Wolf Creek - 4K UHD Mediabook Cover D (German Import)

As I’ve covered this film twice already in as many years, I don’t really have anything else to add about the film itself. Beyond not expecting to watch Wolf Creek this many times in such a short span, I still hold this as one of the creepiest, most intense Terror Films to come out of the early 2000s. Compared to some others in that bloody vein of horror, Wolf Creek is brilliantly understated trading over-the-top viscera and gore for genuine thrills and horror. This is a perfect example of what you don’t see and have to imagine being far more horrific than whatever gore is splashed over the camera. That isn’t to say Wolf Creek doesn’t offer its share of blood donations, it certainly does, but considering what it doesn’t show us, it’s a decidedly restrained effort. Anyway, here's what I had to say previously:

Horror films love to work in phases. The late 90s saw the successful resurgence of the Slasher with Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Halloween: H20 among others. Then came the early aughts and horror was taken back to the gritty and tough-to-watch terror films of the 1970s. These are films that are so unrelenting in their horrific imagery, they’re often dubbed “torture porn” as they seem to relish the pain inflicted upon the hapless protagonists. I like to call them “Terror Films” or “Survival Films” because by the end of it, you’re left feeling that you’re glad to be alive and not those poor sons of bitches you just watched butchered on screen. Notable entries in this little early 2000’s sub-genre were flicks like High Tension, Hostel, and Saw with varying mileage of success. But one particular low-budget film imported from the land down under would withstand the test of time (and a mediocre sequel) as one of the scariest and most disturbing films of the decade - Wolf Creek. 

British gal-pals Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) are traveling across Australia with their friend Ben (Nathan Phillips). The next leg of their journey will see them traveling cross country through the outback from Broome to Cairns in a cheap barely-running car. Camping out along the way, the trio stop off at Wolf Creek National Park to view the large crater, but when they return to their car they discover their watches have stopped and the vehicle is dead as a stone. As darkness settles in, the seemingly kindly outback hunter Mick comes upon them and offers to tow them to his camp where he can fix their vehicle. But they soon discover this random act of kindness was in fact just the beginning of a living nightmare. 

It’d been some years since I last sat down to Wolf Creek and I was amazed to see how affecting it still is nearly 20 years later. I remember sitting in the theater long after the credits rolled just stunned by what I saw but also so unnerved I needed to “cleanse” myself with whatever stupid comedy was also playing at the time. I don’t remember that comedy, but I still remember coming home and still feeling the need to process what I saw. Not that it was so horrifying that I couldn’t handle it, but its sheer intensity was so unsettling and realistic I needed time to digest it and come around to the fact that it was (and still is) one of the best horror films of the 2000s. 

Shot digitally, the film has a pseudo-documentary quality making it look almost like one of your average vacation home videos (albeit with a lot better production values and cameras). With the HD video styling, it gave the film a modern edge of grime and girt akin to what 16mm was able to do for Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. And like Texas Chain Saw, the film wisely takes its time to set up the characters and let you get to like them before the unrelenting terror begins. The film also subverts your expectations with Mick, an unsettling combination of Steve Irwin/Crocodile Dundee charm and earnest friendliness with the unrelenting savagery of the worst serial killer imaginable. You can hope for the best for these characters as they struggle to outwit their captor and survive, but you know deep down things aren’t going to end well.

Watching Wolf Creek again after many years away I was amazed and glad to see that it was still such an unnerving and intense experience. Writer/Director Greg McLean crafted a tightly wound and tense script and brilliantly executed it, never wasting a second of footage. Casting choices were perfect with Nathan Phillips delivering the devilish charm, Kestie Morassi’s Kristy is that smart friend everyone should listen to (but no one does), and Cassandra Magrath stepping in as the quintessential horror tough-girl survivor Liz who thinks fast on her feet. The real star of the film is John Jarratt as our man Mick. Seemingly friendly and affable, he can become terrifying on a turn of a dime as he relishes every ounce of terror he inflicts. It’s one hell of a villainous performance, to say the least! And like Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I had forgotten that Wolf Creek actually has very little on-camera gore with the most savage moments saved for the shocking ending. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K UHD Blu-ray 

Wolf Creek makes its global 4K UHD debut thanks to German boutique label Turbine with a new two-disc 4K + Blu-ray Mediabook release. Giving us the superior Uncut version, the 4K is pressed on a Region Free BD66 disc with a Region Free BD50 offering the film in 1080p. Bonus features are on both discs. The two discs are housed in individual trays on either side of the book with 28 pages of essays and photos. The essay “A Trip to Wolf Creek’ by Tobias Hohmann is in German, but using Google Translate it’s a worthwhile read. Each disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options. At the start of the 4K disc, there’s a message from director Greg McLean regarding his appreciation for the visual improvements in the transfer. When this set went on sale, there were four Mediabook cover options, three of which have sold out including this cover option I'm reviewing. I sprung for this one because this shot of Mick against the sunset is just a damned creepy coda to the film. The theatrical poster art is still available,

Wolf Creek was predominately shot using the Sony HDW-F900 system and has undergone a director-approved remaster to upgrade the image to 2160p with Dolby Vision HDR, and I have to say the results are damned impressive. While Will Gibson’s cinematography still maintains a look of early-generation digital filmmaking, it comes in looking far more crisp and detailed, with less intrusive video noise or artifacts than previous releases. Think of the visual improvements like upgrading from an iPhone One to a more recent generation. Still looks digital, but a notable improvement in overall clarity and cinematic appeal. The improved sharpness might be a little jarring at first but actually feels natural to the image while reinforcing the sparse desolate vibe of the outback locations. Facial features, the scenic locations, and the gnarly make-up effects are all given their due. 

The Dolby Vision grade is particularly nice giving those golden Australian sun-drenched scenes a warmer more lively appearance. Red, blue, and yellow shades in general look more healthy and better saturated than past discs. Skin tones remain human and healthy. The improvements in black levels and shadows are particularly notable for the second-act material. Mick’s camp was always a damned creepy location, but now the extra attention to those shadows and deep inky blacks is notable. Depth also feels like it's improved in that respect. Bitrate maintains a healthy high average in the 70mbps range throughout with strong peaks into the 90s and beyond. A welcome upgrade through and through for what’s likely to be the best home video experience available for this title.

Next on the list of upgrades, Turbine gives Wolf Creek a Dolby Atmos refresh along with a lossy DTS 5.1 mix. Both tracks are terrific and can’t go wrong with either one. Starting out I flipped into the Atmos because I was most curious how the extra channel spacing would work for a film that isn’t wall-to-wall dynamic action-packed sound and I was pleasantly surprised. The sonic spread of SFX through the sides and rear channels offers plenty of imaging while the heights actually get to add some extra flavor to the spacious scenery. The busier sequences in Broome have the most heft when it comes to the dialog and surround imaging, but even in the quieter location scenes at the crater, the mix stays active. Low storm rumbles hit into the height channels while LFE adds more weight. Once the action moves to the campsite, the echoing of various sounds on corrugated aluminum or the ominous sounds of Mick’s truck adds to the creepiness. Side-by-side, the DTS 5.1 still holds its own in the fight. Often times the presentation is neck and neck, but as you compound the subtle enhancements of the Atmos along with a more prominent low end, the new Atmos wins the day. 

[UPDATE/CORRECTION] - Quick correction, my fast fingers were on autopilot mode writing this up, the legacy audio options for its set are DTS 5.1 and 2.0, not DTS-HD MA. Tunnel vision and habit got me there, apologies for the error. Even in just DTS 5.1 the mix holds well. And double checking the Turbine website they do list these audio options as simple DTS, so it doesn't look like this is an encoding error on their part. Now on the UPDATE, there does seem to be a small audio dropout at about the half-second mark at 0:45:14 - not long after Mick picks the trio up. Initially, I didn't notice it, but going back and listening to the scene a couple of times, I noticed that it slips in and out very quickly. On my rig, it sounded almost like a splice point in a reel, it's there, but not break-the-mood distracting, Depending on your setup that effect might be quite a bit more notable. I don't really feel the need to change my rating for the audio score but it's worth noting all the same. Thanks to 4K Citizen for the catch. 

The basic package of extra features is largely all archival. We get a couple more extras than we got with the Lionsgate Steelbook from earlier this year, but we also don’t get all of the deleted scenes (which were the Unrated Cut inserts anyway) or the more recent interview with John Jarratt. It’s a split hair there because we’re also getting almost thirty pages of essay content with this Mediabook release. Even if you have to use Google Translate it’s worth the read. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Greg McLean, Matt Hern, Cassandra Magrath, and Kestie Morassi
• Making of Wolf Creek (HD 49:02)
• Interview with actor John Jarratt (HD 7:37)
• Deleted Scene - G’Day (HD 00:38)
• US Trailer
• German Trailer
• US TV Spots
• 28-Page Booklet

Three reviews inside of two years and Wolf Creek remains a terrifying piece of work. Hated by critics upon first release, it’s since gained some measure of reassessment in the last two decades. I’m confident within another couple of years most out there will hold it as the better example of early 2000s horror. Especially when compared to the slew of hyper-violent torture porn and terror flicks of the era. Now, thanks to the good folks at Turbine, we have a damned good reason to take another look at Greg McLean’s outback horror opus thanks to a new 2160p Dolby Vision remaster complete with an excellent (with a small caveat) Dolby Atmos audio track. Tack in some excellent archival extras on top of the 28-page booklet and you have a great release worth adding to the collection. Highly Recommended