Rogue is writer, director and producer Greg Mclean’s second horror movie and third film. Wolf Creek told the story of several backpackers, who were abducted by a murderous hunter. The horror was devastating and brutal, which only heightened the terror of it being based on a true story. The twinge of reality strikes again in Rogue, in which a 7 metre crocodile takes the place of the real-life monster. Mclean creates a nuanced horror that is riddled with a deep understanding of the human condition and the will to survive. True terror hits home in this ‘it could happen to anyone’ thriller as a tour boat becomes the prey of a massive croc. The creature is big enough to be real and vicious enough to be taken seriously. Remember the lions from The Ghost and The Darkness and the Great White from Spielberg’s Jaws?
This is the essential crocodile horror/thriller. There aren’t any frills. It’s a straight down-the-line horror with the edge of Wolf Creek. Mclean keeps it local and sticks to what he knows best. Lake Placid was a tongue-in-cheek reptile affair, but Rogue is an edge-of-your-seat thriller. You will find yourself scolding the characters for being so stupid and unreasonable. The primal instincts of wanting to survive outweigh the longevity of the group.
Mclean uses all the natural elements to create a sense of being there. Flies and heat set the atmosphere as a tense, volatile situation waiting to happen. The locals are from the bottom of the barrel and newspaper clippings predict the worse case scenario. Mclean establishes a sense of reality with the normal, before capsizing the balance in one fell swoop. The water, the crocodile, the darkness and the people become a horror unto themselves as one event triggers more urgency and fear. The black water eats away at the story like Dark Water. The man-eating hunter picks off its prey one by one like a thief in the night. While the survivors feel the grip of doom as the darkness threatens their safety. Rogue suspends its audience in a state of terror, before shifting down a gear. Just when you think you’re able to relax, the beast comes up from the depths for another bite.
Rogue is a solid horror thriller, which creates a story that could easily be based on real-life events. The reality of the monster, the natural elements and the desperation of human nature all feed into an intense story, which gives one newfound respect for the late Steve Irwin. Rogue blends the wildfire intensity of Wolf Creek with the tenacious terror of Jaws. The big question is: “How fast can you swim?”
The bottom line: Gripping.
