What is the difference between a good horror movie and a bad one? Why does “Wolf Creek” work, while “House of Wax,” the remake with Paris Hilton, which is basically the same story, stink to high heaven?

The answer, I believe, is that “Wolf Creek” takes its time and makes us care, at least a little bit, about the main characters. The makers of “House of Wax” encouraged viewers to “watch Paris die,” so one is led to believe that we weren’t really supposed to be rooting for any of the kids stuck in the middle of nowhere. In a way, it was following the old slasher film theme of “wild and crazy post adolescents up to no good get what’s coming to them.”

“Wolf Creek” differs by making the three travelers in the film likable enough and suggesting that the terror they encounter could happen to anyone — if they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. That wrong place is Wolf Creek, a meteorite crater hours from civilization.

The plot is thin but the tension that is built is large. Two girls from England, Liz and Kristy, are on holiday in Australia and they are getting a ride across the country from Ben, an Aussie guy they met up with at the beach. The ride and the camping is fun and love begins to blossom between Ben and one of the British lasses. He suggests a stop and a hike at Wolf Creek but when they return to the car it won’t start. A bushman from the Outback (think Crocodile Dundee on steroids) saves the day and promises to tow them to his place and fix their car. They go to sleep by a fire as he fixes their car but they wake up separated and tied up. The friendly mechanic is actually a maniac and these 20-somethings are now in a world of trouble.

Written and directed by Greg McLean, “Wolf Creek” takes its time to get going, which is refreshing compared to the formulaic American horror fare. In American films, you can tell who is going to get killed, usually in what order, and who, because of top billing, will be the hero, or more than likely today, heroine. For a long time in “Wolf Creek,” it appears that none of the three travelers will make it out of the Outback alive. Their performances are all solid but it is John Jarratt’s performance as Mick Taylor, the killer, that elevates the film from good to very good. He is very funny and charming as the nice guy but the audience knows that when he decides to flip his switch, he will be a nasty, nasty villain.

McLean does a fantastc job of keeping the thrills coming at a fast pace, once the travelers get captured by Taylor, and several sequences of this film are almost classics in their approach to suspense. Whether it is a simple car chase on a deserted road or a hike through the dark brush, McLean knows that everything about the situation that the travelers find themselves in is dangerous and scary, so there is no need to be heavy handed with the music or gore. This film truly stands up with some of the modern horror classics.

***1/2

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