When it comes to Australian survival thrillers,Wolf Creekhas absolutely dominated the genre, shaping our expectations of it. As such, gems likeKilling Groundgo under the radar, particularly since it doesn’t have the stereotypical outback in the marketing scheme. As much as the outback is a part of Aussie culture, the vast empty landscape is located centrally in the country, and most people live on the outskirts.Killing Groundmakes a more familiar Australian landscape into a nightmare, the bushlands, where even more recognizable cultural and historical staples are referenced and turned into relentless nightmare fuel that are universally terrifying.
‘Killing Ground’ Is an Australian ‘Eden Lake’
Damien Power’s directorial debut has a set-up that is similar to the British horror,Eden Lake. We initially meet a lovely young couple at the beginning of their promising relationship asthey go camping in an isolated area near a body of water, until they are hunted down by rough-around-the-edges locals. Just like how the young group ofmisfit boys reflected a key aspect of Britain’s sociopolitical environment,Killing Ground’s redneck antagonists represent a demographic in Australian culture that is often ridiculed and not taken seriously, but turned deadly in this film. We also meet another family inKilling Ground, who are camping by the falls with their teenage daughter and toddler.
After 20 Years, This Australian Horror Hit Is Finally Getting an American Remake
‘Wolf Creek: Legacy’ starts filming in early 2025.
Opting for the bushland instead of the outback, Power is able tostrike terror into more Australian heartsas it is far more of a familiar landscape. He turns the “home among the gum trees” and “billabong” creature comforts of the bush into a ghastly medium of bloody mayhem, sharpened by a mean edge. If you’re not Australian, the setting itself is uniquely ghostly anyway, asthe paleness of the light eucalyptus trees and the faded, white, twisting trunks make the screen look lifeless. More terrifying than the inherent isolation of the deadened place is how the trees and shrubbery engulf characters that are running away from the camera in a few mere seconds: effortlessly labyrinthine.
Australian References Are Made Terrifying in This Survival Horror
The first act ofKilling Groundhas a subtle twistthat introduces us to the film’s familiar characters in a unique way. Branching off into three segments, we follow the family, the couple and the antagonists, investing in each storyline until the brutal truth takes over. By employing this twist (which will remain unspoiled),Power approaches the hunters in a way that renders them even more disturbing and nuanced than we expected. German (Aaron Pedersen) and Chook (Aaron Glenane) are initially what we expect from the usually laughable caricatures of Aussie redneck locals. They are rough, crass, and are constantly rejected in bars.
During these scenes out on the town and in grimy bathrooms, Pedersen and Glenane balance their performances to make the cartoonish portrayal of the hunters believable enough to draw our attention, yet repulsive enough to want to keep a distance. Their eerie dominant-submissive dynamics add to this realism, asGerman essentially bullies and mentors Chook into his level of depravity, almostmaking the violence feel contagious. Chook’s evolution is most compelling, as it gives the film the effect of culminating brutality, making each gruesome narrative beat even more provocative than the last.
‘Killing Ground’ Explores Australia’s History of Violence
Killing Groundbriefly touches upon Australian historyin an almost throwaway scene, contextualizing the events while connecting it to larger sociopolitical themes without taking away from the guttural savagery of it all. When Em’s (Tiarnie Coupland) father tells her about the titular location where many Australian Aboriginal people were massacred by white settlers, many viewers will barely register the significance of the comment. What makes the film powerful is how carelessly and covertly this piece of information is added in,making the white guilt an unsettling afterthought and the cycle of violence feel all the more pitiless. The idea of cyclic cruelty is emphasized through the first gimmick, and the bleak twists and turns within the plot, especially asKilling Groundexpands its aggression in the daunting closing scenes. By morphingAustralian staples into terrifying entitiesthat loom over the aggressively-paced narrative, the horror keeps us taut on the edge of our seats as our stomachs turn down under.
Killing Groundis available to stream on AMC+ in the U.S.
WATCH ON AMC+
Killing Ground
Killing Ground is a 2017 Australian thriller directed by Damien Power. The film follows a young couple, Ian (Ian Meadows) and Sam (Harriet Dyer), who discover an abandoned campsite during a holiday retreat. As their search for the missing campers unfolds, they encounter a terrifying ordeal that tests their survival instincts. Featuring Aaron Pedersen and Aaron Glenane, the movie explores themes of violence and survival in a remote wilderness.
