Trailer Review: Wolf Creek (2005) (Red band)

The trailer begins showing lots of teenagers at a party, giving off the impression that they lead a happy, carefree life. The next shot is an establishing shot of where the rest of the film takes place; it shows a vast, desert like area surrounded by hills with the only sign of life being a car in the centre. We then learn that the people in the car are three of the teenagers shown in the opening scene of the trailer. Inter-titles then appear, explaining the narrative of the film, explaining that the ‘journey of a lifetime’ which the teenagers are on, may take an unexpected turn for the worse. The car which the teenagers are in then breaks down, introducing the feeling of isolation into the trailer. The next scene shows the trio finding a lorry, with a man approaching them out of the lorry. This scene has low key lighting, giving the scene a sinister sense and shows the nervous emotions of the teenagers. The trailer then shows the man in the lorry sat down with the teenagers, having a chat, seeming that he has made them feel welcome and he has given them a place to stay overnight due to the teenager’s car breaking down. When asked what he does with his time by the teenagers, the man replies ‘I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you’. This triggers a nervous response from the teenagers, and sends the trailer into a darker mood, acting as the turning point of the trailer, from safety to the teenagers being scared for their lives. The trailer then uses a quick montage, gore and parallel music to create a tense and panic stricken mood for the rest of the trailer. The trailer finishes with the three teenagers and the man from the lorry around a fire, laughing, seeming to be happy, this is contrapuntal to the rest of the trailer, and confuses the viewer instead of having a jump at the end of the trailer like a typical horror trailer.