Wolf Creek Season One

Starring - Lucy Fry (11.22.63, Vampire Academy), John Jarratt (Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek 2), and Dustin Clare (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Spartacus: War of the Damned)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     A lot of iconic horror movies and classic shows are getting the television adaptation now.  Personally, I believe we can thank The Walking Dead for this even though I am not a fan.  TWD made horror mainstream.   We now have Bate's Motel, Hannibal, The Exorcist, Full Moon's Trophy Heads, Rosemary's Baby, and Ash vs. The Evil Dead.  Horror is popular now with no end in sight but some titles are getting the television treatment that one would not expect.  Case in point, the Australian horror film Wolf Creek.  After its release in 2005 it has been a very popular horror film that would spawn one of the best sequels to date.  However, I'm shocked that they would turn the saga of Mick Taylor into a television miniseries.  I'm glad they did and I'm glad they sent me a review copy.

     The series follows Eve (Fry) who is has traveled to Australia from America for a vacation/ rehab trip because Eve is dependent on drugs.  While camping near the river her little brother is attacked by a croc but before it could kill him he is saved by pig hunter Mick Taylor (Jarratt).  He speaks some with the family and lures them into a false sense of security before slaughtering them all while Eve is asleep in the RV.  When he breaks in to kill her she is able to escape out the window before he shoots her.  She slowly makes her way to the river to safety and he believes that the crocs got her.  She awakens in police custody where they interrogate her over the murders and she learns about the disappearances in the area.  She now sets her sights on finding the man responsible for her family's death.

     I had pretty high hopes for Wolf Creek season one.  I went into the sequel with very low expectations and it shattered them all.  It was a damn good sequel but I knew the show wouldn't let me down...and it didn't.  The acting in this one is more consistent with the first film but not as intense.  In the first Wolf Creek film the supporting cast was decent but they were overshadowed by the amazing John Jarratt who stole the show.  The same can be said with this series except Jarratt has seemed to lost his luster or is over worked because he is not as charismatic as the first two films.  He still delivers an amazing performance but the deadly charm was not as intense as it was in the films.  The story for this is a great continuation of the first two films but in a more grander scale.  This is good and bad for the character of Mick.  This story does a great job creating a strong female lead that is far from perfect that the viewer can support but the downside is that it takes the mystery away from Mick when it reveals why he does what he does.  It was a lot more fun thinking he killed tourists because they ruined Australia over what we were given.  Also, the series was a bit too long for the content that we were actually given.  These episodes could have been a lot shorter and the story would have still been told.  Finally, the kills take a step back from the tremendous kills we saw in WC2.  The film ditches the practical effects for the cheaper CGI effects that completely ruin the gags.  The kills were not that imaginative either.  Overall, Wolf Creek season one was definitely worth the watch but left a lot of room for improvement.  The acting and kills took a step back but the story opened up for more Mick Taylor mayhem to come.