The Real Story of Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek is a 2005 Australian horror film that was produced on a $1.1 million budget. Three backpackers are held captive by a sadistic psychopath, and then, are hunted in the Australian outback. The most interesting thing about this movie is that it’s loosely based on actual events. The director used real-life murders as his inspiration.

Background:

Ivan Milat was born in 1944 in Australia. He grew up around the Belanglo State Forest and knew its trails well. The forest was a popular spot for outdoor recreation, camping, hiking, and ATV rides. For Ivan, though, his plans were more sinister.

Over the course of four years, he would prey on his victims while they were usually either alone or in need of a ride. All backpackers and all explorers of the nearby forest.

Ivan was arrested in 1994. His home was full of items from his victims. Their cameras, their clothing, their camping gear. The worst part may have been the suspicion that Ivan wore his victims’ clothing. He also gave one of their shirts to his girlfriend at the time.

The Victims:

1990. Paul Onions encountered Ivan Milat when he was hitchhiking after trekking through the forest. All appeared normal until Ivan pulled out a revolver. Fortunately, Paul was able to escape his assailant by jumping in a moving vehicle nearby. He would later testify during the murder trials.

1991. Joanne Walters and Caroline Clarke were together on a backpacking adventure, away from their hometown of London. They intended on spending some time in Australia and finding work as fruit pickers. Their vacation time was short-lived as they were the first victims discovered that had died at the hands of Ivan Milat. Joanne was stabbed fourteen times, and Caroline was shot.

1992. James Gibson’s remains were found in the forest. Evidence indicated that his spine had been severed by a sharp blade. He had also been stabbed multiple times. His girlfriend, Deborah Everist, was also found and had been beaten to death. The couple had been traveling in Australia when they disappeared in 1989.

1993. Three more bodies were discovered by Australian Police Sergeant, Jeff Trichter-Anja Habschied, Gabor Neugebauer, and Simone Schmidl. They were from Germany, visiting Australia, backpacking through the Belanglo State Forest. They were last seen hitchhiking in 1991. Anja and Simone had been stabbed, while Gabor had been shot.

It’s possible there were other victims, but Ivan never admitted guilt. More remains would show up in the same forest for the next several years, but there was never anything to directly tie him to the murders.

Interesting Facts:

Wolf Creek was filmed in Australia, and one of the locations, hadn’t seen rain in over six years. As soon as the crew arrived and began shooting, rain fell. It lasted for three continuous days and became a part of the film.

The actor that portrayed the movie’s serial killer wanted to fully prepare for his role. He spent a lot of his time alone and would go weeks without showering.

In 1971, Ivan was arrested for the rape of two female hitchhikers. In their testimony, they stated he threatened them with a knife. Unfortunately, the prosecution did not do their job and DNA evidence wasn’t used in court at that time, so Ivan was found not guilty by the jury.

One of the scenes-the mining site-is the location of an actual murder.

There were contradicting reports and opinions regarding whether or not Ivan acted alone. Certain evidence indicated there was only one serial killer, yet it was hard for some to believe he didn’t have help with such gruesome murders.

There was a copycat killer to Ivan’s crimes. His own family, a great-nephew-Michael Milat. In 2010, Michael would kill 17-year-old David Auchterlonie in the same forest as his great uncle. An axe was his chosen weapon. Fortunately, Michael was arrested a couple days after the murder and would be later sentenced to 40+ years in prison.

Author’s Opinion:

This is a movie I haven’t watched, but I knew there was some truth to it. Ivan Milat was another monster that took the lives of innocent people. And to think, he could have been put behind bars in 1971 for rape. Perhaps that could have stopped those senseless deaths.

Sources:

wikipedia.org
ranker.com
aso.gov.au