(18, 99 mins) Starring John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Nathan Phillips, Kestie Morassi. Directed by Greg Mclean.

Purportedly based on actual events (well, it worked for The Blair Witch Project), Greg Mclean's low-budget horror thriller paints a very different portrait of the Australian outback from the picturesque travel guides.

The long deserted highways become roads to hell, transforming the breathtaking desert landscape into a playground for a bloodthirsty psychopath. Strewth!

British backpackers Kristy Earl (Morassi) and Liz Hunter (Magrath) are slowly making their way across the continent with Ozzie nice guy Ben (Phillips).

At his suggestion, the girls make a detour to a giant meteorite crater at Wolf Creek National Park. As dusk falls, the trio prepare to move on only to discover their car refuses to start.

The friends fear the worst, settling down for an uncomfortable night in the car, until kindly farmer Mick (Jarratt) chances upon them and offers to tow them to his place for repairs.

As they arrive at his ramshackle home - an abandoned mining site with defunct huts and tunnels - Kristy, Liz and Ben are blissfully unaware of the horrors which lie ahead.

Tapping into that universal fear of being stranded on the open road, Wolf Creek is a nerve-racking thrill-ride.

There are lashings of blood and gore, plus a couple of nice jolts and surprises.

The tension is cranked up masterfully between the carnage, underscoring the graphic violence with jet black humour.