Wolf Creek 2 *** McLean strives for a more mainstream audience with this horror sequel - but it is superficially enjoyable.

Greg McLean’s original Wolf Creek was a consummately brutal horror film that used the wide panoramic Australian landscape and transformed it into something profoundly empty and bleak. From within this chasmal backdrop came Mick Taylor(John Jarrett), a serial killer that was a dark, satirical pastiche of the Crocodile Dundee – indeed, Jarrett described Taylor as an “anti-Dundee” character when promoting the first film. Much of what was compelling about the original was the sense of realism and tension that was constructed through the scratchy documentary camerawork and the directors strong focus on character development, so when it came to the splatter, you really felt the pain and the whole experience was a lot tougher because so much time had been invested in the onscreen victims.

Wolf Creek 2 begins in a manner that suggests a significant tonal shift has been made between the sequel and its predecessor. Instead of prolonging and sustaining a void-like tension, McLean slices away any character development and pushes his antagonist, Mick Taylor, to the forefront of the drama. The camerawork is slicker and flashier, the gore is nastier and from the film’s opening splattery setpiece, the wheels are set in motion for a blood-soaked thrill ride.

However, it is a much shallower film than its predecessor and it is difficult to ignore the fact that it has lost most of its distinctive qualities in favour of cranked-up, cheap mainstream thrills. Though it is superficially entertaining – John Jarett’s portrayal of Mick Taylor has lapsed into self-parody somewhat and the final act is nonsensical in its weirdness – but it is an efficiently machine-tooled horror sequel.