no other choice but to pitch a tent on the edge of the crater -- a decision that yields deadly repercussions when Taylor turns up in the middle of the night and quickly reveals his murderous intentions. Miraculously, Katarina manages a daring escape and flags down British surfer Paul (Ryan Corr), who will soon learn exactly why she is covered in blood and running scared. Now, the nightmare is bearing down on them in Paul's rearview mirror, and deep in the outback, there is no place to hide. One of the factors that made Wolf Creek so effective was that McLean's script allowed us to spend time with the protagonists before subjecting them to Mick's unrelenting cruelty. Mean-spirited as the film was, it managed to be effective because the characters were likable people, and McLean spent a fair amount of screen time letting us get to know them. McLean and co-writer Aaron Sterns (who appeared onscreen in the previous installment) take an altogether different approach in Wolf Creek 2, and though it's initially impressive to see the scope expanded a bit (after all, Mick's first victims here are a pair of tough-talking cops), their efforts ultimately prove to be something of a double-edged sword: Yes, the mayhem comes earlier and more often this time around, but in aiming for unpredictability, the scribes serve up precious little more than a series of bloody vignettes that fail to establish any overarching tension. Of course, if all you're hungering for are the kills, there's a fair chance you may like Wolf Creek 2 even better than its predecessor: It has more Mick Taylor, more bloodletting, and some pretty extreme gore. To be fair, Jarratt does make the most of his abundant screen time here, especially in an extended sequence that finds the educated Paul strapped to a chair in his tormentor's dungeon (which is eerily reminiscent of the Sawyers' subterranean lair in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) and forced to prove his knowledge of Australian history. In that respect, at least, this is almost an inversion of the first film -- allowing us time to get to know the antagonist and how he ticks, rather than his victims. Even then, however, the abrupt, unconventional ending (once again leaving the door open for a sequel) works better in theory than in execution, making this one belated follow-up that can be damned with faint praise -- but that still doesn't alter the fact that it's damned nonetheless.

All Movie Guide - Jason Buchanan