How an unknown director created an Australian horror franchise and is now helping others to accomplish similar feats.
Greg McLean is the man behind Wolf Creek. He wrote, directed and produced the 2005 film that went on to world wide acclaim.
McLean spoke to James Hewison at Friday on My Mind: Melbourne, presented by ACMI and AFTRS. The hour-long event was attended by cinephiles and aspiring directors – eager to learn more about McLean’s humble beginnings.
Whilst writing Wolf Creek, McLean was broke and sleeping under a couch in the office he rented. Ironically, at the same time he wrote three other scripts – a romantic comedy, drama and what would become Rogue.
He admitted to the audience, that Wolf Creek wasn’t intentionally a horror film.
“I was not trying to make a horror movie but I accidentally made a good horror movie because I was trying to be truthful”
McLean wanted to create a Hitchcock style thriller with an Australian horror icon, “so good that Geoffrey Rush would play the mad man”.
The result is Mick Taylor, played by John Jarrett, who McLean describes as “Slim Dusty meets Mick Dundee”.
From both a narrative and cinematic perspective, there is clear reference to McLean’s country Victoria upbringing in his work. He says it’s this unexpected rawness that initially fascinated overseas viewers.
His “dirty little horror film” found great success in Sundance and Cannes before it was shown on Australian shores.
He says Australia wasn’t ready for the film, and needed it to be accepted overseas first.
Almost 10 years on, Wolf Creek has become a franchise – with a sequel and new 6 part series on Stan.
The series aims to flip the horror genre on its head, with a female hero chasing Mick Taylor across the outback.
McLean says he knew the protagonist had to be female, not only “because you can’t do the same trick twice”, but also to give power to female heroines in an otherwise clichéd genre.
This humble yet seasoned director understands what it’s like for young people aspiring to make their mark in the arts.
“I get frustrated for other people sometimes… I try and help”
This has lead him to executively produce emerging director Abe Forsythe’s new film Down Under, which is set to centrepiece the Melbourne Film Festival.
The film satirically tackles racism in the Cronulla riots.
Currently, McLean is directing Jungle starring Daniel Radcliffe. The film is in its final stages of production and will be released in 2017.
FRIDAY ON MY MIND runs from early March to the end of October each year. The free talks are held at AFTRS in Sydney and ACMI in Melbourne.