TV Series Review: Wolf Creek – Series 1

This six-part series is a spin-off of the movies Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2. Both movies have merit even if they’re far from flawless but they did introduce the psychotic killer Mick Taylor played by John Jarratt who reprises his role here.

You can read our review of the first Wolf Creek movie here and its sequel here.

Series 1 of Wolf Creek is centred around an American teenager, named Eve (Lucy Fry) who is shot and left for dead by Mick Taylor. She survives waking up in a hospital later but the same can’t be said for the rest of her family who are slaughtered by the Aussie murderer.

Police detective Sullivan Hill (Dustin Clare) is put on her case & notices her family’s disappearance resembles many other missing persons cases over many years. Unfortunately, the only lead he has is the description of the truck Taylor drives and a rough sketch that could be any grizzled outback man.

Sullivan insists that Eve should return home and leave the case with him but she wants revenge so ends up stealing his case file, buying a van and heading into the outback.

Her image and vulnerability see her run into many problems while searching for Taylor but these incidents just harden her up and make her even more determined to find her family’s killer. For the first time in Wolf Creek, Taylor has become the hunted.

As each episode goes on, Eve gets closer to him leading to their eventual face-off in the finale. Will Eve get her revenge or will she just become another victim?

Turning Wolf Creek into a series is no easy task & it ran the risk of running out of steam quickly. Thankfully the plot is paced well and there are few slow moments (although there are some). With focus heavily on Eve, the viewer goes on the same journey as her. Hardened by the events, burnt by the harsh sun and mentally scarred by the brutality of life in the outback of Australia.

Lucy Fry is excellent in her role & her scenes with John Jarratt make for a thrilling watch. It’s impossible to not get behind her especially when Mick Taylor really shows his sadistic side. It’s no surprise that Jarratt steals the show, exactly as he did in the movies. He was born for this role & his total lack of remorse makes him a chilling figure.

Everyone else pales in comparison. Not because they’re bad but because they just don’t have as much character as Eve & Mick. To pad out the story several smaller plot points are brought in but they don’t quite capture the imagination only serving as temporary speed restrictions. A lot of these characters are pretty pointless & it is frustrating to see so many men that Eve meets be such complete bastards attempting to rape or kill her.

One of the best things about Wolf Creek is that it is beautifully filmed with cinematography that betrays its TV budget. So many wonderful shots that are unforgettable.

Six episodes was just about the right length in the end although a few trims here and there would have helped some of the slower moments. The ending falls a little flat only because of a poor decision by Eve, something that seems out of character for her by this stage. It’s this decision that ensures we have gotten a second series.

Still, both fans of Wolf Creek and those who’ve never seen it before will find plenty to enjoy here.

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