Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Wolf Creek Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 16, 2024

Lionsgate is once again partnering with Walmart to provide collectors with a set of SteelBook releases, this time with several linked "Bloody Disgusting" titles. All of the SteelBooks have similar designs that feature an emphasis on blacks, which may mean that white gloves may be in order for fingerprint and/or other smudge protection. In this instance, and rather interestingly given Lionsgate's penchant for re-releasing titles over and over again in different configurations and packaging options (as this very latest "series" attests), Wolf Creek has evidently never had a previous release on Blu-ray in Region A, something it shares with only one other of the Bloody Disgusting SteelBook releases, Hannibal Rising.

The horrifying murderous "misadventures" of one Ed Gein gave birth, at least in part, to what ultimately became Psycho, and evidently at least somewhat similarly, Wolf Creek owes its genesis to an Australian serial killer named Ivan Milat, who had a penchant for killing backpackers. And indeed this film can pretty much be summed up as nothing other than an hour and a half or so of a madman named Mick Taylor (John Jarratt), who terrorizes a trio of outback campers who have the misfortune to cross paths with Taylor. If the basic setup of Wolf Creek is more than rote, you kind of have to hand it to writer and director Greg McLean for going for the gusto (and then some) with a series of brutally violent scenes and an accruing body count that kind of subverts expectations, at least in terms of who's going to make it out alive. The film has the requisite angst (it's hard not to feel anxious seeing women get immolated in various ways), but the story really has no backbone, so to speak, and an almost supernatural element that's hinted at early on is never developed. Things are left particularly ambiguous at the end, obviously to set up the sequel, which in fact arrived and has been given a Region A release on Blu-ray courtesy of Image Entertainment.

Wolf Creek Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Since this is the rare Lionsgate SteelBook that is not a re-release, I've split the difference in screenshots/photos accompanying this review. Positions 1 through 8 offer screenshots from the disc, while positions 9 through 15 offer hi res photographs of the packaging, for those interested.

Wolf Creek is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This presentation has an unavoidably heterogenous appearance courtesy of having been cobbled together from both HDCAM and 16mm sources. The video (as opposed to film) side of things looks rather sleek, but really digital in that "quaint technology" kind of way, which tends to make things look artificially sharpened even if they may well not be. That said, the HDCAM material tends to offer secure detail levels in at least the outdoor and/or daylight material. Unfortunately, a lot of this film takes place either at night or in very dimly lit environments, and many of these moments tend to be the 16mm material, resulting in definite ebbs in detail levels. The palette is rather interestingly toyed with, and is occasionally graded toward slightly alien looking greens.

Wolf Creek Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wolf Creek features a nicely rendered Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that probably doesn't attain the giddy heights of bigger budgeted horror films, but which manages to create lifelike ambient environmental sounds which regularly surround the listener, as well as providing the requisite startle effect or two. Some of the most extreme violence can offer at least short bursts of LFE. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Wolf Creek Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Greg McLean, Executive Producer Matt Hearn, and Actors Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi


• The Making of Wolf Creek (HD; 49:40) is an unusually in depth piece that has a lot of good behind the scenes footage.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 00:38)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:15)

The SteelBook follows the design aesthetic of all of the day and date Bloody Disgusting releases, with an emphasis on blacks. That said, this slate of releases is kind of split between "Column A", which tends to feature reds, and "Column B", which emhpasizes tones more in a gold-orange-yellow spectrum, and Wolf Creek is one of the second variety. Like all of the Bloody Disgusting SteelBooks, the design aesthetic is very similar, with a larger black and white image of a head or face, which is kind of split open with a colored image of another human. The back panel matches the others in this collection by offering a quote. This is another of the Bloody Disgusting SteelBooks where really only the left interior panel has an image, in this case a gold tinged view of the villain. A digital copy is also included, and all of the Bloody Disgusting SteelBooks come with a J card.

Wolf Creek Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're a fan of what might generally be called a slasher film only because of the slashing, you'll probably experience enough blood and gore in Wolf Creek to suffice. If you want an actual story with some kind of context and believable characters, you might simply accept Wolf Creek from some of its passing scenery, at least when mayhem and bloodshed don't interfere. Technical merits are generally secure, and the commentary and making of supplement interesting. The branded Bloody Disgusting SteelBook packaging may add more allure for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.