Desire Avenue

Whilst hardly a classic,'Wolf Creek' is nevertheless another gripping Aussie low budget horror/thriller featuring three young travellers being 'rescued' (sic) from the outback by psycho Mick Taylor.
Not a film for the squeamish.

I was browsing the Empire forums yesterday, and this film was mentioned in a thread called 'Torture Porn'.

Think I'll give it a miss.

I like more psychological horror films, I guess - things like Ring and The Blair Witch Project. No amount of people being hacked or sawed to death before my very eyes could frighten me as much as that last shot in Blair Witch, where she's in the house and you just glimpse someone standing in the corner behind her. *screams*

blue wrote:I was browsing the Empire forums yesterday, and this film was mentioned in a thread called 'Torture Porn'.

Torture....yep.
Porn....no way. There's no nudity and rather visually vague 'sexual threat' so i'm not sure what that poster thought was pornographic?

blue wrote: No amount of people being hacked or sawed to death before my very eyes could frighten me as much as that last shot in Blair Witch, where she's in the house and you just glimpse someone standing in the corner behind her. *screams*

I thought the sight of that chap standing in the corner having a jimmy riddle was a bit of a let down personally.

But generally I do prefer the psychological horror films too. I can't stand these 'Nightmare On Elm Street' type films (too comic for my liking) but the occasional 'Wolf Creek' or a zombie film like '28 Days Later' do come as a change.

RobB wrote: Torture....yep.
Porn....no way. There's no nudity and rather visually vague 'sexual threat' so i'm not sure what that poster thought was pornographic?

Well I think it's regarded as a kind of genre in film geek circles, Rob, from what I read there. 'Torture porn' is anything that has really graphic, drawn-out violence, not necessarily sexual violence, and not necessarily directed only at female characters, although that's obviously an aspect of it. I think the term 'porn' is used because a lot of the violence is there for no other reason than the gratification of the viewers watching it, it's intended for that purpose by the film-makers, rather than being part of a larger context within the story.

I think the terminology is just a case of a name for one thing crossing over into use for something else because it has a similar quality.

Ha, just been reading that same thread on Empire again and someone has invented a new word for the genre - 'gorenography'.

So,no doubt,gornstars
I shall be maintaining a very wide berth.

blue wrote: 'Torture porn' is anything that has really graphic, drawn-out violence, not necessarily sexual violence, and not necessarily directed only at female characters, although that's obviously an aspect of it

I'm sure you're right although it basically means that every war film made in the past 20 years can be classed as 'torture porn' which I think is unfair and misleading.

However,one definition of pornography reads:
'The depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction'
which I think basically covers your view point.

A more common definition of pornography though reads:
'The depiction of erotic behaviour (or material) intended to cause sexual excitement.'

Anyone watching 'Wolf Creek' expecting the latter definition to apply will be sorely disappointed.

Living in Oz and having first hand experience of the outback, I have to say Wolf Creek certainly defined the total remote and desolate atmosphere of hopelessness. We drove through Northern Territory from Adelaide last year, and I can tell you, if something happened to you out there, you'd be screwed, there is absolutely NO mobile phone reception beyond the outskirts of Adelaide until you get within the bounds of Alice Springs. And it is completely true about the huge number of people that simply disappear here each year (thought mostly because they want to vanish!). But you can vanish too easily here, which is the point of the film, if no-one knows your missing...

As for torture porn, I don't see any connection to this film and the supposed genre, which in my opinion is more fitting to the likes of Salo or Cannibal Holocaust. Wolf Creek's characters are so well developed in the first half of the film that you really feel for them when the shit hits the fan. This film is based off a number of events that have really happened in the outback.

Both of the women in this film are very spirited and strong. They certainly are not exploited as such, nothing say as graphic as Hostel, they are not portrayed as dumb idiots. They do everything they can to try and escape their situation. They are played realistically. There is no hollywood gloss. The film does not play them as fair game in a misogynistic horror setting, which spoils a lot of horror films for me.

I actually strongly object to the flippant and dismissive attitude of some people who are happy to encompass the entire genre of horror under one branch. There is horror that is totally inane and pointless, your Final Destinations, Hostels, and everyday typical teen riddled crap. However, some more credible horror films have been responsible for some of the greatest moments ever committed to screen, The Shining, The Exorcist, Alien, Nosferatu, The Blair Witch Project, Legend Of Hell House, a lot of which don't even have to resort to gore or special effects or exploitation. Fear of the unknown is so much more enticing.

I like my horror films to be stylish, well acted, psychological, genuinely frightening and intelligent. Blonde/Frats getting slaughtered on campus or wherever is what I hate about horror. Good horror is the horror that gets under your skin because it confronts your fears in a way you can identify with. But then like in any genre, when you can relate to what you are seeing, you get a lot more from it.

Those who are watching horror for the gore are missing the point of true horror. The point of Wolf Creek is that similar things have happened, are happening and will happen. It could happen so easily. Personally I found the film more disturbing on second viewing, simply as you notice the parts where they are being 'reeled in'. Which is more scary than anything else!!!!!!!

RobB wrote:
However,one definition of pornography reads:
'The depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction'
which I think basically covers your view point.

Yeah, I think that's the sense in which the term is being used in this case.

I'm not sure I'd agree with your comment about war films being susceptible to classification in the same genre though, Rob - as far as I understand it, one of the criteria is that the violence is the point of the film, and I haven't seen any war films where that's the case. Graphic violence in a war film is part of a larger story context, surely, not the whole point of the film.

Anyway, I'm sticking with the term 'gorenography' because it makes me laugh.

d.a.walker wrote: The film does not play them as fair game in a misogynistic horror setting, which spoils a lot of horror films for me.

I think this is maybe something people just don't think about, so 'normal' is it to portray women as victims of sadistic violence - I don't tend to watch gory horror films, but it's occurred to me even when I've been watching thriller-type movies on telly, and crime shows too, which I do love. There comes a point when I start to question the psychology behind presenting women as victims of horrible/fatal violence over and over and over and over and over again.

Some posters in that thread I mention above were voicing concerns about the tv trailer for a newly-released film called 'Captivity', which shows a terrified woman in a cage being threatened with violence. I have to say, I saw this trailer a couple of days before I read the thread and my alarm bells were ringing.

d.a.walker wrote: However, some more credible horror films have been responsible for some of the greatest moments ever committed to screen, The Shining, The Exorcist, Alien, Nosferatu, The Blair Witch Project, Legend Of Hell House, a lot of which don't even have to resort to gore or special effects or exploitation. Fear of the unknown is so much more enticing.

I like my horror films to be stylish, well acted, psychological, genuinely frightening and intelligent.

Totally agree, I just find that kind of film more substantial and a lot more interesting/scary. I don't really understand the love for gore, it's not frightening, just unpleasant to watch.

I saw this last night on tv and watched it because of this thread.I found it extremely violent at times ,what a sick bastard that maniac was,but very realistically acted by him.The creepiest bit for me was when she found the belongings of previos victims,all stacked away neatly,like in a warehouse and she watched couple of camcorders showing the happy families on holiday prior to ,and then to meeting him and knowing the sick kind of terror about to happen to them.
I did wonder at the end when it was stated the police searched for the mine but never foundit,yet when they were towed in there ,they saw a sign with the name of the mine quite clearly and remarked upon it.I guess he (the survivor)could'nt remember it !?! or are the police out there as uncaring and inefficient and maybe implicitely compliant (ala Pulp Fiction) as the eneding seemed to suggest ?

I can assure you that the police in australia are useless, presence-less, wankers who will do everything in their power to not do the right thing, allow organised crime, ignore biker gangs, and only target people who aren't going to give them much trouble, so yes I think the film was quite representative. There is an awful mentality that exists here, especially within the media (newspapers evern more so) of firstly ignoring very big problems, and secondly assuming that you are guilty until proven innocent. Poor Joanne Lees was given pure hell here by the media until they actually found her boyfriend's killer. Even when they knew that she was innocent they just raked up her past and had a go at her for that. So, given that Wolf Creek was partly inspired by those events, I think the director was intentionally highlighting the unfair treatment factor of the survivor. I thought it was good that he was so traumatised by the events, as you would be, that he couldn't remember much, but it also is worth noting that outback australia is so expansive and similar, unless you lived in the area, or worked in the area, you would never ever be able to pin-point your whereabouts, especially if you didn't have a clue in the first place!

Yes the Joanne lees case did spring to mind.The story got full coverage here in Ireland,it seems you're guilty til proven guilty,as per usual.Poor lass,they were determined to find her guilty.
A memorable film,which is all i ask of any film really.