'Wolf Creek' sequel finds new life

I generally don't read critics' reviews of anything with the exception of a very few, but Roger Ebert's review of the violent Australian horror film, Wolf Creek, has always stuck with me. He said:

"It is a film with one clear purpose: To establish the commercial credentials of its director by showing his skill at depicting the brutal tracking, torture and mutilation of screaming young women ... I wanted to walk out of the theatre and keep on walking"

He wasn't the only one that felt that way, with many writers admitting to quitting the film fairly early on. But there are just as many on the other side who appreciate the film for its gloomy texture and bravery in depicting such extreme hopelessness. I've always been in the middle on this. I can admit that it's little more than an exercise in depravity, capitalizing on a real life tragedy, no less. But at the same time I think director Greg McLean created the best looking film of all the torture porn genre. He deserves credit for that.

McLean's been talking up a Wolf Creek follow-up for years now, and it's been given the green light a bunch of times already. There was initial talk of a prequel, which I guess would have introduced us to the notorious serial killer, Mick Taylor. Then a sequel was greenlit a couple of times, even as recent as this year, with financing always falling through. Now it appears McLean's perseverence has paid off as Screen Australia has agreed to back the film, putting Wolf Creek 2 in motion yet again.

John Jarratt will be back as the strangely popular serial killer(there are t-shirts of him and everything), and last year he let spill a few details on the sequel's plot...

Jarratt: "It's more of a road film this time with a lot of chasing going on everything from cars to horses. There's also a chase that ends up back in a cave, his lair. And of course, there's plenty of blood and guts. We're getting to throw trucks off cliffs and a bunch of other stuff I can't talk about.”

Rather than hunting down a handful of backpackers like the last time, Taylor would instead focus on stalking a single target. How much of this idea remains intact after all this time remains to be seen.[Twitch]