Editor’s Note: The following references sexual assault.
Horror movies based on true events give a healthy dose of skepticism as well as an extra layer of terror for the viewers. In 2005, directorGreg McLeanreleased the Australian horror filmWolf Creek.Wolf Creekis a sadistic and gore-filled horror film that has is brutally violent and unwaveringly realistic. The movie is about three backpackers, Kristy, Ben, and Liz who are traveling across theAustralian outback. The journey they are aiming for is traveling through the Wolf Creek National Forest, but they run into some trouble when their car dies. When they meet a friendly local named Mick Taylor who offers them help to get where they need to go, they think their luck has turned around, but it’s actually the start of their worst nightmare.
The torture-heavy horror film is one that boasts a true story in its opening credits. But what’s the real story behind it? Who inspired Mick Taylor in the film? Thedirector combined the gruesome crimes of Australia’s notorious serial killersBradley MurdochandIvan Milatto create one ultimate serial killer villain that made audiences squirm in their seats. Milat, himself, is known as one of the most notorious serial killers in Australian history.
Wolf Creek
Who Was Bradley Murdoch?
In 2001, two backpackers,Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees were traveling on Stuart Highwaytowards Darwin. When they reached Barrow Creek, a mechanic named Bradley Murdoch managed to get them to pullover because he had convinced them that there were sparks coming from the exhaust of their van and that they needed to service it immediately. After getting Peter to get out of the car, Murdoch had Joanne rev the engine to cover up the sound Murdoch shooting Peter. From there, Murdoch approached Joanne’s window holding the gun. He tied her up and dragged her into his truck while he disposed of Peter’s body. Joanne was able to escape while Peter was preoccupied and she hid in some bushes in the outback. Murdoch searched for her for hours but eventually gave up. When she was certain he was gone, she staggered back to the highway to get help.
She was discovered by two truck drivers and was able to lead police officers to Murdoch after they found his DNA on the ties he used to restrain her with. Bradley Murdoch was found guilty in December 2005 and is serving life in prison. Peter’s body has still never been found. Murdoch’s approach is similar to Mick Taylor in the movie in that he also approaches the tourists under the guise of car trouble and offers a hand. While Murdoch’s incident was isolated to just attacking Peter and Joanne, he was known for being a drug runner and a heavy amphetamine user.
Who Is Ivan Milat?
Ivan Milat was a serial killer who killed at least seven tourists between 1989 and 1993. These killings became known as the Backpack Killings. His murders took place in the Belanglo State Forest in the southern part of Australia. The first victims that were found of his were two women backpacking from Europe and were named Joanne Walters and Caroline Clarke. The bodies of these two women were found in Belanglo. Walters was found by hikers in a shallow grave and had been stabbed 14 times. Clarke was found a day after Walters and had been shot, presumably being used as target practice by Milat. In 1993, a year after Clarke and Walters had been found, a human skull was found by police. This human skull led them to being able to find Deborah Everist and James Gibson who had gone missing in 1989. Gibson’s spine had been severed by a sharp blade and Everist had been stabbed and then beat to death. In 1991, German backpackers Anja Habschied, Gabor Neugebauer, and Simone Schmidl were the next bodies to be found. Habschied was also found in a shallow grave with multiple stab wounds as well as being decapitated. Neugebauer had been shot in the head and Schmidl was also stabbed to death but was not buried like her friends.
Paul Onions was an English man who had narrowly escaped a sadistic killer in 1993 and had a similar story to the killings of the individuals mentioned previously. Onions was the man who was able to identify Milat as his attacker and link the other murders together to convict him. He was found guilty in 1996 andjust died in prison in 2019 after spending 20 yearsin and still not confessing to any of the crimes he committed.
Milat seems to be the main influence for the character of Mick Taylor inWolf Creek, as many of the rituals in both individuals are similar. InWolf Creek, we see Taylor shooting Kristy in a point-blank range, which can be related to Joanne Walter’s killing. Using the backdrop of Wolf Creek National Park is similar to Milat’s murders taking place in the Belanglo State Forest. There is also some speculation of sexual satisfaction on Milat’s end during or after these murders, which we also see with Taylor in the film while he is torturing Kristy. In another incredibly sadistic way, they are similar in enjoying decapitating their victims after severing their spinal cord to paralyze them. In the film, Taylor refers to a victim of this as a head on a stick.
The Parallels Between the Killers Who Inspired ‘Wolf Creek’
While McLean upped the anti a bit more with the sadistic killings we see in the movie, such as Ben being nailed to wooden boards crucifixion style, the guts of the story remain to be equally disturbing. He even gets down the general style and aesthetic of Milat in the rough and rugged looking man of the outback. He carries the same base of story in the sequel,Wolf Creek 2, when Taylor encounters German backpackers as well as a character named Paul Hammersmith who escapes his clutches, just like Paul Onions did with Milat. Mick Taylor is insane and creepy enough to invoke fear in anyone watchingWolf Creek, but the parallels between the sadistic fictional serial killer and the real life serial killers of Bradley Murdoch and Ivan Milat might just be enough to make us never want to go backpacking in Australia.
Wolf Creekis available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
