Eleven years on from the original film, and two from its belated sequel, Wolf Creek is now returning as a six-episode Australian TV "event". John Jarratt is back as the cackling Outback serial killer Mick Taylor, with original director Greg McLean writing, exec-producing and sharing the duties behind the camera with Tony Tilse. Check out the new trailer.
The original Wolf Creek was an unremittingly brutal ordeal, involving three backpackers who stumble onto Mick's long-running recreational operation killing tourists. Wolf Creek 2 stuck to the same premise, but was a broader affair with a long Duel-ish chase in the middle, to some extent played for laughs - until its final third when it reverted back to grungy torture again. The lynchpin of both films is Jarratt, who in the best tradition of horror villains, keeps Mick appallingly likeable.
The story for the TV series involves a whole family crossing Mick's bloody path, but 19-year-old daughter Eve (Lucy Fry) escapes the inevitable massacre and turns avenging angel. What ensues looks like a game of cat-and-mouse in which the roles of predator and prey are in constant flux.
The tone remains to be seen. We might assume that, as a TV series, the latest Wolf Creek can't be as gnarly as its predecessors. But following horror movie spin-off shows like Ash Vs Evil Dead and Hannibal, it's clear that no longer necessarily has to be the case. Wolf Creek doesn't even have a network: it arrives courtesy of Aussie streaming service Stan, so all bets are off.
Wolf Creek will debut in Australia on May 12. There's no word of elsewhere so far.
