Wolf Creek

(2005) ***1/2

When you've watched as many horror movies as we have, you begin to tire of movies with the same old storyline. But every now and then a movie comes along with an idea so amazingly fresh and unique, you want to sing its praises to the world. Wolf Creek is not one of these movies.

Wolf Creek is an Australian film based on a true story that goes something like this: every year people go missing. Some are never heard from again. It follows three teenagers on a road trip whose only crime is trying to have a good time. Their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and they find themselves kidnapped and tortured by a psycho-hillbilly-pervert. Yes, this is a retelling of Texas Chainsaw, Cabin Fever, House of 1000 Corpses etc. but it doesn't matter because it works.

Wolf Creek works mainly because the psycho-hillbilly-pervert in question is both believable and terrifying. There is no violence until the 53 minute mark when the three awake bound and gagged. But the tension buildup makes it all the more powerful. When the three share a campfire chat with the killer before things go awry, you know that the man is not to be trusted but you don't know the extent of it. A clue is given when one of the two girls asks him what he does for a living. He casually replies "I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you." From here the film plows forward relentlessly and strays from the TCM blueprint more than enough to make it worth your time. I was positively shocked more than once.

Excellent kickoff for this year's competition.