Trivia / Wolf Creek

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• Actor-Inspired Element:
  • Mick's creepy laugh was John Jarratt's idea; it took him months to get right.
  • Nathan Philips also designed Ben's tattoos himself.
• California Doubling: Wolfe Creek crater - which is used in aerial shots - is located in the northwest of Australia. The rest of the movie was shot in the south.
• Deleted Scene:
  • Ben goes into a shop, trying to decide which road map to buy. The woman at the counter suddenly smiles maniacally and says "G'day".
  • Kristy wakes up in bed next to Ben the morning after the party (though they're fully clothed and clearly haven't had sex). She then messes up the covers in her bed to make it look as though it's been slept in. This is included in the Unrated edition. Word of God is that it "complicated matters", making it look like a Love Triangle was forming between Ben and the girls.
  • An extended sequence of Liz looking around Mick's junkyard. She finds a gun and loads it but accidentally drops it down a well. As she climbs down to try and get it, she finds decaying bodies and flees without the gun. This is also included in the Unrated edition and gives Mick more time to climb into the back of the car.
• Distanced from Current Events: The first film was not released in the Northern Territory of Australia, out of respect for the Peter Falconio trial that was happening at the time. The story was inspired by the case, and the government worried the film might influence the trial.
• Enforced Method Acting:
  • Inverted. Kestie Morassi's screaming while filming from Liz's POV was so intense that Greg McLean was convinced she was scared for real - and ran into the room, to their surprise.
  • A straight example. The first week of production was shooting the travel montage - allowing the actors to properly bond and get comfortable with each other.
• Fake American: The American character from the TV series, Eve Thorogood, is actually played by Australian actress Lucy Fry.
• Fake Brit: Both Cassandra McGrath and Kestie Morassi are Australians playing Brits. According to the actresses, when they started doing press in the UK, most people thought they actually were British.
• I Am Not Spock: As far as the world is concerned, John Jarratt is Mick Taylor. He's reprised the role in a sequel and TV series, and it's probably the only role audiences outside Australia know him for.
• Life Imitates Art: While the second unit were getting footage at Wolf Creek Crater, a mysterious stranger showed up to investigate. He looked so much like Mick Taylor and even had a similar truck. The crew were so spooked by this that they drove half an hour down the road before stopping to camp for the night.
• Method Acting: John Jarratt spent weeks living in the desert to prepare for the role. And he remained in character between takes.
• No Stunt Double: Due to the low budget, the actors did all the stunts themselves. Kestie Morassi ran through the outback barefoot herself, ending up with hundreds of thorns and nettle stings in her feet. The crashing car on the outback however was done by a double.
• Orphaned Reference: Liz's revolver seems to disappear once she enters the parking garage in the theatrical cut. An additional scene was deleted, showing her getting startled and dropping the gun down a well.
• The Other Darrin: For his appearance in the TV Series, Ben is played by Fletcher Humphrys instead of Nathan Phillips.
• Playing Against Type: John Jarratt is a nice guy, and most people probably remember him as the slightly Manchild-ish DIY expert from Better Homes and Gardens.
• Real-Life Relative: The stunt of the car being shot and crashing on the side of the road was performed by Paul Lightfoot, brother of producer David Lightfoot. Their sister also acted as an on-set nurse.
• Reality Subtext: The crew didn't realise at the time that the abandoned mine they were using had been the site of a real life murder.
• Throw It In!:
  • It just happened to rain while they were preparing to shoot the scenes at Wolf Creek Crater - so they had the actors reference the rain in their dialogue. The director ended up liking the atmosphere the rain created in the end.
  • The lightning during the scene when Mick's truck first happens on the protagonists? From a real thunderstorm that was blowing into the area.
• Word of God: John Jarratt denied claims that he avoided bathing during filming. He only stopped washing his arms, which wasn't for the sake of method acting - but because the tattoos took a long time to apply every morning, so it was easier to stop washing them off.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The film was originally a more straightforward Slasher Movie that Greg McLean wrote in 1997. Not liking what he wrote, he didn't revisit it until the Ivan Millat case inspired him.
  • Kestie Morassi replaced another actress who dropped out of the role of Kristy at the last minute. Ironically, she had been about to go on a backpacking trip when she accepted the role.
  • The party scene on Liz and Kristy's last night in the area ran for about half an hour - but got trimmed down to the shorter sequence seen in the finished film.
  • Liz, Kristy and Ben were among several of Mick's victims in earlier drafts. The low budget however led to their particular trip being the whole movie's plot.

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