Traveling to a foreign country can be a fun and life changing experience. However, if horror movies like The Ruins, Turistas, and The Cove have taught us anything, it's that the excitement of experiencing a country's culture is short lived, especially once we meet the locals. It may seem like a concept that has been visited before, but Wolf Creek 2 sets itself apart from the pack by delivering an experience that is both terrifying and entertaining.
It has been almost 9 years since the first Wolf Creek, and Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) is still up to his usual shenanigans. Australian actor, Ryan Corr, plays a British tourist who finds himself in Taylor's crosshairs, sometimes literally, and must fight his way out of some really gruesome scenarios. Mick has upgraded his house of horrors since the first Wolf Creek, and it is a terrifying place. If entrails and other body parts aren't hanging from the ceiling then it's skin covering the walls or power tools sitting on a shelf. The production value as well as the special effects on this film are really impressive and it easily feature one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever witnessed in a horror movie.
Much like the first film, Wolf Creek 2 is absolutely brutal and gory, but that is not what makes the film scary. Jarratt has a way of being so nice and friendly to these unsuspecting travelers just long enough to win their trust, become downright menacing, and relentless in ensuring their demise. We also finally learn why he has such a disdain for tourists, and it makes him even more vile and despicable if that is even possible. In addition, the bleak and realistic seeming situations that Corr experiences just pull at your heart strings.
Greg McLean's direction is also quite noteworthy. There is never a dull moment, with the suspense and tension building during the various cat and mouse chases between Corr and Jarratt in a way that is so entertaining. After the first act, the story really begins to hone in on these two characters, and McLean does a really solid job at making the audience care how this whole ordeal wraps up in the end.
Many of horror films get a sequel or a reboot, and they don't quite deliver the way you hoped they would, but Wolf Creek 2 is not one of them. It is a fun, suspenseful, and mostly terrifying ride from start to finish. The violence is just as brutal and gory here as in the first film and Mick Taylor is still a joy to watch. Both fans of the original and those new to the series will really enjoy this wildly entertaining film.
Movie Score: 3/5
Tamika hails from North Beach, Maryland, a tiny town inches from the Chesapeake Bay.She knew she wanted to be an actor after reciting a soliloquy by Sojourner Truth in front of her entire fifth grade class. Since then, she's appeared in over 20 film and television projects. In addition to acting, Tamika is the Indie Spotlight manager for Daily Dead, where she brings readers news on independent horror projects every weekend.
The first horror film Tamika watched was Child's Play. Being eight years old at the time, she remembers being so scared when Chucky came to life that she projectile vomited. It's tough for her to choose only one movie as her favorite horror film, so she picked two: Nosferatu and The Stepford Wives (1975).
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
