BASED on the brutal 2005 Australian horror movie and once again starring John Jarratt as Crocodile Dundee meets Freddy Krueger bushman Mick Taylor, the TV version of Wolf Creek is a tamer beast than its big screen forebearer.
Greg McLean's film was a textbook exercise in terrifying high tension horror. Its biggest asset was believability, fostered by the story's similarity to real life incidents and a sub-documentary approach to the deceptively mundane introductory scenes which lulled audiences into a false sense of security.
By contrast, the show's 'big idea' – that a lone survivor of Taylor's bloodlust, troubled American athletics star Eve (Aussie actress Lucy Fry), sets out for revenge before her wounds have even healed – requires a massive suspension of disbelief.
While you probably watched most of the film through your fingers, the first couple of instalments of the small screen Wolf Creek are more likely to have you rolling your eyes.
Things might improve once Eve (whose irritatingly Ausmerican accent is another weak spot) ends up on Taylor's blood-soaked turf, but whether you'll still be watching depends on your affection for Australian horror's best known bogeyman.
