Aahana Swrup
2005’s ‘Wolf Creek’ is a horror thriller film directed by Greg McLean about a terrifying serial killer in the Outbacks of Australia. The film, starring John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, and Kestie Morassi, among others, went on to become a commercially successful cult classic. The film follows a pair of British tourists, Liz Hunter and Kristy Earl, who are backpacking through the country with their Aussie friend, Ben Mitchell. After their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the trio is helped by a friendly local named Mick Taylor. However, their trip takes a turn for the worse when Mick Taylor reveals himself to be a sadistic psychopath.
‘Wolf Creek’ depicts a nightmarish tale of torture, gore, and gratuitous violence. It employs the vapid, isolating backdrop of the Australian Outback to mirror the intense horror experienced by its characters. Since the film opens with a statement about the story’s basis in reality, viewers might be wondering about the origin of the same. Therefore, here is everything we know about ‘Wolf Creek’ and its relation to reality.
Wolf Creek: True Crime Meets Cinematic Horror
Yes, ‘Wolf Creek’ is partially based on a true story. The film is written and directed by Greg McLean and marks his feature film directorial debut. McLean has been a horror fan from a young age and has always been interested in the bizarre, creepy, and supernatural. As such, when developing ‘Wolf Creek,’ McLean’s main objective with the film was to give his audience a good scare. While discussing his movie in ‘The Making of Wolf Creek’ documentary, McLean said, “The movie was really about what would it be like to be stuck in this incredibly isolated place with the most evil character you can possibly imagine, who is also distinctly Australian?”
As such, Mick Taylor’s character significantly forms the foundation of the film’s plotline and narrative. Although Mick Taylor isn’t a direct recreation of any real-life serial killer, McLean took inspiration from two separate instances when creating Mick’s character. “He [Mick Taylor] was based on two true killers in Australia. The true story element of it is where he began, in one sense – in the sense that he’s a combination of Bradley Murdoch and Ivan Milat.” McLean said in an interview.
In the early 2000s, Bradley Murdoch was convicted of British Backpacker Peter Falconio’s death. According to an article by The Sun, Murdoch attacked Peter and his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, while the couple was road-tripping through the Australian Outback. Afterward, Murdoch killed Peter by shooting him in the head and tied up Joanne. However, Joanne was able to escape and later went on to play a crucial role in the Murdoch/Falconio trial.
On the other hand, Ivan Milat was Australia’s notorious serial killer, active from 1989 to 1992. Within this timeframe, Milat kidnapped and murdered at least seven victims ranging from 19 and 22 years of age. Milat killed his victims, mostly tourist backpackers, in the Belanglo State Forest in New South Wales. As such, the film borrowed key details from the real-life horror stories of Ivan Milat’s victims and combined them with elements of Murdoch’s murder of Falconio.
Like most true crime serial killer stories, ‘Wolf Creek’ also relies on the audience’s built-in notions and fears surrounding serial killers. Additionally, it focuses on the Australian aspect of Mick’s character and builds his menacing nature upon the same. “So it’s [Mick’s character] combined elements of those true characters, and then took a lot of Australian-archetypal characters and cultural mythology, like ‘Crocodile Dundee’ and Steve Irwin, and wove those characters into a combination to come up with the character.”
Throughout the film, characters make multiple references to ‘Crocodile Dundee’ and Mick’s similar true blue persona. By doing so, the film juxtaposes the helpful and heroic traits of Michael “Crocodile” Dundee and Steve Irwin with the psychopathic reality of Mick. This juxtaposition between the beauty and goodness of Australia pitched against its horrors is also depicted by the filmography of the film.
The film consists of beautiful shots of Australian wildlife and nature through breathtaking vistas. However, the scenic shots harshly contrast the scenes of violent torture and body mutilation. The film builds a sense of inescapable horror through Mick’s character by turning the entire vapid deserted outback into his hunting ground. In doing so, it plays to an instinctual, natural human fear and successfully delivers on the horror front.
Ultimately, the film takes inspiration from real-life events. It bases its plotlines and central antagonistic character around the inhuman crimes of Ivan Milat and Bradley Murdoch. By having a firm basis in reality, ‘Wolf Creek’ builds an aggravating horror story that fans of the genre can’t help but find compelling.
Read More: Wolf Creek Ending, Explained
