{"id":69,"date":"2011-05-01T16:06:16","date_gmt":"2011-05-01T06:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/?page_id=69"},"modified":"2015-04-30T14:51:19","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T04:51:19","slug":"the-latest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/?page_id=69","title":{"rendered":"The Latest"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ Wins 2014 Australian Shadows Award<\/h2>\n

April 30, 2015<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m pleased — and shocked — to announce that Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> won the best Australian horror novel of the year at the recent Australian Shadows Awards (given by the Australian Horror Writers Association). It’s especially pleasing because it’s such an unconventional horror novel in many ways — the protagonist is the serial killer; not being told from the victims’ points of view means you can’t trade off that empathetic level of suspense; and the path is essentially pre-determined. Yet these are the judges’ words:<\/p>\n

“As the character of Dean Winchester said in the hit series Supernatural<\/em>, ‘at least ghosts had rules, but people were just plain crazy’. In Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>, the horror lies in the depths of depravity of Mick’s mind. The murderous streak in Mick emerged early in life with the murder of his sister, and takes the form of a ‘dark passenger’ much in the vein of Dexter Morgan from the TV series Dexter<\/em>. A prequel to the two popular movies, this book excels in its gory detail and does not hesitate to even mention bestiality. A superb novel that would make an excellent movie, I had John Jarratt in mind’s eye as I read this book.”<\/p>\n

They got it \ud83d\ude42 [I’d love to see it as a movie too.]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here’s the full list of winners. Congrats to all the nominees, and my thanks to the judges and to the AHWA.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.australianhorror.com\/index.php?view=39<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

AUSTRALIAN SHADOWS AWARDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Winners for the AHWA’s Australian Shadows awards for 2014 have been announced.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Our winners for the 2014 awards were:<\/span><\/p>\n

Novel:<\/strong>
\nAaron Sterns and Greg McLean – Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Short Fiction:<\/strong>
\nAlan Baxter – Shadows of the Lonely Dead<\/em><\/p>\n

Edited Works:<\/strong>
\nSQ<\/em> Issue 14 \u2013 edited by Sophie Yorkston<\/p>\n

Collected works:<\/strong>
\nAndrew McKiernan – Last Year When We Were Young<\/em><\/p>\n

Paul Haines Award for Long Fiction (novella)<\/strong>
\nShane Jiraiya Cummings – ‘Dreams of Destruction’<\/p>\n

The awards celebrate the finest in horror and dark fiction published by an Australian or New Zealander for the calendar year of 2014. Works are judged on the overall effect – the skill, delivery, and lasting resonance – of a story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Previous winners have included Lee Battersby, Terry Dowling, Paul Haines, Brett McBean, Kirstyn McDermott, Bob Franklin, Kaaron Warren, Will Elliott, Deborah Biancotti, and Amanda Spedding.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And here’s the unbelievable trophy. Greg and I get one each apparently. It’s just as well, because I’d fight him for it:<\/p>\n

\"AusShadows-trophy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

New Aaron Sterns’ Special Edition of ‘Cthulhu: Deep Down Under’ (sort of)<\/h2>\n

Nov 22, 2104<\/em><\/p>\n

For a limited time (because there\u2019s only five on offer, and three have sold), you can get a special edition of Cthulhu: Deep Down Under<\/em>, the upcoming antho featuring my Lovecraftian-action novella \u2018Vanguard\u2019. For US$110 pledged to the crowdfunding campaign you\u2019ll get sent out a copy of the limited edition hardcover signed by myself and artist Sarah Ellerton, a signed print of her incredible illustration accompanying my story, a signed print of the cover by W. Chew Chan, and a personalised email (whatever that means \u2014 I think I\u2019m supposed to write you a sonnet or something).<\/p>\n

But they\u2019ve already been selling gangbusters, so get in quick! All the deets here: https:\/\/www.indiegogo.com\/projects\/cthulhu-deep-down-under<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s Sarah\u2019s amazing artwork. You know you want it:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Elevated Genre’ Screenwriting Panel at Monster Fest Film Festival 2014<\/h2>\n

Nov 22, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

As part of the Monster Fest Academy of Horror and Mayhem I\u2019ll be speaking alongside screenwriters Shayne Armstrong & Shane Krause (6 MIRANDA DRIVE), Matthew A. Brown (JULIA), and Colin & Cameron Cairnes (100 BLOODY ACRES) about the rising demand for Elevated Genre \u2014 scripts that play with generic expectations and merge genres \u2014 and how it can help horror writers (both film and fiction) sell their work. Hosted by producer Mark Lazarus, it\u2019s on Thursday 27th at 2:30pm at Yah Yah\u2019s in Collingwood. All the details here: http:\/\/www.monsterfest.com.au\/events\/monster-academy.html<\/p>\n

For anyone hoping to break in to the field, this should be unmissable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Running in conjunction with Melbourne\u2019s Monster Fest Film Festival this year, the Academy of Horror and Mayhem is an incredible week-long symposium covering every aspect of film-making with panels on screenwriting, directing, film-financing, pitching, SFX, casting, working with actors, crowd funding, and distribution and marketing, and more from Monday 24th November to Friday 28th November.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Cthulhu: Deep Down-Under’ Crowdfunding Launch<\/h2>\n

Oct 14, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be at Armageddon Melbourne this Saturday & Sunday (18\/19 Oct) for the crowdfunding launch of Cthulhu: Deep Down-Under<\/em>, featuring my Lovecraftian-action novella \u2018Vanguard\u2019.<\/p>\n

We have Booth 74 (author roster still to be determined), but will all be on the Comic\/ Animation Stage at 4pm Sat for the official launch. If you\u2019re at Armageddon please come along and support us. We\u2019ll be selling signed prints of the great art from the collection (*very* cheap, so first-in, first-served). And I\u2019ll even be bringing some rare Wolf Creek 2<\/em> postcards to hand out.<\/p>\n

C:DDU<\/em> is edited by the formidable trio of Christopher Sequeira, Steve Proposch and Bryce Stevens, and features not only works by Kaaron Warren, Stephen Dedman, Geoff Brown, Steven Paulsen, Jason Fischer, Janeen Webb, Robert Hood and Jason Franks, and art by Sarah Ellerton, Nick Stathopoulos and Jan Scherpenhuizen, but also an introduction from the inimitable Ramsey Campbell on antipodean horror. This is a huge and ambitious undertaking, and marks quite a leap for Lovecraftian horror in Australia. Very proud to be associated with it.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/armageddonexpo.com\/au\/comics-sci-fi-fantasy-trading-cards\/cthulu-deep-down-under\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t get there (or live O\/S) never fear for the crowdfunding site is now live! Check out https:\/\/www.indiegogo.com\/projects\/cthulhu-deep-down-under<\/a> for the great offers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

New novella ‘Vanguard’ in ‘Cthulhu Deep Down-Under’<\/h2>\n

Aug 8, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

And to round out the slew of posts today I\u2019m very happy to finally announce my Lovecraftian-action novella \u2018Vanguard\u2019 (an adaptation of a screenplay I\u2019m currently shopping) will be appearing in the long-awaited anthology Cthulhu: Deep Down-Under<\/em>. Edited by giants of the Australian weird fiction field Christopher Sequeira, Steve Proposch and my old mate Bryce Stevens, CDDU will be announced\/presented to the world Oct 18 & 19 at Armageddon Con in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been torturous to keep quiet all year about this, so I\u2019m sure the other amazing writers & artists in this collection are just as thrilled we can finally go public. How\u2019s this for a role call: Stephen Dedman, Greg Chapman, Kaaron Warren, Geoff Brown, Jason Fischer, Steven Paulsen, Robert Hood, Lucy Sussex, Nick Stathopoulos, and many many more. Not to mention an intro by Ramsey Campbell. The boys have excelled themselves collating this.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Armageddon\u2019s announcement:<\/p>\n

__________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>http:\/\/armageddonexpo.com\/au\/comics-sci-fi-fantasy-trading-cards\/cthulu-deep-down-under\/<\/a>
\nH.P. LOVECRAFT\u2019S TITANIC MONSTROSITY RISES IN AUSTRALIA \u2013 AT ARMAGEDDON CON, MELBOURNE 2014!<\/p>\n

24 of the best Writers of horror and fantasy in the country, and 25 amazing Artists, are proud to launch a MONSTROUSLY HUGE collection of stories: CTHULHU: DEEP DOWN UNDER!\u00a0 A new tome with an original introduction by world literary legend RAMSEY CAMPBELL!\u00a0 And a PROSE piece by legendary Australian singer songwriter STEVE KIBEY of THE CHURCH!<\/p>\n

Come to the launch, find out about this massive, more than 500 page project, and its stunning 25 full-colour poster style illustrations of terror and suspense that will be available as SIGNED prints at Armageddon!<\/p>\n

An incredible collection, featuring the work of the following talents slated to appear at Armageddon:<\/p>\n

Writers\/ Editors like<\/p>\n

AARON STERNS (WOLF CREEK 2)!
\nKAARON WARREN (SLIGHTS, THROUGH SPLINTERED WALLS)
\nCHRISTOPHER SEQUEIRA (X-MEN VS VAMPIRES!)
\nJASON FRANKS (BLOODY WATERS! MCBLACK COMICS SERIES!)
\nG. N. BRAUN (HAMMERED!, COHESION PRESS)
\nLUCY SUSSEX (THE SCARLET RIDER, THIEF OF LIVES)
\nJANEEN WEBB (DEATH AT THE BLUE ELEPHANT)
\nDMETRI KAKMI (MOTHER LAND)
\nSTEVEN PAULSEN (THE STRAY CAT)
\nSTEVE PROPOSCH (BLOODSONGS MAGAZINE)<\/p>\n

Artists like<\/p>\n

JAN SCHERPENHUIZEN (THE TWILIGHT AGE COMIC SERIES)!
\nBRUCE MUTARD (FAMED WRITER-ARTIST OF THE SACRIFICE!)
\nW. CHEW CHAN (SUPERMAN RETURNS STORYBOARD ARTIST)
\nPAUL CAGEGGI (PANDEIA COMICS SERIES!)<\/p>\n

Come and meet these creators for the story behind a ground-breaking new Australian anthology! [October 18 & 19]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

Talking Australian Gothic with Terry Hayes at the Melbourne Writers Festival<\/h2>\n

Aug 8, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

In huge news, I\u2019ve been invited to talk at the Melbourne Writers Festival (which I\u2019m told is quite rare for genre writers). I\u2019ll be in conversation with none other than the legendary Terry Hayes (writer of Mad Max 2<\/em>, Dead Calm<\/em>, et al) about the contribution of cinema to an \u201cAustralian Gothic\u201d. I\u2019m absolutely thrilled at the opportunity, and hope it\u2019s well-attended (they have us in the main cinema at ACMI in Fed Square!). Will be a lot of fun. Even better is that I get a free pass to any (not sold out) session at the MWF, something I\u2019ve certainly never had the fortune to experience before. Will be a heady week.<\/p>\n

___________________________________________________<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.mwf.com.au\/session\/australian-gothic-cinema\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Australian Gothic in Cinema<\/h2>\n

Saturday Aug 30 4pm, ACMI Studio 1\u00a0 Tix: $22.00\/$19.00<\/p>\n

Successful and controversial Australian films Wolf Creek<\/em>, Mad Max<\/em> and Dead Calm<\/em> have exposed the real and imagined dark side of our nation. Screenwriter\/novelists Aaron Sterns and Terry Hayes discuss the role of cinema in creating an Australian Gothic. In conversation with Richard Watts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Terry Hayes is a former journalist and screen-writer. Born in Sussex, England, he migrated to Australia as a child and trained as a journalist at the country\u2019s leading broadsheet. At twenty-one he was appointed North American correspondent, based in New York, and after two years returned to Sydney to become an investigative reporter, political correspondent and columnist.<\/p>\n

He resigned to produce a prominent current affairs radio program and a short time later, with George Miller, wrote the screenplay for Road Warrior\/Mad Max 2<\/em>. He also co-produced and wrote Dead Calm<\/em>, the film which launched Nicole Kidman\u2019s international movie career, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome<\/em> and a large number of TV movies and mini-series \u2013 including Bodyline and <\/em>Bangkok Hilton<\/em> \u2013 two of which received international Emmy nominations. In all, he has won over twenty film or television awards.<\/p>\n

After moving to Los Angeles he worked as a screen-writer on major studio productions. His credits include Payback<\/em> with Mel Gibson, From Hell<\/em>, starring Johnny Depp, and Vertical Limit<\/em> with Chris O\u2019Donnell. He has also done un-credited writing on a host of other movies including Reign of Fire<\/em>, Cliffhanger<\/em> and Flightplan<\/em>, starring Jodie Foster.<\/p>\n

I Am Pilgrim<\/em> is his first novel. He and his American wife \u2013 Kristen \u2013 have four children and live in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Equally comfortable in both fiction and film, Aaron Sterns has worked in the horror field for over twenty years. He is not only the co-writer of Wolf Creek 2<\/em>, winner of Best Screenplay at the Madrid International Fantastic Film Festival, but also author of prequel novel Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>, described as \u2018one of the best serial killer novels out there [‘] destined to be considered a classic in future years\u2019.
\nSterns is the author of various Aurealis Award-nominated and Year\u2019s Best Fantasy & Horror recommended short stories, including The Third Rail<\/em> (from the World Fantasy Award-winning Dreaming Down-Under<\/em>) and the dark werewolf-bouncer world of Watchmen<\/em> (the basis for his vicious and visceral upcoming novel Blood<\/em>). He is a former lecturer in Gothic & Subversive Fiction, editor of The Journal of the Australian Horror Writers<\/em> and Ph.D. student in postmodern horror. He also served as script-editor on Greg McLean\u2019s Rogue<\/em> and appeared in a little cameo as Bazza\u2019s Mate in Wolf Creek<\/em>.
\nSterns is currently working on another novel and a multitude of screenplays, including a film version of Blood<\/em>. He lives in Melbourne with his fiancee and the third of the \u2018Wolf Creek babies\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Richard Watts is a Melbourne-based arts writer and broadcaster. He presents the weekly program SmartArts on 3RRR and is a staff writer for ArtsHub, as well as a member of the Green Room Awards Association\u2019s Independent Theatre panel. Richard currently serves on the boards of La Mama Theatre and the literary journal Going Down Swinging, and was previously the Chair of Melbourne Fringe. He is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and the founder of the Emerging Writers\u2019 Festival.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

Guest speaker at My Deakin World Short Film awards<\/h2>\n

Aug 8, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

So this is cool. My university, Deakin Uni, has asked me back to speak at the awards for their \u201cDeakin experience\u201d short film competition. I\u2019ll be talking building tension in story, as well as regaling the audience with tales of my time at Deakin (I\u2019ll have to censor some of my residence days \u2013 O Week was wild at Deakin). Should be fun.<\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/mydeakinworld\/2014\/08\/04\/aaron-stern-announced-as-special-guest-for-my-deakin-world-short-film-festival\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"aaron-stern\"Deakin alumni and award winning author Aaron Sterns<\/a> is announced at the special guest and speaker at the My Deakin World Short Film Festival<\/strong> \u2013 Deakin Edge, Federation Square, 1 September, 2014<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Aaron is the co-writer of Wolf Creek 2<\/em> (Best Screenplay Madrid International Fantastic Film Festival 2014), and author of the prequel novel Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> from Penguin Books.<\/p>\n

Author of various Aurealis Award-nominated and Year\u2019s Best Fantasy & Horror<\/em> recommended short stories, including \u2018The Third Rail\u2019 and the dark werewolf-bouncer world of \u2018Watchmen\u2019 (the basis for his upcoming novel Blood<\/em>), Sterns is a former lecturer in Gothic & Subversive Fiction, editor of The Journal of the Australian Horror Writers<\/em> and Ph.D. student in postmodern horror.<\/p>\n

Aaron is part of a panel on the Australian Gothic in Cinema<\/a>, at the Melbourne Writers Festival, Saturday 30 August. He is currently at work on his next novel and a raft of screenplays.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

Rue Morgue Online – Interview with all three ‘Wolf Creek’ prequel novel writers<\/h2>\n

Aug 8, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

My favourite magazine in the world Rue Morgue<\/em> recently interviewed Greg, Brett and I for their online site, the first (and only?) time I think all three of us have been interviewed together. Read on:<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.rue-morgue.com\/2014\/08\/hell%E2%80%99s-shelves-greg-mclean-aaron-sterns-and-brett-mcbean-on-the-wolf-creek-novels\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hell\u2019s Shelves: Greg McLean, Aaron Sterns and Brett McBean on the Wolf Creek novels<\/h2>\n

Interview with Alan Kelly, Aug 4 2014<\/p>\n

Alan Kelly sits down to talk with with Greg McLean, Aaron Sterns and Brett McBean on the WOLF CREEK series\u2019 expansion into the world of literature.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Tie-in novelizations often gain credibility only by dint of their association with a well-received pop-culture property; in the case of Penguin Books Australia\u2019s first two Wolf Creek novels, though, readers are in good hands. Penguin has commissioned a six-part fiction series based on Greg McLean\u2019s acclaimed 2005 horror-thriller, with McLean serving as co-writer on the first two installments.<\/p>\n

In Wolf Creek: Origin<\/strong><\/em>, McLean teams with Wolf Creek 2 co-writer Aaron Sterns to explore the early days of budding psychopath Mick Taylor. As a young jackaroo driven by bloodlust and haunted by the spectre of his father\u2019s brutality, Taylor is pitted against the Others, a collective of equally nasty outback psychopaths; a tag-team of snuff movie-making brothers who prey on couples; a mine-dwelling, paedophiliac child-killer; and a corrupt cop who proves to be the most dangerous adversary of them all. In The Desolation Game, written by McLean and novelist Brett McBean, Taylor has honed his murderous skills during the Vietnam War and, at the apparent behest of an outside force, leaves a trail of carnage across the Australian outback.<\/p>\n

The first two prequel novels are brutal origin stories with a take-no-prisoners approach to fleshing out McLean\u2019s iconic bogeyman, but they retain the ambiguity of evil that made Wolf Creek so compelling. They are every bit as harrowing as readers would expect. We recently caught up with the writers to discuss origin stories, the nature of evil, and Wolf Creek\u2019s singular psychopath.<\/p>\n

At what point did you decide to explore Mick Taylor\u2019s background?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Greg McLean: Wolf Creek was always intended, if the movie worked, to be the creation of an Australian \u201cBogey Man\u201d type of figure. Primarily I was just really focused on making as good a movie as possible, but at the same time I was very aware we did not have our own homegrown figure like that. We certainly had enough basis in reality to draw from, but the dots had just never been joined in a way that was really cohesive. So in that sense, from the writing of the screenplay for the first film there was always the notion of a continuing story following this character. It took some time to flesh out just what that journey would be, and personally I find the character pretty fascinating. Plus his world \u2013 Outback Australia \u2013 not just at this time period, but over 50 or so years, is great to be able to explore.<\/p>\n

Aaron Sterns: Actually, back when the first Wolf Creek started screening, Greg and I were sharing a writing office and we\u2019d idly bandy around storylines for Mick Taylor graphic novels. It was then, I think, when we realized the mythic potential of the amazing character Greg had created, which was confirmed soon after as the movie started worming its way into the cultural consciousness.<\/p>\n

We agreed, for instance, that he would\u2019ve grown up in a small town with an abusive, or at least domineering, father. And that he\u2019d probably had a number of nascent years of mistakes and missteps growing into the consummate murderer he would become. We actually came upon an idea during this brainstorming that Greg thought was so strong it could be used for the film\u2019s sequel, so, being the horror guy, he sent me off to write it. Flash-forward a few years following Rogue and other projects, and when Wolf Creek 2 came back on the radar Greg let me know about a potential fiction series he was setting up with Penguin.<\/p>\n

We mapped out a general arc of six books together, knowing that the first book would be his very beginning, the second book would be his Vietnam experience, and so on, but at this stage I was only intending to help curate the series, as I was working on my own material. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized I knew Mick\u2019s genesis \u2013 having read studies on serial killers for so many years and always intending to write my own take, and having also co-written the sequel script \u2013 and that this was an opportunity to write not only the origin story of perhaps the most iconic Australian horror villain, but also attempt what could be a great Australian gothic story: depicting in some way how this vast, uncaring landscape can either kill us or turn us mad. Greg gave me the broad brief that the first book would see Mick wandering the desert when he\u2019s taken under the wing of a serial killer who trains him to clear the Outback of rival serial killers, but apart from that I had carte blanche<\/em> to create the entire story.<\/p>\n

Did you ever have any worries that by fleshing out Taylor\u2019s background, he might become less frightening? How did you avoid this?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

GM: I think this is a concern in one sense, as this was a large part of what was so exciting about the first movie \u2013 there was little to no mention of who the hell this guy was\u2026 the lack of \u00a0backstory was kind of shocking. However, these novels are much more character based drama that horrific things happen within than specifically simple horror stories. So in that sense they\u2019re very much stand alone stories following the development of the character in a very detailed and dramatic way. Also, its important to remember you can only do the first story of a character like this once. Once you see Mick in the first movie \u2013 everything before and after that story is kind of anchored by his appearance is that tale. Also, the cats out of the bag in terms of what he\u2019s capable of. So the fear in stories before and after that have to be based upon different things. Having said all that, and as I frequently say, you can never really know the mind of a madman. No matter what you know he\u2019s always got something else up his sleeve you would NEVER expect in a million years. That\u2019s why he\u2019s an interesting character I guess \u2014 he\u2019s finally unknowable.<\/p>\n

AS: I don\u2019t think we remove any ambiguity. I think if anything we complicate it. The first novel explores the question of whether Mick eventually becomes a serial killer because of his brutal upbringing, or whether it was a trait inherent within him, but I think leaves it up to the reader to decide. It even gives some grounding to his psychopathology to suggest why he might kill people in the sexualized way he does, and that maybe he continues to do so to suppress the demons of his past. The slightly supernatural tinges to his abilities hinted at in the first movie \u2013 his preternatural ability to second-guess his victim\u2019s actions, the metaphorical fading into air in the end frame \u2013 are also explored in both books, and might be the result of the survival skills ingrained in him by his father, or possession by the spirits of the land during a near-death experience alone in the Outback, or might just be as a result of his stark-raving madness. Again, it\u2019s up to the reader. But to me, it freaks me out a little more to know what he\u2019s done in his past (and I wrote it!).<\/p>\n

Were there a lot of intense plotting sessions? Did you start with a broad outline of the story and go from there, or was the writing process different with each book?<\/p>\n

Brett McBean: This was my first time writing in someone else\u2019s universe, and so I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect: a detailed twenty-page synopsis of the story and detailed character notes that I had to adhere to, or carte blanche. As it turned out, it fell somewhere in between. I was given a three-page outline, which contained the basic plot and characters, but was told it was only a rough guideline, and so, other than not making it a romantic comedy or changing the setting to space, I had plenty of room to move, creative-wise. This was an ideal situation: I knew what Greg wanted, yet I had the creative freedom to write a novel that both satisfied the brief as well as my own sensibilities.<\/p>\n

GM: Brett and I meet a few times, I read his work and could see where his own sensibilities lie and thought he was a terrific storyteller and a really gifted writer. The rest really was sending drafts over email and sending notes but it was actually a pretty smooth process, I have to say. I think that\u2019s what happens when you both have very clear ideas about what you want to achieve, as it turned out really well.<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek: The Desolation Game suggests there might be an external force in control of Taylor. Will future instalments have a supernatural bent?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BM: I can\u2019t speak to future installments, but there is definitely a supernatural edge to the second novel. We had to be careful, however, not to lay the supernatural on too thick, as Wolf Creek is reality-based horror. So we made the supernatural unreliable; is it real, or only in Mick\u2019s mind? I think it plays well, as the character of Mick Taylor already skirts that line of being slightly beyond normal human capabilities when it comes to hunting and killing.<\/p>\n

GM: As Brett says, the stories are very reality based; we\u2019ve kept that important tonal quality from the films. But having said that, we do explore it more deeply in Brett\u2019s book. The concept of some external or cosmic evil guiding Mick is woven into the Wolf Creek mythos. It\u2019s implied in the first and second film and is certainly a concept that I\u2019m very interested in exploring because at the heart of the question is: Is there an evil beyond what human beings are capable of? And where does evil come from? From within a single individual? Is it collective? Is it learned or just innate in some incredibly evil personalities from the beginning? It\u2019s an interesting theme to ponder and explore, and one we\u2019ll perhaps never have an answer to.<\/p>\n

Other novels that take place in the Wolf Creek universe have been commissioned. What other authors will you be working with?<\/p>\n

GM: At this point I\u2019ve plotted out the books and we\u2019re in the process of thinking of great writers who might be interested in the character and the story world of Wolf Creek. So no names as yet.<\/p>\n

Was it daunting, writing a story involving a character as iconic as Taylor?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BM: Oh, absolutely. Your gut-thought is, \u201cChrist, I hope I don\u2019t screw this up.\u201d Because you not only have to capture the character, but you have to be careful, especially with a character as evil as Mick, not to create a caricature. That was the real task of writing this novel: making Mick a real, fully-rounded and believable character, while staying true to what was laid out in the first movie and not to tip over into cartoonish excess.<\/p>\n

AS: It should have been, but I didn\u2019t have time. I wrote the first draft of Wolf Creek 2 soon after the release of the first movie, so although we were beginning to see its rise in popularity, I had a clear vision in my head, based on a great premise Greg and I had come up with, and my own knowledge of the Mick Taylor character, having read and given notes on the screenplay that was the precursor to Wolf Creek \u2014 and was able to get the script out before I had time to worry about its reception. The Origin novel proved a bit harder, in that it came some years afterwards, and Mick Taylor had become part of our cultural consciousness. But I was also given a pretty crushing deadline of about four or five months to turn in a first draft, with only the general logline of the story Greg provided me with \u2013 that a young Mick is wandering the desert when a serial killer takes him under his wing and trains him \u2013 and my own ideas about Mick\u2019s past coupled with a lifelong fascination of serial killers. (In fact, when I was younger I used to write first-person one-page monologues of John Wayne Gacy and Ed Gein and John Haigh in an attempt to understand their psychology, but then it depressed me too much and I had to stop!) From there I was given free reign to imagine Mick\u2019s upbringing, so I put all thoughts about what the huge amount of Wolf Creek fans might think about my take, and followed the story unrolling in my head. It was only after I emerged after a breathless four months that I stopped to think about the weight I\u2019d taken on my shoulders, and whether I\u2019d done the series justice. For me, I\u2019d seen the opportunity of Origin as a way to write a great Australian gothic novel on a big stage, channeling the likes of Cormac McCarthy or Jack Ketchum for an Australian audience. It was only later that I realized people might have their own view on Mick\u2019s past, or that they might expect a more conventional \u2018slasher\u2019 novel, and that I\u2019d been quite ambitious in thinking I could pull this off. I can only hope we\u2019ve succeeded.<\/p>\n

Did the fact that the character already exists make it easier or more difficult to write?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

BM: Thankfully \u2013 and perhaps a little scarily \u2013 I found I slipped easily into Mick\u2019s skin. It was a blast to write that character\u2019s voice. I think this largely had to do with how well written and acted the character was in the first film. When you have a character as well-defined as Mick Taylor, it makes the job a lot easier when it comes to fleshing out that character in prose form.<\/p>\n

AS: Having an already an established character to work towards meant that a lot of the little decisions about voice and motivation and attitude were already done for me, so what I could do is have fun building their foundations in the novel (some little antecedents for his attitudes towards foreigners, for instance), that can bog you down when you\u2019re trying to develop an original character. But there\u2019s definitely a potential for mimicry or fan-fictionalism (if that\u2019s a word) when approaching an established character. I guess that\u2019s why superheroes and characters like James Bond are rebooted so often, because after a while the character becomes just a series of bald traits or catch-phrases. The thing in our favor is that there\u2019d only been one movie depicting Mick Taylor, and he\u2019s actually not on-screen for a lot of it. There\u2019s only a few extended dialogue scenes, such as the great campfire scene. I know, because I went back through the movie in minute detail to capture Mick\u2019s voice. John (and Greg with his great script) managed to nail the character in very short time. But when it comes to Wolf Creek 2 Mick is on-screen doing his thing for far more of it, so the fact I knew all this extra material having co-written the script meant, I suppose, that I was an obvious choice to write the prequel story. I got to fill out both timelines, and I took it as a great privilege and tried to reward Greg\u2019s faith in me.<\/p>\n

Can we expect to see a film adaptation of these books one day? <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

GM: At this stage I\u2019m really just focused on successfully telling the prequel stories as novels but you never know. Casting the young Mick would be seriously great fun as there\u2019s some amazing young actors coming out of Australia right now. We\u2019d be spoiled for choice so time will tell. Maybe when the whole series is finished so a few years away yet.<\/p>\n

Given the choice, what other movie madman (or woman) would you pit Taylor against?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

GM: That\u2019s a funny question but we seriously joke about this question on set while shooting. Mick VS Predator? Mick VS the Alien Queen? Mick VS Hannibal Lecter? Mick VS Leatherface? All I know John Jarratt assures me Mick Taylor would gut each one of them and shove their spine up their arse before they could make their first move.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The Rise of Rural Horror in Aus & US Film – ‘American Review’ looks at ‘Wolf Creek 2’<\/h2>\n

Aug 8, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

The prestigious American Review<\/em> recently published an article by the esteemed Dean Bertram that includes a quote from me. A very insightful piece that speaks to some of the issues I\u2019ll be talking about at the Melbourne Writers Festival soon (more on that later!):<\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/americanreviewmag.com\/stories\/The-Wolf-Creek-Chain-Saw-Massacre<\/a><\/p>\n

THE WOLF CREEK CHAINSAW MASSACRE<\/h2>\n

American and Australian horror films have reimagined rural landscapes as places of malevolence and dread<\/em><\/p>\n

By Dean Bertram<\/strong><\/p>\n

American Review<\/em>, Issue #16, August 2014<\/p>\n

A cultural sea change swept over American and Australian cinema in the early 1970s. The wild but defining rural spaces of both countries had long been the touchstones of their respective national identities. In his formative 1893 paper \u201cThe Significance of the Frontier in American History,\u201d US historian Frederick Jackson Turner posited:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the frontier the American intellect owes its striking characteristics. That coarseness and strength combined with acuteness and inquisitiveness, that practical, inventive turn of mind, quick to find expedients, that masterful grasp of material things, lacking in the artistic but powerful to effect great ends, that restless, nervous energy, that dominant individualism, working for good and for evil, and withal that buoyancy and exuberance which comes with freedom \u2014 these are traits of the frontier, or traits called out elsewhere because of the existence of the frontier.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Across the Pacific, a national identity that placed a similar emphasis on the \u201cbush\u201d experience was being cemented by writers like Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson in the pages of The Bulletin<\/em> \u2014 \u201cThe Bushman\u2019s Bible.\u201d Indeed, some 60 years later, in The Australian Legend<\/em>, Russel Ward recognised the late 19th century as when \u201cAustralians generally became actively conscious, not to say self-conscious, of the distinctive \u2018bush\u2019 ethos, and of its value as an expression and symbol of nationalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

The formulation of these rural-centric nationalisms coincided with the birth of cinema, and their impact on both countries\u2019 filmmaking was unmistakable. Just as the Western was a dominant genre in American cinema \u2014 arguably the<\/em> American genre \u2014 from the medium\u2019s birth, so too are the first several decades of Australian film history replete with a rich assortment of tales of the bush, from the country\u2019s first two feature films The Story of the Kelly Gang<\/em> (1906) and Eureka Stockade<\/em> (1907); through the twice remade and sequel-spawning rural comedy On Our Selection<\/em> (1920, 1932, 1995); to a string of cattle and sheep station dramas including The Squatter\u2019s Daughter<\/em> (1910, remade 1933), The Overlanders<\/em> (1946), and The Phantom Stockman<\/em> (1953). Both national cinemas expressed similar themes: rural life was tough and often hazardous, but it built the kind of strong character that helped the good guys prevail. In so doing, these films continued to bolster the original narratives from which they drew inspiration.<\/p>\n

However, as the twentieth century progressed, rural tropes became increasingly distant from the day-to-day realities of most citizens in either nation. The frontier ethos and bush ethos were formalised when the majority of Americans and Australians still lived on rural properties or in small country towns. But by 1970, only 26 per cent of the US population, and just shy of 15 per cent of the Australian, could be categorised as rural. Filmmakers in both countries began to look at such places through a less idealised, and often hostile, lens. Their camera\u2019s gaze moved from traditional rural heroes and heroines, capable of dealing with the harsh environment in which they existed, to urban protagonists existentially menaced not just by a hostile geography but by the rural antagonists who dwelt therein. The once familiar landscapes which had defined national character were transformed into alien outlands of malevolence and dread.<\/p>\n

American horror films of the period in particular re-imagined rural geographies and inhabitants as inimical to urban outsiders. The rural antagonists of Night of the Living Dead<\/em> (1968), Deliverance<\/em> (1972), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em> (1974), and The Hills Have Eyes<\/em> (1977) are variously portrayed as murderers, cannibals, and rapists. It\u2019s also worth noting the concurrent slew of revisionist Westerns that inverted the formulaic moralities and histories of the genre and the frontier, including The Wild Bunch<\/em> (1969), Little Big Man<\/em> (1970), McCabe and Mrs Miller<\/em> (1971), High Plains Drifter<\/em> (1973), and Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull\u2019s History Lesson<\/em> (1976). Both contemporary and historical genre films were chipping away at popular conceptions of the American frontier and rural decency. The \u201cNew Wave\u201d of Australian cinema followed a similar trajectory. Wake in Fright<\/em> (1971), Night of Fear<\/em> (1972), The Cars that Ate Paris<\/em> (1974), Picnic at Hanging Rock<\/em> (1975), Long Weekend<\/em> (1978), The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith<\/em> (1978), and Mad Max<\/em> (1979), all eschewed the traditional bush ethos, and instead transformed its sacred geography into one ripe with death and degeneracy.<\/p>\n

Rural settings have remained a staple of both nations\u2019 horror cinema until the present day. American titles like Friday the 13th<\/em> (1980), Evil Dead<\/em> (1981), The Blair Witch Project<\/em> (1999), and House of 1000 Corpses<\/em> (2003) along with their sequels, remakes, knock-offs, and hundreds of other \u201ccabin in the woods\u201d\u2013type movies, have been a staple of the American screen for almost half a century. Australia\u2019s less prolific cinematic output has nonetheless continued to release dozens of horror films set in the outback, including Road Games<\/em> (1981), Razorback<\/em> (1984), Rogue<\/em> (2007), The Horseman<\/em> (2008), and Dying Breed<\/em> (2008).<\/p>\n

The Australian exemplar is of course Wolf Creek<\/em> (2005), and the recently released sequel Wolf Creek 2<\/em> (2013). Like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em>, to which its similar cin\u00e9ma v\u00e9rit\u00e9<\/em> style and shocking depictions of violence often attracts comparison, Wolf Creek<\/em> was marketed as being based on true events. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre<\/em> \u2014 along with Psycho<\/em> (1960) and Silence of the Lambs<\/em> (1991) \u2014 was inspired by Ed Gein, the rural Wisconsin serial killer. Gein\u2019s predilection for grave robbing, cannibalism, wearing the skin of his female victims, and fashioning human body parts into furniture was blood-splattered grist for the horror filmmaking mill. He was a real life embodiment of the rural terrors that would inundate American cinema screens for decades to follow. Wolf Creek<\/em> drew similar inspiration from serial killer Ivan Malat, and the Peter Falconio murder. These highly publicised criminal cases acted as cautionary tales on the dangers of travelling in the Australian outback and buttressed the types of fears expressed in post-1960s Australian cinema.<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek<\/em>\u2019s serial killer, Mick Taylor, is played with unsettling menace by Australian screen mainstay John Jarratt. Taylor is the dark reflection of heroic bushmen characters immortalised on Australian celluloid by homegrown stars from Chips Rafferty through Paul Hogan to Hugh Jackman. Both Wolf Creek<\/em> films are overtly conscious of their subversion of this archetype. They deliver self-referential nods to the audience even as they deliver their savage and satirical blows.<\/p>\n

In the first film, Mick Taylor appropriates Mick \u201cCrocodile\u201d Dundee\u2019s most famous catchphrase \u201cthat\u2019s not a knife,\u201d just before slicing off a screaming backpacker\u2019s fingers and severing her spinal cord. In the sequel, Taylor introduces himself to another unlucky tourist as \u201cMick Taylor\u2026 pig hunter and general outback legend.\u201d Because the audience has seen what Taylor is capable of, a sense of dread is evoked even by the film\u2019s references to traditionally benign or humorous Australian motifs. One of Wolf Creek 2<\/em>\u2019s cleverest moments emerges when Taylor\u2019s British captive tries to placate the outback killer with a rendition of the well-worn \u201cTie Me Kangaroo Down Sport.\u201d Even Australian audiences momentarily forget the song\u2019s once comical last verse. Mick soon reminds us though, cutting his captive off mid chorus, and blurting out the song\u2019s final lines. Coming from his mouth, they resonate a sinister meaning:<\/p>\n

\u201cTan me hide when I\u2019m dead Fred,
\nTan me hide when I\u2019m dead.
\nSo we tanned his hide when he died Clyde,
\nAnd that\u2019s it hangin\u2019 on the shed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Taylor\u2019s nativism and xenophobia \u2014 the ugly side of the bush spirit \u2014 is demonstrated through his aggressive targeting of international backpackers: \u201cforeign bastards\u201d and \u201cnoxious bloody weeds\u201d as he describes them. Moreover, Taylor is presented as being self aware of the very type of rural vs. urban and wilderness vs. civilisation themes that have become mainstays of both the American and Australian horror genre. Filled with malicious superiority he tells his most recent urban captive: \u201cIn this world there\u2019s people like me and people like you. And people like me eat people like you for breakfast.\u201d Indeed, the film\u2019s British outsider \u2014 a history major, played by Australian actor Ryan Corr \u2014 like other civilised British protagonists in earlier Australian horror classics (Gary Bond in Wake in Fright<\/em> and Dominic Guard in Picnic at Hanging Rock<\/em>) is overwhelmed by the brutality of the outback. The bush\u2019s inhabitants, mysteries, and horrors present challenges beyond the physical and psychic traits developed in an urban and civilised life.<\/p>\n

I recently asked Aaron Sterns, writer of Wolf Creek 2<\/em> for his opinion on the central thesis of this piece, and if he and director\/co-writer Greg McLean were conscious of the historical change in cinematic depictions of the Australian bush while writing their film. \u201cYou\u2019re probably right that there was a shift in the depiction of the outback\/bush in film in the 70s,\u201d Sterns said. \u201cI\u2019m thinking Wake in Fright<\/em>, Picnic at Hanging Rock<\/em>, etc., which were very influential on us.\u201d However, he also suggests:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fear or distrust of the bush has always been endemic in Australian culture. I\u2019m particularly thinking of early Australian gothic stories such as Barbara Baynton\u2019s The Chosen Vessel<\/em> and Henry Lawson\u2019s The Drover\u2019s Wife<\/em>, and the artists of the Heidelberg School ([Frederick] McCubbin in particular, who would often depict small figures in the malevolent or inhospitable landscape, lost children, etc.). Early explorers often died crossing our land, the first settlers experienced grief and heartbreak, and although there might have been a transition period when people no longer survived off the land as much, we have always gravitated toward the \u2018safety\u2019 of the cities in Australia. Wolf Creek<\/em> certainly taps into that \u2026 For me, being out of place in the outback is central to the Australian experience, and being a city boy is something I\u2019ve always felt (having lived in the country too, and never feeling entirely comfortable). Mick\u2019s a personification of the potential threat of the landscape, but then so is the tramp in The Chosen Vessel<\/em>, and the snake in The Drover\u2019s Wife<\/em>. Maybe we\u2019re just tapping into those early stories.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In her 2013 book, The Rural Gothic in American Popular Culture: Backwoods Horror and Terror in the Wilderness<\/em>, Bernice M. Murphy argues a similar position in regards to American cinema: that rural horror films belong to an older cultural strain. According to Murphy, this tradition reaches back through American Gothic writers like Charles Brockden Brown and Nathaniel Hawthorne to the savage realities faced by European settlers on the frontier.<\/p>\n

While darker byways of both countries\u2019 formative narratives may well have long existed, post-1960s cinema drove such fear-laden tales to the cultural forefront. A generation of new, predominantly urban movie-goers would vicariously experience the backwoods and the outback, the frontier and the bush, as landscapes of nightmare and death rather than struggle and triumph.<\/p>\n

This revisionist interpretation is no more accurate than the traditional. But as always, cinematic depictions say more about the preconceptions of filmmakers, and the cultures in which they create, than the realties of rural life, past or present. I\u2019m reminded of another quote from Frederick Jackson Turner\u2019s influential paper: \u201cAt the frontier the environment is at first too strong for the man. He must accept the conditions which it furnishes or perish\u2026\u201d Like the hapless victims in rural horror movies, we are soft from civilisation\u2019s modern amenities. Those travails of frontier or bush, met by our forebears, would likely spell our demise. And while we might not like to admit it, these films whisper in unintended allegories that it is not our national ethos that has failed, but rather our ability to maintain its rigorous demands.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

Monsterpictures Interview<\/h2>\n

Aug 8, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an interview I forgot to post from a few weeks back, appearing on the Monsterpictures site. I like that first line.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

http:\/\/monsterpictures.com.au\/features\/toe-curler-an-interview-with-wolf-creek-2-writer-aaron-sterns\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

Toe curler: An interview with Wolf Creek 2 writer, Aaron Sterns<\/h1>\n

by Marcey Papandrea, July 2 2014<\/p>\n

Aaron Sterns is an interesting guy. He co-wrote Wolf Creek 2<\/em> with director Greg McLean and was responsible for the very first Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novel, Origin: Wolf Creek, Book 1<\/em>. Both projects take a hard look at Wolf Creek<\/em>\u2018s deranged hero, bushman Mick Taylor, and create a causal link between a young jackaroo and the killer he became. In the novel, Sterns builds a figure defined by early-life trauma; in the Wolf Creek 2<\/em>, Sterns reveals just how that trauma continues to impact Taylor, letting us know that resolution of our hero\u2019s demons is unlikely.<\/p>\n

Sterns is a good fit for building on the Taylor legend. He is the author of several award-winning short horror stories, and the upcoming werewolf novel, Blood<\/em>. He spent time as a lecturer in Gothic and Subversive Fiction, edited the Journal of Australian Horror Writers<\/em>, and is a PhD student in postmodern horror. The most fun a writer can have, Sterns says, is in creating the backstory for frightening figures like Taylor, and the author was in his element during the writing of the Wolf Creek<\/em> novel. The new film, in turn, allowed Sterns to enter into far murkier territory, upping the ante in Taylor-derived devastation. Sterns\u2019 scenes, at times, were of the sort even he was surprised to see onscreen.<\/p>\n

Sterns is currently working on another novel, a number of screenplays, and a film version of Blood<\/em>. Monster<\/strong> caught up with the Sterns to discuss the novel, available now through Penguin Books, and the sequel, which is on DVD and BluRay through Roadshow.<\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: How did you get involved with co-writing Wolf Creek 2<\/em>?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: Greg and I shared an office in Fitzroy (Melbourne) in our early days. We\u2019d trade scripts back and forth for comment, including his script that became Wolf Creek<\/em>. I even had a cameo in that film. We bandied around sequel ideas after its filming, until hitting upon something we thought was innovative and \u2018big\u2019 enough to warrant the sequel. Given my interest and experience in the horror field, even then, Greg said: Great, go off and write it. We\u2019ve been developing the script since, until Greg had the opportunity to return to Mick\u2019s world and we secured the funding to finally shoot it.<\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: From script to screen, how different if at all, did the film turn out? Was everything in the script in the film?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: Well, as with any script there\u2019s an incredible amount of changes along the way. Amazingly the structure of the film \u2014 and its central idea \u2014 is still the same as it is in my initial treatment and first draft. We set the film up as being about a backpacking couple, only for this to be playing with audience expectations, and for it to really be about an encroaching character. I was channeling Psycho<\/em> in this. A lot of cosmetic stuff has changed along the way \u2014 dialogue, particular scenes and how they play out, and the opening and ending went through endless variations. And, of course, there were dialogue changes in rehearsal. Even on set with John adlibbing and playing around with lines. But it\u2019s quite faithful to the shooting script. And I\u2019m actually surprised some of the more extreme moments (that were excised from the Australian theatrical release, but can be seen in all their glory on the Blu-Ray version) were ever filmed.<\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: Was it frustrating to know the film was cut for theatrical release?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: I\u2019d been telling everyone all along how there were scenes in this film that\u2019d make your toes curl. That\u2019s why they brought a horror writer in, after all! Then a month or so before release, it became evident the film would be getting an MA release. I was assured at the time the DVD would be uncut, so at least I could fall back on that. However, it has to be said that making the film a little more palatable also opened it out to a much wider audience. Roadshow backed it in a big way, even putting up billboards and buying TV spots. How many Australian horror films get that? And the film justified it with its box office, becoming the number one film in the country its first week, which is almost unheard of for local horror.<\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: Do you see this success helping increase awareness in the horror genre here?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: I think the entire Australian industry\u2019s in trouble. The Babadook<\/em>, which is by all accounts a wonderful film, hasn\u2019t performed well. The Rover<\/em> \u2014 not a horror film, but another lauded locally-shot flick, actually shooting alongside us in Hawker last year \u2014 has also failed to attract numbers. There was an article in the papers recently claiming that Wolf Creek 2<\/em> had been illegally downloaded two million times already. There are arguments back and forth about piracy, in some quarters that it encourages a culture in which film and television is central, and that it complements legal, profitable avenues that still return income; in other quarters that it\u2019s destroying the low-budget and mid-tier films. I waver between the two.<\/p>\n

It took us years to get Wolf Creek 2<\/em> financed, despite its pedigree. I know that trying to get original genre works, or indeed any Australian-made films, is even harder now, if not impossible. If people realised how difficult it is to get a film financed, let alone dreaming up the idea, writing the script, getting the right actors, finding an enthusiastic director, securing sales, then maybe they might value others\u2019 work a little more.<\/p>\n

\"Wolf_Creek_2_07\"<\/a><\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: You wrote Origin: Wolf Creek<\/em>. How did you get involved with the first Wolf Creek<\/em> novel?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: My background is in fiction, having written short stories for many years. Penguin approached Greg about the possibility of novelising the films, but this morphed into an idea of exploring Mick Taylor\u2019s backstory. He hints at a few things in the first film, about being the head kangaroo shooter on a station, for instance, and people have often asked about his past, and how it might have contributed to what he became. I\u2019ve researched serial killers extensively, so when Greg asked me straight off the bat to write one of the novels in a proposed series of six, I said yes, as long as it\u2019s the first one. The juicy ideas are always in the origin story, and the more I thought about it, the more I realised Mick\u2019s upbringing was unfolding in my head. After a quick research trip to outback Queensland following an interview with John Jarratt to get his thoughts on Mick\u2019s genesis, I wrote the first draft in three months. A whirlwind.<\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: How much input did John Jarratt have with forming Mick Taylor, in regards to the script for Wolf Creek 2 and the book?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: The first thing I did upon signing the book contract was sit down with John. I knew he had particular ideas about Mick\u2019s psychopathology, and he proved a wealth of insight. Even more rewarding were a couple of anecdotes he gave me, and some of his own history growing up in Aramac in central Queensland. I was so fascinated by the place I took a trip up there and set Mick\u2019s hometown there, though it\u2019s called Erebli in the novel. As for the film, John suggested Mick riding the horse after Paul \u2014 I had Mick commandeer a paddock wagon \u2014 and he contributed quite a bit of the vernacular. There\u2019s no one that knows Aussie slang like John \u2014 though \u201cnun\u2019s nasty\u201d is mine.<\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: What\u2019s next for you?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: I have a multitude of projects in the works. Hopefully I can even talk about some soon.<\/p>\n

MONSTER<\/strong>: On a scale of 1 to 10 how bloody awesome is Monster Pictures?<\/p>\n

STERNS<\/strong>: This is where I say 11, right? The MonsterFest Fil Festival is huge for horror in this country. I\u2019m hoping it can do a little bit of a crossover with fiction as well at some stage, particularly in that I straddle the two, because fiction always seems the poor stepchild of film when it comes to horror. Hopefully, Monster Pictures can continue to grow, and become the conduit for great horror to be produced here, too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

Best Screenplay at Nocturna Film Festival 2014<\/h2>\n

June 10, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2<\/em> cleaned up at Nocturna 2014, the Madrid International Fantastic Film Festival. Best Screenplay, Best Director to Greg, and Best Performances to John and Ryan. So I can now say I’m an award-winning screenwriter. Crazy.<\/p>\n


\nhttp:\/\/www.nocturnafilmfestival.com\/index.php\/en\/news\/549-nocturna-festival-2014-awards<\/a><\/p>\n


\nNOCTURNA 2014 AWARDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

OFFICIAL SECTION<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

PAUL NASCHY Best Film Award: La Cueva<\/em><\/p>\n

Best Director Award: GREG McLEAN, Wolf Creek 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Best Screenplay Award: GREG McLEAN, AARON STERNS, Wolf Creek 2<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Best Performance Award: RYAN CORR and JOHN JARRATT, Wolf Creek 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Best FX Award: Extraterrestrial<\/em><\/p>\n

Special Performance Mention: EVA GARC\u00cdA VACAS, La Cueva<\/em><\/p>\n

DARK VISIONS SECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dark Visions Best Film Award: Cruel and Unusual<\/em><\/p>\n

MADNESS SECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Madness Best Film Award: Pinup Dolls on Ice<\/em><\/p>\n

AUDIENCE AWARDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Best Film Audience Award: Savaged<\/em><\/p>\n

Shots Best International Short film: Lothar<\/em><\/p>\n

Shots Best Spanish Short film: 24 Horas con Lucia<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘A Lasting Dread’ – Wolf Creek: Origin makes it into Rue Morgue<\/h2>\n

June 3, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

I can now say I’ve made it into my favourite magazine. Canadian horror mag Rue Morgue<\/em> (which I’ve subscribed to for some years) has an article on Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> in their May 2014 issue (#144). I’m particularly pleased Alison managed to include my tribute to Jack Ketchum in there. And many thanks to editor Dave Alexander for being such a great supporter of Wolf Creek<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.rue-morgue.com\/magazine\/434-issue-144<\/a><\/p>\n

A Lasting Dread<\/h2>\n

by Alison Lang<\/p>\n

Rue Morgue<\/em> #144, May 2014, p.50<\/p>\n

In 2005, a little Australian movie called Wolf Creek<\/em> made a sizeable splash in theatres worldwide, grossing over $27 million during its box office run.<\/p>\n

Set against the barren backdrop of the Outback, its unique take on genre conventions and unrelenting violence kept horror fans rapt. It also divided critics, many of whom erroneously lumped it with the likes of Saw<\/em> and Hostel<\/em> as yet another example of hyper-gratuitous torture porn.<\/p>\n

Nine years later, Wolf<\/em> Creek<\/em> still holds up as a modern-day masterpiece of Ozploitation. This is due in no small part to the film\u2019s antagonist: the affable and relentlessly depraved bushman, Mick Taylor, played with jocular menace by John Jarratt.<\/p>\n

Director Greg McLean and co-scriptwriter Aaron Sterns have brought the popular character back in Wolf<\/em> Creek<\/em> 2<\/em>, which hits North American theatres in mid-May, and they\u2019ve delved even further into Mick\u2019s backstory by releasing the first two books in a Penguin Australia-commissioned series of original novels. Sterns was tapped to write the first installment \u2013 titled Origin: Wolf Creek Book 1<\/em> \u2013 shortly after he and McLean had completed the screenplay for Wolf<\/em> Creek<\/em> 2<\/em> in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that I\u2019d just written the sequel means I knew Mick better than anyone, save for Greg and John Jarratt,\u201d Sterns says.<\/p>\n

The book begins with a young Mick starting his first job as a jackaroo (trainee) on a sheep ranch. It\u2019s grim work, and as Mick endures the taunts of his superiors, fragmented memories of a horrific childhood come lurching back to him. You almost feel sorry for the guy, until a few prominent details reveal themselves \u2013 namely, his tendency to fly into near-blackout rages, a growing penchant for sado-masochistic sex, and the matter of the mysterious childhood death of his sister. The story grows more complicated as we realize Mick is an unreliable narrator with multiple layers that peel back, slowly revealing the extent of his corruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it would be interesting to test,\u201d reveals Sterns. \u201cCan we still have an interest in this character, even when we already know what he becomes? It\u2019s one of those back-engineering problems that is quite fun to work with. Like the Star Wars<\/em> prequels, in Revenge of the Sith<\/em> we know what Darth Vader becomes. The key is to explain what happens to get him there and keep it interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Wolf<\/em> Creek<\/em> 2<\/em> embraces the comedic aspects of Mick\u2019s Aussie buckaroo persona, the Origin<\/em> novel is unrelentingly dark in comparison, with no moments of respite for any of its ruined characters. Sterns \u2013 a former instructor of gothic and subversive fiction at Deakin University \u2013 says the bleak tone is reflective of his own beliefs about what makes effective horror.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of horror is quite flippant,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s about body counts, the blood, people in pain, racking up the little thrills of seeing someone die. There\u2019s no impact there, no understanding of the toll that is paid. It\u2019s horrible. What always concerned me is that each person who dies in a horror film \u2013 that\u2019s an entire world. Those deaths have an emotional cost in reality, and you should feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amongst other influences, Sterns cites Jack Ketchum \u2013 another novelist who crossed over into film collaboration with 2011\u2019s The Woman<\/em> \u2013 as a profound inspiration when it comes to creating unflinching, haunting prose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a writer like Ketchum, the actual writing is as strong as possible,\u201d says Sterns. \u201cHe\u2019s trying not to let you off the hook. And he sets up the different characters so well that when everything goes down, you feel everything. He doesn\u2019t just set something up and then quickly jump away to make it easy on the reader. He stays with it, and it\u2019s horrendous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Origin<\/em> is definitely a wrenching reading experience, but it is also a significant achievement as a standalone Australian gothic novel, with a surprisingly literary sensibility that elevates the material. (The second novel, written by Australian horror writer Brett McBean, finds Mick in Vietnam, and may lead to four more titles to complete the series.) It\u2019s hard not to be equally engrossed and appalled by Mick\u2019s downward spiral \u2013 and it\u2019s impossible to look away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to get across a sense of Mick\u2019s tragic inevitability \u2013 the fact that he still has so much darkness to get through,\u201d says Sterns. \u201cThe horror I love doesn\u2019t really give you answers or endings, and there is no end. The experience just stays with you: a lasting dread.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

US Trip 2014<\/h2>\n

April 30, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

I fly out tomorrow morning to attend the World Horror Convention in Portland, Oregon next week. I\u2019m on two panels \u2014 \u2018Horror From the Page to the Silver Screen\u2019 with Jack Ketchum and Brian Keene, amongst others; and \u2018Hardcore F*cking Horror\u2019, again with Jack Ketchum. As well as being involved in the mass signing Friday night, I\u2019ve also been asked to give the screenwriting award at the HWA Bram Stoker Awards. Amazing. And that\u2019s not even counting the people I\u2019m looking forward to catching up with, or the pitches I\u2019ll be doing. Or the Twin Peaks<\/em> pilgrimage I\u2019m doing on the way to the Convention, stopping off at the Salish Lodge in Snoqualmie (the setting for the Great Northern). Really hoping I can get down to the RR Diner and grab some cherry pie and a cup of coffee, black as midnight.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/501012233284451\/permalink\/723347584384247\/<\/a><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll have access to this site while I\u2019m away, but will be posting to my FB author\u2019s page (facebook.com\/aaronsternsauthor<\/a>) and to Twitter (@aaronsterns) so you can follow my progress at either of those locations. There might even be some cool things happening in LA beforehand\u2026<\/p>\n

See you in a month.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

World Horror Convention 2014<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n

Apr 18th, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

To coincide with the release of Wolf Creek 2<\/em> and Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> in the U.S. I\u2019ll be attending the World Horror Convention<\/a> next month in Oregon. In fact, I leave for the States in a week and a half!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m booked in for the mass-signing at the conference on the Friday night, so will be signing copies of Origin<\/em> then and hopefully some posters of Wolf Creek 2 <\/em>if I can bring enough.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be posting updates and photos from the trip, including, hopefully, a set visit to Greg\u2019s new film featuring a certain footloose-dancing actor; and a little birthday side-trip\/pilgrimage I\u2019m doing to Twin Peaks country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

So: more to come.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek 2’ and ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’\u00a0 hit the States<\/h2>\n

April 18, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2<\/em> releases on VOD in the United States today\u2013and it\u2019s the full, uncut version.<\/p>\n

The film in the original state is much more uncompromising and cohesive, I feel, and early US reviews seem to be reflecting this. The Horror Society<\/a> describes it as \u201ca superior horror thriller that works on many levels\u201d, while The Quiet Earth<\/a> says \u201cif such a thing as an artistic horror movie exists, Wolf Creek 2<\/em> is it.\u201d Joblo\u2019s reviewer<\/a> even says it\u2019s \u201cthe first time this year a horror film entertained me so much!\u201d (of course, the year is young)<\/p>\n

And we even get a theatrical release May 16, a rare feat for a little Aussie horror movie in the big US market.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all. The Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novels were released today in the US by Penguin Global.<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> is available here<\/a> at Amazon. For those who don\u2019t know, Origin<\/em> follows a young Mick Taylor\u2019s doomed struggle to overcome a brutal and traumatic childhood. Michael Helms in the latest Fangoria<\/em> calls it a novel of \u201cfrequently extreme proportions\u201d, and says \u201cyour expectations will be flayed […] typical scene-for-scene novelizations can only pretend to the kind of creativity found here.\u201d A cool summation indeed.<\/p>\n

The second book in the series, Wolf Creek: Desolation Game<\/em> (written by Aus horror author Brett McBean and McLean), tracks Mick\u2019s transformation from amateur murderer to trained killer during the hell of the Vietnam War\u2013and his discovery of a little something called \u2018head-on-a-stick\u2019. It\u2019s available here<\/a>.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek 2’ opens, and the reviews are in<\/h2>\n

Feb 22, 2014
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It’s been a monster week. Wolf Creek 2<\/em> opened in Australia on February 20 and life has been a blur. I’ve been to screenings at Roadshow, a cast and crew screening in Adelaide that I introduced (with Producer Helen Leake and Roadshow Head of Production Seph McKenna), another fan’s screening in Adelaide that I also introduced, and then the Melbourne premiere Wednesday night at the Coburg Drive-in. (I’ve since gone to see it twice again at Doncaster and South Yarra’s Jam Factory to experience it with a big crowd.) I’d still prefer the uncut version (the Aus theatrical version is MA and takes a couple of my more choice images out — what did they expect, bringing a horror writer in?). But I’m told the DVD will be uncut. I’m holding them to that.<\/p>\n

As well as that I was interviewed by Channel 9 News at Adelaide Airport after I’d barely stepped off the plane, and I’ve been doing a series of radio interviews to regional stations (thanks to an old friend Paul Cook who’d put the word out). In the space of days: Star FM Mid-north coast with Nic & Josh; Hot FM Central Queensland with the very funny EJ & Browny; Hobart’s Heart FM 107.3 with David & Kim; Radio Esperance WA with Wayne Taylor; Radiowest with Paul himself; Star FM Albury with Ben & Kristie (that was a fun one); Star FM Coffs Harbour with Sami & Jay; and I have ones upcoming with Stacey & Elliot at Hot FM Cairns and Jase & Jess at Star FM Mount Gambier. John Jarratt tells me he’d do all that in an hour. Pretty overwhelming to a reclusive writer though. EJ at Hot FM CQ was kind enough to send me their interview, and can be found here: http:\/\/www.4shared.com\/mp3\/xfwYaKA9ba\/Wolf_Creek2_Full_edited_interv.html<\/a> It’s a hoot.<\/p>\n

And now to the reviews. I’d have to say I’m a little inclined to agree with some of the comments about the overdose of humour (if you’ve read Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> you’ll see the tone I tend to convey — it’s bleak and confronting and brutal. There’s some humour, but it’s pretty black and spare). And there are way too many kangaroos \ud83d\ude42 But, hey, the film got made, I’m happy with it, and I’ll be even happier with the DVD where people get more of a taste of the original vision.<\/p>\n

Generally, the reviews have been great. Paul Byrnes at The Age<\/em><\/a>\/ Sydney Morning Herald<\/em><\/a> gives it four stars, and says it has “bowel-twisting tension, and a clear sense of purpose and theme”. He gets special points for mentioning me.<\/p>\n

Jake Wilson gets even more points for introducing me thusly in The Age<\/em><\/a>\/ Sydney Morning Herald<\/em><\/a>: “[Mick’s] back to his old tricks in Wolf Creek 2<\/em>, which McLean directed from a script he co-wrote with author and academic Aaron Sterns (intriguingly described by his publisher as a former ‘researcher in postmodern horror’).” Now that’s<\/em> how you’d like to be described in a national newspaper. He describes the film as “the most notable home-grown fiction feature to hit cinemas since P.J. Hogan’s Mental”.<\/em><\/p>\n

Luke Buckmaster in The Guardian<\/em><\/a> says the sequel is “louder, faster and more entertaining. The body count is bigger; the death scenes more elaborate”, while Ron Cerabona also in the Sydney Morning Herald<\/a> <\/em>says “if you like horror movies, Wolf Creek 2 is well worth seeing”, giving it three-and-a-half stars too (which seems to be the standard).<\/p>\n

There’s also more nice reviews up on Quickflix<\/a>, Cheatedhearts<\/a>, Switch<\/a> (four stars too), Truly Disturbing<\/a>, Access Reel<\/a>, Resident Entertainment<\/a>, and AAP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And then there’s Leigh Paatsch at the Herald Sun<\/em><\/a> who gave the film half-a-star, and called it a “knuckle-dragging exercise in torture porn”. Well, it’s just as well he didn’t get to see the R version then, isn’t it? He seems to be having a go as much at the genre — and the sick perverts who write\/watch\/read it — as the film. Maybe he could defer to someone else at the paper a little more open-minded next time he has to watch one of these nasty, nasty horror movies. At least they mightn’t come into the cinema with a pre-determined review. But, hey, each to their own. My pre-determined view is I’ve never much cared what the guy thinks, so I guess we’re even.<\/p>\n

Over at my facebook page (www.facebook.com\/aaronsternsauthor<\/a> — check it out) I’ve been running one last competition for signed copies of Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>, inviting people to photograph themselves next to the many Creek 2<\/em> billboards plastering the country. The winner was a dog showing its arse to Mick. Not sure what that says about my followers — maybe just that they’re a cool irreverent bunch. Or they saw a dog and clicked LIKE after all the unrelenting horror stuff I post there. Anyway, here’s a pic I forgot to post. You have to do these things:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Cnr Elgin and Drummond Sts, Carlton)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek 2’, serial killers, and how horror “should change you for life”<\/h2>\n

Feb 18, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, this is a big one.<\/p>\n

The Herald Sun<\/em> interviewed me a few weeks ago regarding serial killers for their true crime online section. I think Blanche has done an exceptional job at making me sound eloquent.<\/p>\n

The article reminds me that when I was younger (just beginning Uni, if I recall) I used to set myself writing tasks over the summer holidays: every day I would have to write a one-page monologue from a famous serial killer\u2019s perspective (John Wayne Gacy, Henry Lee Lucas, John Haig). I began to realise we fetishise serial killers\u2019 killing techniques and quirks (like Gacy\u2019s clown costume), and collate the numbers of their victims like collectors\u2019 cards. Thinking about the deaths of innocents in such a necessarily detached manner made me so depressed I had to stop writing \u2014 and even reading \u2014 about them for quite some time. But I guess it was all good grounding for Origin<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.heraldsun.com.au\/news\/law-order\/wolf-creek-writer-aaron-sterns-believes-were-right-to-fear-the-presence-of-outback-killers-like-the-fictional-mick-taylor\/story-fni0ffnk-1226829294689<\/a><\/p>\n

Wolf Creek writer Aaron Sterns believes we\u2019re right to fear the presence of outback killers like the fictional Mick Taylor<\/h2>\n

Blanche Clark, The Herald Sun \u2013 Law and Order: True Crime Scene<\/em><\/p>\n

February 18, 2014<\/p>\n

\"Author<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Author Aaron Sterns \u2013 the Wolf Creek 2<\/em> co-writer believes we have a right to fear the unknown in the outback. Picture: Steve Tanner. Source:<\/em> News Limited<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Wolf Creek 2 <\/em>co-writer and author Aaron Sterns believes the Australian Outback could be home to more serial killers like Ivan Milat.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the scary things, I think; we only hear these stories if a serial killer is caught or the body is found,\u201d the Melbourne-based writer told the Herald Sun<\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLook at how big Australia is. How do you find a body? That\u2019s what Wolf Creek <\/em>taps into.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cites British backpacker Peter Falconio\u2019s disappearance in 2001 as a case in point.<\/p>\n

Truck driver Bradley Murdoch was convicted of Falconio\u2019s murder and is still in jail, but Falconio\u2019s body has never been found.<\/p>\n

Sterns studied Australia and America\u2019s most notorious serial killers to help film director Greg McLean create Wolf Creek<\/em>\u2019s terrifying and brutal predator Mick Taylor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was doing the research for this novel, I realised you could be made into a serial killer,\u201d Sterns says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a differentiation between what\u2019s called a psychopath and what\u2019s called a sociopath. Both don\u2019t feel empathy and both don\u2019t respect society\u2019s laws, but the psychopath is apparently someone who is born with that condition, whereas a sociopath is potentially a construct of the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the prequel novel Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>, released to coincide with the opening of Wolf Creek 2<\/em> in Australia on February 20, Taylor goes from a scrawny boy who witnesses the grisly death of his sister and flees his abusive father to an angry, emotionally detached jackaroo who kills anyone who goads him.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"John<\/div>\n
John Jarratt as Mick Taylor taps into our greatest fears of the bush. Picture: Supplied Source:<\/em> Supplied<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOne of the things I brought to this novel was the idea: was Mick Taylor inherently evil or was he a product of the environment?\u201d Sterns says.\u00a0 \u201cI hope I leave it up to the reader to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fan of Brett Easton Ellis\u2019s American Psycho <\/em>attributes his obsession with serial killers to witnessing domestic violence as a stepchild and trying to understand what causes that behaviour.<\/p>\n

He was deeply affected by the death of US\/Israeli journalist Daniel Pearl, who was killed in 2002 by terrorists in Pakistan.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was beheaded live and we saw the moment he went from a live person struggling to nothing, to this nothingness,\u201d Sterns says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this scene in Wolf Creek <\/em>2 which is that basically, because I wanted people to feel that moment when a character we loved became nothing in front of our eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says horror, both in literature and film, has more power than people realise.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood horror can affect you. It has a lasting impact. Terror and fear are momentary sensations that people can get excited by, but horror by definition is a lasting dread, and good horror changes you for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former lecturer in Gothic and subversive fiction says Wolf Creek<\/em> explores one of the fundamental aspects of being Australian \u2014 the fear of the bush and Outback.<\/p>\n

And Wolf Creek 2<\/em> might not be the last of the fictional serial killer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMick is still out there,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek 2’ co-writer is “the horror guy, the go-to man for all things grotesque”<\/h2>\n

Feb 14, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes. Yes I am.<\/p>\n

My University town’s newspaper The Geelong Advertiser<\/em> has run a great article today about the grounding Deakin Uni gave me for my horror career (being the only university at the time to even consider including genre fiction on the curriculum). Considering I taught there for a number of years (in Gothic and Subversive Fiction amongst other things) it’s nice to now be able to acknowledge the contribution.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.geelongadvertiser.com.au\/news\/horror-man-learns-his-skills-at-deakin-university\/story-fnjuhori-1226826519533<\/p>\n

Horror Man Learns his Skills at Deakin University<\/h2>\n

Margaret Linley, The Geelong Advertiser<\/em><\/p>\n

February 14, 2014<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

AARON Sterns is the horror guy, the go-to man for all things grotesque, macabre and scary. It\u2019s a skill set he honed while studying and lecturing at Deakin University. <\/strong><\/p>\n

And so it\u2019s no surprise his name shares equal billing on the screenplay for Wolf Creek 2<\/em>, due to be released next week.<\/p>\n

He is also the co-writer of a novel that is a prequel to the original Wolf Creek<\/em> movie in which character Mick Taylor, played by John Jarrett, tortures and kills some backpackers whose car has broken down in the outback.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe book looks at Mick Taylor\u2019s incredible backstory,\u2019\u2019 Mr Sterns said. \u201cSo many people wanted to know. We get hints (in the films) of some of the barbaric possibilities that a bushman might have gone through where death is seen almost as a part of life it\u2019s almost mundane.<\/p>\n

\u201cI seized upon that. I place him working on a cattle station. I had his father a dogger, a dingo hunter. There\u2019s that exposure to death.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Mr Sterns paid tribute to both his study and teaching experiences \u2014 he taught gothic and subversive fiction \u2014 at Deakin, which allowed him to focus on horror writing, a genre largely ignored by other universities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew a lot about the history of serial killers, the trigger moments, and so when I was given the opportunity to write about the most iconic serial killer (Mick Taylor) I could bring all of my imagination to the fore,\u2019\u2019 the former Geelong man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaylor has become emblematic of the fear of the outback and it struck a chord. He is the expert bushman who didn\u2019t take kindly to tourists trampling all over his backyard. Wolf Creek<\/em> is the highest grossing R film ever in Australia, the highest grossing film for that year.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Australia, he said, was full of people clustered around the coastline inherently suspicious of the vast interior that can swallow people whole.<\/p>\n

Mr Sterns was a consultant on the first movie, sharing an office with Greg McLean, the writer and director. He also had a cameo role, playing one of Taylor\u2019s cronies in the pub.<\/p>\n

When the sequel idea was floated \u2018\u2019the script was handed back and forth\u2019\u2019 between the two until it was ready.<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2 <\/em>will be released next Thursday.<\/p>\n

Origin: Wolf Creek<\/em>, by Greg McLean and Aaron Sterns, is published by Penguin. RRP $19.99<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

Ballarat link to horror film ‘Wolf Creek 2’<\/h2>\n

By Kara Irving, The Ballarat Courier<\/em><\/p>\n

February 10, 2014
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Funnily enough, Ballarat has ties to Australian horror film Wolf Creek 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Before Melbourne writer Aaron Sterns co-wrote the sequel to the box office hit, he lived in Gordon and attended Ballarat East High School.<\/p>\n

In fact, if it wasn\u2019t for his high school teacher Ros McArthur, Wolf Creek<\/em> wouldn\u2019t have a prequel or a sequel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had moved to Gordon and I went to high school in Ballarat,\u201d Mr Sterns said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to study graphic design at university, but Ros was part of the reason why I got into writing and chose to study at Deakin (University in Geelong) instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knew my passion was writing and swayed me to study a course there, so I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they say, the rest is history.<\/p>\n

Mr Sterns, who lived in Ballarat for about 15 years, went on to appear in a cameo role in the original Wolf Creek<\/em> in 2005. In 2007 he was the script editor for another Aussie horror flick, Rogue<\/em>.<\/p>\n

After the local and international success of Wolf Creek<\/em>, Mr Sterns started writing a script for the sequel, and eventually, a prequel novel series. Mr Sterns said living in Ballarat also inspired his novel-writing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was walking along an arcade where Target is today and I discovered a small bookstore I\u2019d never seen before,\u201d he said. \u201cI noticed Stephen King\u2019s novel It<\/em> in the front window. I know it sounds strange, but it seemed as if I was drawn to the book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Sterns said King\u2019s novels had since influenced his writing.<\/p>\n

Now based in Melbourne with his family, Mr Sterns hinted he was considering a return to Ballarat for a book-signing in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping sometime after the film release,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2<\/em> is released nationally on February 20.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(With thanks to Cameron Oliver for the photo)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ & ‘Desolation Game’ book(s) launch<\/h2>\n

Feb 3 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

We had an amazing turnout for the Wolf Creek<\/em> novels launch, held at Notions Unlimited on the weekend. Thanks to everyone for trekking down the coast (hope I got to speak to all of you). And for those that couldn\u2019t make it (I know of at least two car breakdowns in the heat!) thanks for the best wishes and support.<\/p>\n

A special thanks to Chuck at Notions for housing us, Jamie Blanks for hosting us, and Greg McLean for roping us in in the first place. It was great to be able to speak of the experience writing the novels (and the film), and a pleasure to sign copies for everyone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Author Aaron Sterns in full swing<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With host Jamie Blanks & fellow author Brett McBean<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Not easy to get horror authors to smile<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lookit that crowd<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The line begins<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And keeps going<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cooking up something dastardly, I\u2019m sure<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Chuck McKenzie\u2019s promotion even enticed some passing beachgoers in<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

An impressive window display<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With Jamie<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(With thanks to Dean Cowie for the photos)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The Latest ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ Review – “A brilliant, creepy, internal horror”<\/h2>\n

Jan 31, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Geoff Brown (the former president of the Australian Horror Writers Association) has just given his take on the Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novels. In his five-star review on Amazon.com & Goodreads he writes that “All I can say is ‘wow’! […] The flawed narrator ploy for Mick Taylor’s narrative oversight works wonderfully, and the final, brilliant ending left me wanting more. Bravo to the author\/s for sculpting such a brilliant, creepy, internal horror.”<\/p>\n

He’s also posted a longer review on the big UK site ThisIsHorror.co.uk, where he writes that “This is a book that doesn\u2019t hold back the punches, and gives everything that a horror fan is looking for. The writing by Sterns is another plus. The view inside Mick Taylor\u2019s head throughout the entire narrative was masterfully done. There are many great aspects to this book: the sense of the Australian outback; the sense of the onset of madness; and the threat from the antagonist are all fantastic. […] Definitely a great introduction to the bat-shit-crazy Mick Taylor.”<\/p>\n

Read all the nice stuff here: http:\/\/www.thisishorror.co.uk\/wolf-creek-franchise\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And in some other amazing news, legendary Australian horror film director Jamie Blanks has agreed to host the landmark Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novels book launch tomorrow at Notions Unlimited. It looks like being a fully-booked event, so should be an amazing day celebrating the birth of Australia’s first horror franchise. I’ll be posting photos in the next few days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Another nice article on the prequel novels’<\/h2>\n

Jan 25 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

There’s another article on the Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novels out today, appearing in Fairfax newspapers. I gave the interview for this a few weeks ago, so it’s nice to see it come out just in time for the launch next week. It’s an insightful take on Mick Taylor and his relationship to the landscape too, I feel. It also has a bit on my experience writing the novel, which I’ll be going into more detail about in interviews to come.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/entertainment\/books\/the-word-on-wolf-creek-20140124-31crc.html<\/a><\/p>\n

‘The Word on Wolf Creek’<\/h2>\n

by Jane Sullivan, The Age<\/em>\/ Sydney Morning Herald<\/em><\/p>\n

January 25, 2014<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

He’s kind of Slim Dusty, he’s kind of Bob Hawke, he’s kind of Crocodile Dundee. He’s a loveable larrikin, as Aussie an outback character as they come. He’s also a serial killer given to wearing human skin.<\/p>\n

We’re talking about Mick Taylor, demonic anti-hero of the iconic Australian horror film Wolf Creek<\/em>, owner of the second most famous set of movie sideburns after Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. The legend is back next month in Wolf Creek 2<\/em>. And now you can read about him in two appropriately bullet-holed and blood-spattered Wolf Creek<\/em> paperbacks, Origin<\/em> and Desolation Game<\/em>.<\/p>\n

These are not novelisations of the films, but fully-fledged prequels that show us in detail how Mick developed from a frightened little boy into a monster – or as his creator Greg McLean calls him, ”the apex predator of his domain”. Like any self-respecting psychopath, from Hannibal Lecter to Freddie of the Friday the Thirteenth<\/em> films, Mick deserves his own back story.<\/p>\n

McLean, who directed and co-wrote the two Wolf Creek<\/em> films, always intended his character to rampage through other media. He outlined a series of books and worked with a graphic designer to create mock-ups of how they might look. ”You really have to have it fully created in your mind before someone else can recognise that vision and share it,” he says.<\/p>\n

It took time to find a publisher, but in the end Penguin took up Australia’s first horror franchise. McLean wrote the novels with two award-winning horror writers: his script collaborator Aaron Sterns (Origin<\/em>) and Brett McBean (Desolation Game<\/em>). If all goes to plan and the first two titles sell well, there will be four more books in the series.<\/p>\n

The collaborations worked, McLean says, because his two quite different co-writers had a clear idea of the story and character, but also had enormous freedom to create. ”It was a learning experience all round \u2026 I think we all grew as writers.”<\/p>\n

Sterns says McLean initially provided him with just four lines on what the first book would be: ”A 20-year-old Mick Taylor is wandering the desert when a serial killer sees his potential and trains him to take out the other serial killers prowling the outback”. From there, he had free rein to imagine his story. His research included a visit to Aramac, home town of John Jarratt, the actor who plays Mick; and a cattle station in Queensland, complete with a ”chilling” butchery shed.<\/p>\n

There’s no faulting Sterns’ ambition. He saw Origin<\/em> as ”an opportunity to write the great Australian Gothic novel on a potentially big stage”. A difficult thing to pull off with fans’ expectations and a four-month deadline, but he has given it a red-hot go.<\/p>\n

What is so appealing about the horrific Mick Taylor? ”He’s truthful,” McLean says. He’s ”a totally, unashamedly Australian character steeped in the language and ways of the outback”. But we have seen his dark side in real murderers such as Ivan Milat and Bradley Murdoch. ”We’re fascinated and deeply afraid of them.”<\/p>\n

I reckon another drawcard of both the books and films is the Red Centre itself, which has attracted writers and creators from Patrick White onwards. As Sterns says, it’s a landscape that can drive the vulnerable mad.<\/p>\n

It’s huge, empty, romantic, terrifying. Maybe it’s the kind of place that demands sacrifice.<\/p>\n

But is the book industry ready for Mick? Sterns says one bookstore chain is selling the novels under paranormal and another under crime, because there’s no dedicated horror section any more. They will just have to catch up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The ‘Wolf Creek’ prequel novels launch – Official Invitation<\/h2>\n

Jan 24 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/notionsunlimitedbookshop.blogspot.com.au\/2014\/01\/wolf-creek-author-signing.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday, January 23, 2014<\/h2>\n

WOLF CREEK Author Signing!<\/h3>\n

With the release of WOLF CREEK\u00a02<\/strong> due next month in Australian cinemas, Notions Unlimited Bookshop<\/strong> is proud to present\u00a0the following event, to celebrate the release of Penguin\u2019s WOLF CREEK<\/strong> prequel novel series:<\/p>\n

Aaron Sterns<\/strong> (writer of WOLF CREEK 2<\/strong>, and co-author, with Greg McLean, of WOLF CREEK : ORIGIN<\/strong>), and Brett McBean<\/strong> (co-author, with Greg McLean, of WOLF CREEK : DESOLATION GAME<\/strong>) will be signing copies of their respective novels in-store.<\/p>\n

Venue:<\/strong> Notions Unlimited Bookshop, 426 Nepean Hwy, Chelsea
\nDate:<\/strong> Saturday 1st Feb 2014
\nTime:<\/strong> Starts 4pm<\/p>\n

Wine & Nibbles \u2013 plus some bloody surprises! \u2013 provided on the night.<\/p>\n

This will be a FREE event, but space is strictly limited, so do please contact us to book your place.<\/p>\n

info@notionsunlimitedbookshop.com<\/strong><\/a> \/\u00a0 03-9773-1102<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Couldn’t help loving the guy […] while being aghast” – Another great ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ review<\/h2>\n

Jan 24 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Bonnie Sparks at Bookish Ardour<\/a> has posted a great review for Origin<\/em>, giving it a resounding five stars. And it\u2019s nice to have a female perspective on the novel: \u201cI found myself sympathising for Mick,\u201d she writes. \u201cI found myself being appalled by his behaviour and sad when he gave into his urges. I found myself wanting Mick to get away with murder and at the same time I desperately wanted him to stop. Mick gets under your skin.\u201d I want people to be conflicted and confronted by this novel, and hopefully this points to some success.<\/p>\n

I particularly like her summation that \u201cI couldn\u2019t help loving the guy by the end of the story, while being aghast. […] His actions are grisly, his manner is cold, but I loved him as a character.\u201d I couldn\u2019t ask for better.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the full five-star review:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/bookishardour.com\/2014\/01\/23\/review-wolf-creek-origin-desolation-game\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The Official Launch of ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’<\/h2>\n

Jan 19 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>February is Wolf Creek Month \u2013 and what a way to start it off.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pleased to announce the official launch of Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> and Wolf Creek: Desolation Game<\/em> on Saturday 1st February 4pm at Chuck McKenzie\u2019s renowned genre bookshop Notions Unlimited (9\/426 Nepean Highway, Chelsea – about an hour down the coast from Melbourne).<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be in attendance with DG<\/em> author Brett McBean to sign, so we hope to see lots of people coming along to grab some light reading material while waiting in line at WOLF CREEK 2. It\u2019ll be sure to make everyone jealous.<\/p>\n

More details can be found at my Facebook author\u2019s page: www.facebook.com\/aaronsternsauthor<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

“‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ is a kick ass read” – The latest review<\/h2>\n

http:\/\/horrornovelreviews.com\/2014\/01\/13\/meet-mick-taylor-in-greg-mclean-and-aaron-sterns-wolf-creek-origin-review\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Meet Mick Taylor in Greg McLean and Aaron Sterns\u2019 \u2018Wolf Creek: Origin\u2019\u00a0(Review)<\/h2>\n

HorrorNovelReviews.com<\/h3>\n

by Matt Molgaard, Jan 14 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>Back in 2005 a shocking little Aussie pic hit the market and left travelers of The Outback pissing in their boots. That movie was Wolf Creek<\/em>, a vehicle for the ultra-violent and completely unrelenting Mick Taylor. Mick was in many ways the most frightening villain to make way to the screen in ages, and fans loved him for that.<\/p>\n

They loved him so much Penguin released a pair of books dedicated to the man\u2019s ventures away from the screen. The first of the two, Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> offers exactly what you\u2019d expect: a look at the early years of Mick and his rugged childhood. This kid never had it easy, and one horrible accident pushes things far, far beyond imagining. That\u2019s right, it\u2019s not so much an outright malicious act that triggers the inner killer of Mick Taylor. It\u2019s something quite different. The end result however? The same: the dude is a murderous psychopath that you just don\u2019t want to cross paths with.<\/p>\n

Greg McLean\u2019s concept for this story is brilliant. It\u2019s terrific getting a chance to look at what \u2013 up to this point \u2013 has been one of the most mysterious murderers in the business. Knowing the human elements of the character is quite compelling. And scribe Aaron Sterns does a stellar job of articulating McLean\u2019s vision. This is a very well written novel that flows smoothly, though it is driven by aggression, and as a fan of the film, I can honestly say it feels like a perfect companion effort.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, I don\u2019t suppose it even matters whether you\u2019ve seen Wolf Creek<\/em> or not. This is a story that stands on its own two feet, and does so with wobbly pride. It\u2019s grizzled, it\u2019s harsh, and it\u2019s damn mean; Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> is a kick ass read.<\/p>\n

Order it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: 4.5\/5<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Back to the Beginning for Wolf Creek’ – nice article in local paper<\/h2>\n

Jan 7, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

I have another article in a newspaper today — my local the Progress Leader<\/em>. I like the photo a lot more in this one, I have to say. Hopefully I don’t look quite as intimidating (though I’ve been told that’s quite fitting considering what I’m publicising).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Back to the Beginning for Epic Aussie Horror Story<\/h1>\n

by Holly McKay, Camberwell Progress Leader<\/em>, 7th January 2014<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aaron Sterns with his Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novel. Picture – Steve Tanne<\/em>r<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Balwyn North writer with a passion for gothic literature has co-written the prequel to one of Australia’s greatest horror films.<\/p>\n

Aaron Sterns has not only co-written the sequel to the film Wolf Creek<\/em>, Wolf Creek 2<\/em>, but is also the co-author of the prequel novel Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Sterns said the book, released last Thursday, told the backstory of the films’ central character, Mick Taylor.<\/p>\n

The book was released alongside another book, Wolf Creek: Desolation Game<\/em> as part of a series of six books.<\/p>\n

Sterns said the idea for Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> came about as a way to give readers an insight into the childhood years of Taylor.<\/p>\n

“It goes right back to the beginning.<\/p>\n

“It follows him as a ten-year-old in his home town and how he witnesses the gruesome death of his sister, which has repercussions through his own life. [And] it follows him as he works on a cattle station and is pushed to the extreme by others — that’s when you realise the depth of his psychosis.”<\/p>\n

Sterns said he and co-author Greg McLean, the producer [and director] of the films, had come up with the background story while filming the sequel.<\/p>\n

“I saw it as an opportunity to write a great Australian gothic story.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[Actually, I’d completed the novel long before we started shooting, but close enough.]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The First Sighting – ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ in stores<\/h2>\n

Jan 4, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Dymock’s 234 Collins St, Melb. 1.30pm today.<\/p>\n

There it is!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We’re keeping some damn fine company there:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The Only ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ Giveaway – facebook.com\/aaronsternsauthor<\/h2>\n

December 29, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

The Mick Taylor prequel novel Origin<\/em> ships to stores next weekend, but there\u2019s a way you could get your hands on a copy before everyone else. I\u2019ve decided to give away one of my personal author\u2019s copies (from a very dwindling supply) to a follower of my Facebook page, personally inscribed by myself. Unless you\u2019re a critic, or were one of my family at Christmas, this is the only way you\u2019ll get your hands on a pre-release copy (signed and everything!) because this is the only competition anyone\u2019s running. How exclusive is that? Head on over to facebook.com\/aaronsternsauthor\u00a0 and like\/follow my page and you\u2019ll be in the hunt!<\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Day I\u2019ll be letting my baby daughter choose one of my followers at random (I\u2019m not sure how she already knows how to use a mouse). I\u2019ll message the winner Wednesday night, and then express post the book out the next day. Unless you\u2019re overseas it should hit you by Friday, and you can\u2019ve read it before the stores even stock it (though I\u2019m not promising anything \u2014 but, hey, they won\u2019t have signed copies, will they?).<\/p>\n

And if you don\u2019t win, never fret because the book\u2019s very reasonably priced (in this day and age of $25-30+ books) at just $19.99 for the paperback, and $9.99 for the e-book. Nice pricing Penguin.<\/p>\n

Good luck, and I look forward to signing a copy for one of you! (Oh, and even though it might reduce your chances, please tell your friends!)<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.penguin.com.au\/products\/9780143566717\/origin-wolf-creek-book-1<\/a> (pb)
\nhttp:\/\/www.penguin.com.au\/products\/9781742537672\/origin-wolf-creek-book-1<\/a> (eb)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And when you\u2019ve finished that get your hands on the second in the series: Desolation Game<\/em>, by Greg & Brett McBean:
\nhttp:\/\/www.penguin.com.au\/products\/9780143566724\/desolation-game-wolf-creek-book-2<\/a>
\nSee where Mick got the whole head-on-the-stick idea. Hint: it\u2019s pretty gross.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek’ Now Officially Australia’s First Horror Franchise<\/h2>\n

December 28, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

Jeff Ritchie at ScaryMinds.com has included an article alongside his glowing review of Origin<\/a>, noting that we now have this country”s first horror franchise.<\/p>\n

I tried not think about this when I took on the writing of the film (though that was actually thankfully before the first movie hit big). However it was especially hard to keep to the back of my mind during the writing of the novel, considering Wolf Creek’<\/em>s so ingrained in our cultural consciousness. Expanding the Creek<\/em> universe is quite a responsibility that we’ve taken on, but it’s also a big step for Australian horror. This is Penguin’s first foray into horror, and Village have put a lot into the funding for and distribution of Wolf Creek 2<\/em>. Here’s hoping it’s all successful enough it leads to more opportunities for others in the difficult field that is Australian horror.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.scaryminds.com\/?action=viewArticle&articleId=34<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek is now officially the first horror franchise from Downunder<\/h1>\n

Jeff Ritchie – Dec, 9, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

With a sequel due to hit cinemas February 2014, and the promise of an additional three movies, we were certainly getting excited, now Penguin have entered the bloody fray with two prequel novels.<\/div>\n

\"Article<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek<\/em> hit Australian cinemas in 2005 and became an instant hit. Sure there was a degree of resentment sent the movie’s way, one SBS Critic labelled it as “unnecessary” for example, but the horror fandom loved it. Ask most foreign horror fans to name a Downunder horror movie and they are apt to either say Peter Jackson’s Braindead<\/em> or Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek<\/em>. With a sequel announced the anticipation amongst Australian fans could be felt, and after at times rocking production schedule the second movie is hitting cinemas early in 2014. Word we received here at the ScaryMinds bunker was even better, a further three movies have been planned!<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

On the back of the explosion in cinematic options, does Greg McLean ever sleep? – he’s also been involved in another movie and a graphic novel, Penguin Books have weighed in with not one but two prequel novels. Greg McLean teams up with Aaron Sterns for the first novel, Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>, and backs it up with a second novel Wolf Creek: Desolation Game<\/em>, writing alongside one of ScaryMinds’ favorite authors Brett McBean! Word from Penguin is a bunch more novels are likely to hit shelves as well!<\/p>\n

If after additional information then hit the official Penguin Books site<\/a>. A print edition of each novel looks to have a listed price of around $19.99, while electronic options are also available.<\/p>\n

Both books are expected to be available online and from all good bookstores from the 2nd of January 2014. Please note ScaryMinds will be reviewing both titles prior to Xmas! Which is my excuse for not including plot outlines. Anyone else getting a little excited? 2014 the year Mick Taylor came back!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The First ‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ Review<\/h2>\n

December 23, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

“McLean and Sterns have written a book that is destined to be considered a classic in future years.” – ScaryMinds<\/p>\n

Our first review is in, and it’s a killer. The authoritative Australian horror website ScaryMinds calls Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> “one of the best serial killer novels out there.” And, no, I have no idea what New Journalism is either. But apparently I write like Hunter S. Thompson – so, cool!<\/p>\n

SPOILER ALERT, of course. They give away everything. So read at your own peril. And after you’ve read that, the DESOLATION GAME review’s also up so check that out too. Well done G & B.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.scaryminds.com\/reviews\/2013\/book180.php<\/a><\/p>\n

Wolf Creek: Origin (2014)<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Author<\/strong><\/td>\nGreg McLean, Aaron Sterns<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Publisher<\/strong><\/td>\nPenguin Books<\/td>\nTweet<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/strong><\/td>\n287 pages<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genre<\/strong><\/td>\nSerial Killer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blurb<\/strong><\/td>\nNature vs nurture turns out to be a bloodbath<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Country<\/strong><\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Review<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

“‘Cause what you don’t realise, ya fucken amateur, is there’s others like us.” – Cutter<\/p>\n

A young Mick Taylor escaping a troubled past takes a job as a jackaroo on a remote Western Australian sheep station where a man’s past is his own business. Mick has difficulties settling in amongst the rough farmhands and soon makes enemies, with one bloke in particular seemingly watching him with undue interest. Seems Mick has some dark urges, which he can’t contain and the body count starts rising, which doesn’t go unnoticed. Cutter, who shares some of Mick’s passions, finds evidence of a murder that Mick has committed and hides the evidence where Mick is going to be hard pressed to find it, in the den of another psychopath.<\/p>\n

With things going wrong at the Station Mick is soon without a job and moves in with Rose, who just might have an answer to what troubles him. However Mick is soon slicing and dicing again, which doesn’t escape the notice of other predators. Mick needs to find the evidence Cutter hid, and the only way he is going to be able to do that is by hunting down more seasoned psychopaths and searching their lairs. Adding to Mick’s troubles are a couple of local police officers who are investigating recent deaths in the area, and they have Mick firmly in their cross hairs.<\/p>\n

Okay annoying autobiographic paragraph, jump to the next one to avoid. When I was a kid, way before the advent of the internet as we now know it, yes kids dinosaurs roamed the earth and there was no Facebook or youtube, I was still a major horror fan. Which was cool except none of my friends shared this aspect of my personality but I did have a couple of cousins who also voyaged in darker waters. Unfortunately their parents moved them stateside and we only got to hang out during Christmas. Through various letters, remember no internet, I got to learned that in the States major horror franchises, Friday the 13th<\/em>, Halloween<\/em>, etc not only had the movies but also had novels! Yes I was jealous, jealous as hell, especially since they didn’t think of bringing any of the books back Downunder. Which brings me to the Wolf Creek<\/em> novels, finally we have an actual franchise in this part of the world! I’m reviewing Origin<\/em> today, but I have the next Wolf Creek<\/em> novel to look at, there’s a sequel to the movie schedule for release in February 2014, and if that’s not all she wrote we’re being promised a further three movies and additional books. The U.S can keep their Jasons and Michaels, we have our own brand of serial killer, Mick Taylor, and the frightening thing is that Mick is an ordinary bloke that could actually be out there. Let’s get our Origin<\/em> on.<\/p>\n

The novel is jointly written by Wolf Creek<\/em> creator Greg McLean and Aaron Sterns, who besides being a writer in his own right does the academic thing. Now the problem with joint writers is sometimes the seams show, as differing writing styles are not necessarily compatible. I noted this to a certain degree in Origin<\/em>; though to be honest it didn’t take me out of the novel. One of our Authors, and I’m picking it’s Aaron Sterns, has a tendency to drop into what was called the “new journalist” style in the 1980s at the start of a few of the chapters. It’s hard to describe quickly what this style is besides saying it brings immediacy to the prose that puts the reader directly into the narrative. Most readers probably won’t pick up on this nuance but just thought I would mention it to be thorough.<\/p>\n

McLean and Sterns have written perhaps the best “early years” outing I have ever read. I’m sure, like me, a lot of people catching the Wolf Creek<\/em> movie would have wondered how Mick came to be a brutal predator, well in between getting a major chill down our spines when Mick let loose that distinctive laugh. Origin<\/em> seeks to put some meat on the bone, and does so in style. We gradually learn Mick has always had a “dark passenger”, to borrow a Dexter<\/em> term, and the nature versus nurture debate simply has no place in the Wolf Creek<\/em> universe. Mick was a natural born killer, it just needed something to let loose his inner demons, however his blood lust is also being nurtured almost by the predators around him, to the cost of all involved. So we get some insight into Mick Taylor growing up in a dysfunctional family, sort of a cross between What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’s<\/em> Mom and any number of fictional Fathers who are close to being sociopaths themselves, as well as how he was forged as a psychopath.<\/p>\n

Now I know a lot of readers are already thinking “Rob Zombie did that with Halloween<\/em> and destroyed the franchise in inane pseudo bullshit”, but I’m here to tell you McLean and Sterns freaking nail it brothers and sisters! As opposed to Zombie our Writers do not destroy the legend of Mick Taylor, they enhance it. Mick comes from a truly redneck family, McLean and Sterns build this aspect of the character’s environment with consummate skill, as opposed to Zombie who dropped his rednecks into a middle class environment, then added on the grunge factor. Furthermore Mick has never had a mythical edge to him, once again adding to the chill factor, he is simply an ordinary man with some well developed skills. We learn how he came to have those skills and while we get inside Mick’s head we aren’t presented with any trite reasons for his murderous hobbies.<\/p>\n

I don’t want to spend the entire review talking about the character of Mick Taylor, though the novel is told from his viewpoint and the revelations come as he experiences them, McLean and Sterns have also created a number of other memorable characters that will have you devouring this novel like a dingo who has come across an unguarded baby at Uluru, (Ayers Rock for the yanks).<\/p>\n

Without giving too much away, Mick isn’t the only predator in the empty landscape. McLean and Sterns draw each of the additional killers with broad strokes, giving each individual their own character and motivations. Mick might have a few Roos bouncing around in the top paddock but they pale in comparison to some of the others hunting the outback in Origin<\/em>. While it might seem slightly trite to have a whole bunch of psychopaths, the feeling is the outback draws them, no one questions their past and there’s a whole lot of empty country to dispose bodies in.<\/p>\n

A few people are going to ask about the morality of having a book that serves up a serial killer as hero or at least central character, and to be honest Mick Taylor comes off as something less than an anti hero. But you will find yourself hoping Mick gets to the final pages as McLean and Sterns serve up even worse sociopaths than Mick could ever hope to be. I’m not saying Mick Taylor goes all Dexter on us, but there is the feeling that he at least offers some sort of community service, albeit from a purely personal frame of reference. By the end of Origin<\/em> we are left in no doubt that Mick Taylor isn’t going to be finding redemption, but at least the big fella does prove to be an intriguing character with a lot more to him than simply the need to hunt and kill.<\/p>\n

I had a real good time with Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>, McLean and Sterns managed to fill in a whole lot of background on central character Mick Taylor without destroying any of the gravitas the character had from the original movie. The book is well written, paced to perfection, and is definitely a page turner. We welcome our first ever horror franchise, and wish Greg McLean best luck with it, the first book in the series has definitely started things in the right direction. Full recommendation folks, one of the best serial killer novels out there, McLean and Sterns have written a book that is destined to be considered a classic in future years.<\/p>\n

Strangely this is the first Penguin horror novel the site has covered, either Penguin are giving the dark genre a wide berth or we all need to do some remedial research. If after more information then check the official Penguin site<\/a>. The novel is expected to hit bookstores early January 2014, ensure you get in early as sales will no doubt be brisk.<\/p>\n

Beyond Scary Rates this read as …<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\"\" This is the Wolf Creek<\/em> novel we have been waiting for.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘My First Newspaper Interview!<\/h2>\n

December 19, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

The Wolf Creek<\/em> novels launch in two weeks, and to announce this groundbreaking publishing event the Sydney Morning Herald<\/em> have interviewed me to get the word out. They’ve even included a photo of my library! (Yes, that’s a Mick Taylor bobblehead next to Carnage in the background.) Read it all here:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/entertainment\/movies\/wolf-creek-2-the-genesis-of-a-murderous-intent-20131218-2zld7.html#ixzz2nrQKkfej<\/a><\/div>\n

Wolf Creek 2: The Genesis of a Murderous Intent<\/h1>\n

by Linda Morris, Features Writer, Sydney Morning Herald,<\/em> 19th December 2013<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/address>\n
\"AaronAaron Sterns, co-writer of Wolf Creek 2 <\/em>and a series of books. Photo: Mal Fairclough<\/em>The outback serial killer Mick Taylor is to return to movie screens in a sequel of the blood-soaked Australian cult horror film Wolf Creek<\/em>, as well as a series of novels.<\/div>\n

With its shades of the backpacker murders, Wolf Creek 2<\/em> leaps eight years after the events of the original film to find Taylor – played by John Jarratt – preying on foreign visitors who have the misfortune to turn up in the wrong place at the wrong time. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is to be released in Australian cinemas on February 20.<\/p>\n

Now two new novels are to be published by Penguin in January which build the back story to Taylor’s violent rages, taking fans back to the time he is a scrawny jackaroo at a remote Western Australian sheep station, struggling with the memory of his little sister’s grisly death.<\/p>\n

Film director Greg McLean and Wolf Creek 2’s<\/em> co-writer Aaron Sterns have written Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em>, the first in Penguin’s planned series of six print and digital novels.<\/p>\n

McLean believes it’s the first time a book series has been spun off an Australian horror film. ”Mick Taylor has gradually assumed horror icon status, so creating a series of novels that delve into the darkest corners of his development and psyche in the years before we meet him in the first Wolf Creek<\/em> movie seemed a really interesting concept.”<\/p>\n

Origin<\/em> will answer the question about where did Taylor’s murderous intent begin, if these events inured the character to the death of others, or primed him to seek pleasure from murder.<\/p>\n

”It’s an age-old question about serial killers and goes to the heart of this most Australian of horror villains,” Sterns says.<\/p>\n

Desolation Game<\/em>, the second instalment to be published alongside Origin<\/em>, has been written by McLean and horror author Brett McBean. This time Taylor, back from the Vietnam War, turns his killer impulse on a Kombi-load of sightseers.<\/p>\n

Four other e-books will be commissioned from the best horror writers in the country.<\/p>\n

As the first Australian horror film to be selected for both Sundance and Cannes and the highest-grossing locally produced horror film in Australia, McLean says Wolf Creek<\/em> has paved the way for a flourishing local horror scene. ”Horror as a genre is no longer a dirty word among Australia’s funding bodies. As Wolf Creek<\/em> demonstrated, you could make a creatively ambitious film that had a bold Australian voice which was also genuinely terrifying – and it could connect with audiences around the world.”<\/p>\n

Drawing on the disappearance of British tourist Peter Falconio and the Ivan Milat backpacker murders, Wolf Creek<\/em> was banned in the Northern Territory in 2005, the year of its release, during the trial of Falconio’s killer, Bradley Murdoch.<\/p>\n

Sterns says part of Wolf Creek’s<\/em> original appeal lies in how it captures the inherent fear Australians have of the outback.<\/p>\n

“We’ve read for years of people disappearing, and events such as the Lees-Falconio incident or Ivan Milat’s reign of terror, and Wolf Creek<\/em> illuminated the ease with which city people soon become out of their depth in the world beyond the asphalt of the cities.”<\/p>\n

Jarrett’s\u00a0characterisation of Mick Taylor struck such a chord because he embodied the laconic, jokey Australian everyman, an exaggeration of Mick Dundee, says Sterns.<\/p>\n

”But there’s a flipside to the casual sarcasm and tall poppy-chopping that Australians are fond of because Mick sees weakness in those unsuited to Australia, and views those who encroach on his territory \u2014 tourists and city slickers \u2014 as vermin.<\/p>\n

”We’ve seen the latent xenophobia potentially in the Australian psyche brought to the fore in recent debates about refugee boats and Mick encapsulates and parodies one very dark side of this debate,” says Sterns. ”For me, depicting such a black-and-white intolerance hopefully shows his xenophobia up to be as ridiculous and unfounded as it really is.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ – The Prequel Novel is Coming<\/h2>\n

December 11 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

This is where it begins.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Before Wolf Creek 2<\/em> hits cinemas, comes an unprecedented venture in Australian horror\u2014a series of prequel novels detailing the formation and rise of our most iconic horror villain. Not only has there never been a sequel to an Australian horror film (as Michael Helms informs me!), but we’ll be simultaneously fleshing out the WC<\/em> universe in a way never imagined here before.<\/p>\n

And who better to depict Mick Taylor’s bloody origin than the sequel’s co-writer? Yes, I can finally announce that my fevre dream imagining of Mick’s horrendous upbringing Wolf Creek: Origin<\/em> will be published January 2nd from Penguin books (alongside the second in the series\u2014Brett McBean & herr director’s Desolation Game<\/em>). Plotted out over a crazy lone road trip to John Jarratt’s home town of Aramac in central Queensland, then written in a highly-stressful but surprisingly-enjoyable five months (seriously\u2014five months from conception to deadline), it’s amazing to now have the book in my hands (which resulted in this special moment with N\u2014and no she’s not allowed to read it yet. Or maybe ever, I’m not sure):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I guess I’m now one of the few writers in this country to be both a novelist and a screenwriter. They’re somewhat diametrically-opposed skillsets in many ways, but I’ve been jumping between the two for some years now so I’m more than happy straddling both fields. Producers\/Editors\/Agents take note.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You’ll soon be able to order Wolf Creek: Origin <\/em>from the Penguin site, or when it becomes available in stores.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.penguin.com.au\/products\/9780143566717\/origin-wolf-creek-book-1<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.penguin.com.au\/products\/9781742537672\/origin-wolf-creek-book-1<\/a> (ebook)<\/p>\n

It’s a shame it’s not available for Christmas, though I’m not sure I want to be responsible for this little shocker at the bottom of someone’s stocking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WOLF CREEK: ORIGIN<\/em><\/h2>\n

Nature vs nurture turns out to be a bloodbath<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wide open outback offers plenty of space for someone to hide. Or to hide a body.<\/p>\n

When wiry youngster Mick Taylor starts as a jackaroo at a remote Western Australian sheep station, he tries to keep his head down among the rough company of the farmhands. But he can’t keep the devils inside him hidden for long.<\/p>\n

It turns out he’s not the only one with the killer impulse \u2013 and the other psychopaths don’t appreciate competition. Is Cutter, the station’s surly shooter, on to him? And what are the cops really up to as they follow the trail of the dead?<\/p>\n

In the first of a blood-soaked series of Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novels, the cult film’s writer\/director Greg McLean and horror writer Aaron Sterns take us back to the beginning, when Mick was a scrawny boy, the only witness to the grisly death of his little sister. Origin<\/em> provides an unforgettably bloody answer to the question of nature vs nurture. What made Mick Taylor Australian horror’s most terrifying psycho killer?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

The ‘Wolf Creek 2’ trailer in all its headbutting glory (& first reviews)<\/h2>\n

October 22 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s the first official Wolf Creek 2<\/em> trailer, replete with truck crashes, headbutts and lots of Mick shit-talking:<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2 – The Trailer<\/a><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

The trailer made its way online last night, followed by a Q&A with herr director Greg McLean at http:\/\/www.wolfcreek2hangout.com.au\/<\/a> You can still watch the interview, I believe.<\/p>\n

We also now have an official poster (the infamous watermark one-sheet was just a quick mockup for sales distributors at Cannes). I’m calling it the crotch-shot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Looks like a fun road trip, no?<\/p>\n

**EDIT: The Wolf Creek 2 website\u2019s just gone live, replete with the trailer and some stills to peruse. \u2018Tis here: www.wolfcreek2.com.au<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We premiered at Venice early September to (I’m told) a standing ovation, and we’ve also just screened at the prestigious SITGES Festival in Catalonia. Both Variety<\/em><\/a> and The Hollywood Reporter<\/em><\/a> reviewed WC2<\/em> following the Venice Film Festival screening and were mostly — if guardedly — positive.<\/p>\n

Guy Lodge’s Variety<\/em> review<\/a> had this to say in its opening paras:<\/p>\n

[The <\/em>Wolf Creek sequel] isn\u2019t playing quite the same game, baiting auds with more-of-the-same terror for its first third, before taking an unexpected left turn into something approximating culture-war comedy\u00a0\u2014 albeit with lashings of Grand Guignol gore. Neither as striking nor as fundamentally scary as its predecessor, this pumped-up, robustly crafted pic is still quite a ride, and one that genre-inclined distribs should have no qualms about hitching.<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m okay with that. We purposefully tried to not rehash the first film, as can often be the case with sequels, and play a more unexpected game. And I don’t know that the film’s meant to be as especially scary as such — as it’s so much more action-based and thriller-oriented. But if the young ‘uns in front of me at one of the test screenings watching much of the movie between their fingers were anything to go by, it’s scary enough for some.<\/p>\n

Deborah Young in The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> calls it an “edge-of-seat gorefest” and states that:<\/p>\n

[…] poetics are clearly peripheral to the film\u2019s main concern, which is to be as scary and violent as possible for worldwide sadism fans who want to leave the theater with twisted guts of their own.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes. Sorry about that.<\/p>\n

Empire Online<\/em>‘s Damon Wise<\/a> also caught the screening and despite not actually liking the first film had this to say about the sequel:<\/p>\n

This time round, though, there are switch-and-bait surprises, some genuine attempts to portray the human cost of such vicious violence, plus a lot of exhilarating chases that could come straight from the \u201970s golden age of Ozploitation, when Brian Trenchard-Smith was king.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oo cool.<\/p>\n

And to think there’s still four months to go before you can all see it.<\/p>\n

Dang.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

My First Interview: ‘A Stern Warning’<\/h2>\n

September 16, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

An old friend of mine from the Australian Horror Writers days, Bryce Stevens, has just interviewed me for his charmingly-titled Choking Dog Gazette<\/em>. It’s my first real standalone interview, so I’m grateful to Bryce for showing the interest. And it’s nice to be getting some press too. It’s a little amusing that with all the interviews and articles on Wolf Creek 2<\/em> that are starting to surface no-one has taken the time to speak to the person who, you know, actually wrote it. Maybe that will change, I don’t know, but I’ll have some things to say about the writing process and my intentions and approach in a post soon, so at least I’ll get the author’s POV out there.<\/p>\n

Steve Proposch, the former editor of the seminal Bloodsongs<\/em> magazine (which I was also involved with back in the day), has been kind enough to repost the interview as part of the September issue of online art magazine Trouble<\/em>, so I’ll link to that and post his version of the interview below. Check out the troublemag.com<\/a> site for other articles of interest every month. It’s a great independent overview of the visual and performing arts scene.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.troublemag.com\/stern-warning-a-chat-with-novelist-and-screenwriter-aaron-sterns-by-bryce-stevens\/<\/a><\/p>\n

‘A Stern Warning: A Chat with Novelist and Screenwriter Aaron Sterns’<\/h2>\n

Interview by Bryce Stevens<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aaron grew up and went to school<\/strong> in the state of Victoria in Australia. After studying Shakespeare, the Romantic Poets and Greek tragedies at university, Aaron convinced his graduate school to let him study contemporary horror; his PhD work examines the impact of late capitalism on the works of Bret Easton Ellis, David Cronenberg, Clive Barker and other exponents of postmodern horror. As well, Aaron has presented academic papers on American Psycho<\/em> and Crash<\/em> at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts.<\/p>\n

Aaron\u2019s first published story, ‘The Third Rail’, appeared in 1998 in the very successful Jack Dann\/Janeen Webb mass-market anthology Dreaming Down-Under<\/em>; published in hardcover and paperback with a subsequent reprint. A number of stories followed, including his take on werewolves, ‘Watchmen’, which was quickly optioned for film after appearing in 2003\u2019s tri-country Gathering the Bones<\/em>, edited by Jack Dann, Ramsey Campbell and Dennis Etchison.<\/p>\n

Aaron has for many years now been a major player in the development of the Australian horror scene, having edited The Journal of the Australian Horror Writers<\/em> and worked with Bloodsongs<\/em> magazine, and also serving as the regular Australian correspondent for Hellnotes: The Insider\u2019s Guide to the Horror Field<\/em>. Since the late 1990s, however, Aaron has been actively involved with screenwriting. It is his contribution to this latter field of horror and speculative fiction that we will concentrate on in this article.<\/p>\n

Currently, Aaron is busy filming the Australian horror\/thriller Wolf Creek 2<\/em> \u2014 of which he is co-writer \u2014 in the heat and dust of the South Australian Outback. I was not able to have a face-to-face with him so this is an email interview, with Aaron probably shaking his fist at the cruel sun, while I sit comfortably here, near Sydney, with a cold beer.<\/p>\n


\nBryce Stevens:<\/strong> Let\u2019s begin with your story ‘Watchmen’. Can you tell us how that tale was offered for option to film?<\/p>\n

Aaron Sterns:<\/strong> I showed that story around to friends before submitting it, as I usually do, and it fell into the hands of Adam Simon (who wrote and directed the trippy Bill Pullman\/Bill Paxton Roger Corman-horror Brain Dead<\/em>, amongst others). It was a pretty raw story for me, being based on a number of progressively Taxi Driver<\/em>-like years bouncing in nightclubs to pay the bills while studying, and Adam saw some potential in the idea.\u00a0 He commissioned me to adapt it into a screenplay (now called Blood<\/em>), but it was clear it needed more world-building. The editor of most of my short stories, Jack Dann, encouraged me to expand it into a novel as well, which until that time I\u2019d never been game enough to attempt, and I\u2019ve spent the last few years (when I\u2019ve had time) developing the storyline and mythology. It\u2019s in pretty good shape now, I think, so I\u2019ll see how I go. Hopefully all the work\u2019s been worth it.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> I have found that it is not always necessary to meet publishers face-to-face to make a story sale. Often word of mouth or previous published stories will garner a writer attention for potential future sales. Do you think it\u2019s different for screenwriters, whereby it\u2019s better to personally meet and greet potential backers or directors\/producers?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> It\u2019s all about the meetings. A good spec script or a produced credit should at least suggest you can complete a coherent screenplay, but there\u2019s still an element of auditioning. It might be pitching your take, listening to their angle, developing an idea together. You can do a lot more remotely in the Internet age, but you still need face-to-face contact. To be a serious screenwriter you probably really need to live in the epicentre of it all: Hollywood, but I\u2019m not quite there yet. Maybe a few films from now.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> You were credited as Script-Editor on the Australian gruesome creature-feature Rogue<\/em> (about a monster crocodile stalking a group of tourists in tropical Australia). Can you tell us how you came to be involved with that project?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> I\u2019ve had a bit of a weird initiation to film, having come from academia and horror fiction and theory, and would never have contemplated screenwriting if I hadn\u2019t met Simon or Greg McLean (director of Wolf Creek<\/em> and Rogue<\/em>). I was lucky enough to meet Greg before either of us were published\/produced, and I shared an office with him and another friend, Dan Austin, here in Fitzroy. We\u2019d trade scripts and stories back and forth and talk film (him) and horror theory (me) for far too much of the day. We then wrote a few spec scripts together, and once he made Wolf Creek<\/em> things opened up a bit. He moved on to a script he\u2019d written some years previously that I\u2019d given various notes on \u2014 Rogue<\/em> \u2014 while I wrote the sequel to Creek. I was then brought in during the editing of Rogue<\/em> to give my two cents about the structure and shaping. I like to argue so quite enjoyed that actually.<\/p>\n

\"Aaron,<\/a><\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Was your successful involvement with that production a catalyst for you to seek more professional work of this kind, or were you approached by other Australian production companies?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> I did script-edit a number of other screenplays after this, helping out a producer I knew with some scripts at the funding application stage. While breaking down others\u2019 stories helped my own craft, I\u2019ve since tried to minimize how much of that work I take on. There\u2019s only so much time in the day (particularly with a beautiful little daughter-who-must-crawl-everywhere taking up so much of it!) and I\u2019d prefer to be spending it on my own work.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> You mentioned to me in an email a while back that you had a cameo in Rogue<\/em>. It must have been fleeting, because I didn\u2019t see you. What character did you play? Oh, and did you get chomped?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t make the final cut, alas. After the nightclubs I spent a number of years doing bit parts and extras work (mainly just to get a look at film sets like Ghost Rider<\/em> and The Pacific<\/em>) and have cameoed in each of Greg\u2019s works, appearing in his short film ICQ<\/em> as a sadomasochist wearing a leather mask and not much else who cuts his hand off, the Nazi General in the trailer for his WW2 zombie graphic novel Dark Axis<\/em>, one of the evil truckies in the roadhouse in Creek, and recently as \u2026 someone, towards the end of Creek 2 (which I can\u2019t disclose until it\u2019s released). There was supposed to be a final shot in Rogue<\/em> where the croc\u2019s been captured and is strung up by grinning hunters. Greg enlisted a bunch of friends and then had to cut us from the film (as it was better to finish with a shot of Michael Vartan\u2019s Pete). Ah well, at least I got to hold a shotgun for a whole day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On the set of <\/em>Rogue.<\/em><\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> One of the Monty Python team once commented on their final movie as a group: \u201cThe Meaning of Life<\/em> was a good movie, but it was one script rewrite away from a great movie.\u201d In regards to your own work, how do you know when enough is enough?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> Screenplays are rewritten incessantly in the lead-up to financing, during pre-production, and often even during shooting. There\u2019s always some tweaking that can be done, or someone has an opinion that must be incorporated. Film is collaborative, as they say, and you can\u2019t afford to be precious about your words, as annoying as that can be. In fiction you can argue for your prose with an editor and sometimes win. In film you\u2019re often arguing against twenty others, and sometimes they\u2019re even right. Your job is to know which battles are important, and when some suggestion\u2019s going to destroy your idea, and when one will improve it. I\u2019m always focused on the end product, so I don\u2019t care if I have to swallow my pride if it\u2019s for the good of the movie. The flip side of this is that it\u2019s very hard to know when a script\u2019s ready to show, let alone ready for shooting. Everything\u2019s so permeable that it can sometimes be hard to know if enough is ever enough. You can rewrite forever. The most important thing is to nail the central idea and solidify the structure. Sequencing of scenes and dialogue changes and cutesie flourishes are minor compared to securing those massive things.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Let\u2019s talk a little about your latest project, Wolf Creek 2<\/em>. The first movie was an international success, even gaining the attention of Quentin Tarantino, who praised John Jarratt\u2019s role as the sadistic murderer Mick Taylor [Jarratt subsequently appeared in Tarrantino\u2019s film<\/em> Django \u2013 ed<\/em>]. Can you tell us how you came to be recommended for this gig?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> Greg and I had already written spec scripts together (including a fast-zombie movie before the Dawn of the Dead<\/em> remake stole our thunder). I\u2019d talked a lot with him about Douglas E. Winter\u2019s theories of anti-horror and the tendency in modern horror to undermine generic conventions, and a little of this may have found its way into Wolf Creek<\/em>, as it arose from a more conventional script of his about a serial killer who hijacks a tour bus in the Outback. We started casually spitballing ideas for a while until we happened upon one that seemed big enough for a film. Great, Greg said. Now go write it.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Can you tell us the process of collaboration on a film script, as you did with Wolf Creek 2<\/em>?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> We spent a lot of time on the treatment \u2014 I think it was over thirty pages long in the end \u2014 and once we were happy I secluded myself for a few weeks to write the first draft. I\u2019m happy to say that\u2019s still the spine of the story. Greg did his own pass and we\u2019ve basically been passing it back and forth since. There were little changes still being made during rehearsals, and even in the editing room there were things to nip and tuck. Thankfully I\u2019ve been involved during the whole process, which can be a rare thing for screenwriters, who are often discarded once they\u2019ve written the script, like a prom date who\u2019s put out too soon. It\u2019s crazy, because probably no one knows the structure and intention of the film better than the writer\/s.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> When one or the other of the collaborators has what they believe is a great scene and their writing partner is against it, how is a compromise met?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> It depends who can argue loudest. You have to be open to criticism and weigh up whether the suggestion\u2019s valid. There\u2019s an adage that you must \u2018kill your darlings\u2019 during rewriting. A great scene or image or line that doesn\u2019t fit with the whole of the movie has to be cut. It doesn\u2019t matter how good it is. That\u2019s part of the benefit of having another writer on board: that second critical opinion. Later on the producers have their notes, even the investors sometimes have their notes. By this stage the script\u2019s starting to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the writer\u2019s hands, but we can still have some influence here, fighting changes we don\u2019t agree with, or working out how to incorporate good suggestions. It\u2019s tough, but once everyone\u2019s on the same page hopefully the budget\u2019s still in place and everyone else can do some work.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Has there been any rewrites during production of Wolf Creek 2<\/em>?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> Many. But that first draft has surprisingly stayed very much intact. There\u2019s a new prologue scene at the start, and we now have a different ending, but the core storyline is all there. It\u2019s quite amazing really.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Earlier this year you informed me you were on location for the film in the dry summertime outback of South Australia. Can you tell us what it was like being on set, watching the shoot, in such trying weather conditions? And how did you feel when you heard the actors reciting the dialogue you wrote?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> It was hot, damn hot. But I did spend some of my early years living in Adelaide, so I\u2019m used to the dry heat there. I was only on set a small percentage of the overall shoot, so I got off lightly compared to everyone else. And I was too happy to be there to complain. The first day I was on set was quite surreal, as I turned up mid-morning to the sight of two characters from my dreams hitchhiking nonchalantly down a closed-off highway. I couldn\u2019t stop grinning at how well these two actors (I won\u2019t say who they are yet) fitted my imagination, but then I remembered what I put them through later and felt instant guilt. Glee mixed with guilt, that\u2019s the emotions I remember. I felt the same thing when I saw the first cut.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Is the sequel as confronting as Wolf Creek<\/em>?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> \u2018As confronting\u2019? I hope it\u2019s a whole lot more. We\u2019ve ramped up everything in the sequel. And John\u2019s pulled no punches in his portrayal of Mick. There\u2019s a couple of scenes in particular that I was worried we could have pushed too far, but in the context of the film I think are justified and work brilliantly. The audience will make up their minds, of course, but we\u2019ve put a lot of work into pushing this to the limits.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> You mentioned you have a cameo in WC2<\/em>. Can you tell us what to look for, or when to expect you?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> I\u2019m right at the end. Look for the big angry guy (I could say that about all my roles, really).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The only shot I was (so far) allowed to use from my visits to <\/em>WC2 (because they thought it was funny that I was in a dressing gown). (with thanks to Cam Oliver for the photo)
\n<\/em><\/div>\n

\n<\/em><\/div>\n

BS:<\/strong> Do you have any humorous anecdotes about your time on the Rogue<\/em> or Wolf Creek<\/em> shoots that you might like to share with us?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> I did get to play with the actual R2D2 used in the Star Wars films (the ones\u00a0shot in Sydney) that maker Justin Dix brought to the set of Rogue<\/em> one day.\u00a0And I got to have a lightsaber fight with Nash Edgerton, who was Ewan McGregor\u2019s double for Obi Wan Kenobi\u2019s fight scenes. As a former Kendo exponent, it doesn\u2019t get much better than that. Also amusingly with Rogue<\/em>, someone leaked a story that a crocodile had been let loose from the set in Warburton, and before we knew it a Channel 7 chopper was buzzing the lake we were filming on. It took a while to convince them the only crocs in the film were animatronic.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> You\u2019re also writing the first in a series of Wolf Creek<\/em> novels, is that right? Can you tell us a bit more about the intended series?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> The films are sequels, extending out from the first movie. But the novels are prequels set in Mick\u2019s early years. I\u2019ve written the first in an intended series of six, Origins<\/em>, which follows Mick\u2019s fairly horrible childhood and his first job as a seventeen\/eighteen-year old on a cattle station where he\u2019s trying to fit into society and failing. These novels will flesh out the Creek universe in a unique way I\u2019m not sure any other Australian horror film has done, or could do.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Can you tell us how you approached writing the novel? Did you just go scene by scene, or because it is a novel and not a 90-minute screenplay, did you delve deep into event and characterization?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> It\u2019s not based on a screenplay, but is a completely new story so it\u2019s not written as a simple expansion or adaptation of a film.\u00a0I approached it as if it was an Australian Gothic novel, unmindful about criticisms of Creek being a simple slasher film (which it isn\u2019t) or a one-dimensional horror. I felt I could say something about the darkness in the Australian psyche in this novel, capture some of the desolation and harshness of the landscape, and explore the unwinding of Mick\u2019s mind. My intention was that it could stand alone without the film, rather than just being a knock-off attempt to exploit the franchise.\u00a0Penguin commissioned the series last year, and Greg managed to convince me to write the first (and juiciest, as it\u2019s the origin story) despite a deadline of just four months. I had two weeks to flesh out the two-line idea into an actual story and then conduct a lightning research trip.\u00a0Firstly I interviewed John Jarratt about his ideas on Mick\u2019s character (as I would have to delve deep into the serial killer\u2019s psyche), then I picked up on some of John\u2019s stories about his own childhood. He mentioned he\u2019d grown up in Aramac, a tiny town in the middle of Queensland, so I booked a flight and visited it, then arranged to stay at a cattle station nearby for the second half of the book. I developed the story as I drove the vast Queensland highways, then jumped straight into the writing upon returning to Melbourne. And somehow I made the deadline. It was such an intense and harrowing experience I\u2019ll have to see if I\u2019m involved with any of the other novels, but if not, there\u2019s a wealth of local horror writers we\u2019re hoping to tap to continue the series.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> You mentioned to me that prior to writing the novel you were told to \u2018go for it\u2019, so you did just that; and then when you handed in the manuscript they asked you to tone down a few places. A. What happened there? And B. You won\u2019t be letting the unused prose go to waste, will you?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> It\u2019s a common theme with my work. I\u2019m always having to cut out the good stuff. There were a few scenes that were a bit too graphic for Penguin, but the screenwriting experience has prepared me well for knowing when it\u2019s necessary to rewrite for market, so I fought for what I thought should stay, and changed what I thought was indeed gratuitous. I hope we\u2019ve got a happy compromise. People expect Creek<\/em> to be horrific, but in retrospect there are probably a few things I surprised even myself with.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Many writers have their personal favourites. Some like the highly disciplined short form, or verse; some enjoy the leisurely pace of the novel, whilst others may prefer the strict guidelines of a screenplay. I know you like all forms. Do you now have a preference? Also, because they are such differing disciplines, how do you manage to juggle your hats?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> It\u2019s not easy. My short story writing has fallen by the wayside, because each story requires so much effort for relatively little gain.\u00a0The more years I\u2019ve worked as a writer the bigger my ideas are getting too, so I\u2019m leaning more towards longer works now. But the way I see it is, you do short stories for the art, novels for depth and to have some control, and screenplays to make an impact. The writing techniques required for each are almost at opposite ends of the spectrum (film is all external description and short clipped sentences; whereas prose allows internal reflection and metaphor, so it can be very hard to switch back and forth between the two). But there are not many horror writers that get to write both fiction and film, and even less in this country, so I\u2019m going to do my damnedest to continue writing in all mediums.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> Do you have any plans to deliver any more of your punchy short stories any time soon? Would you consider publishing a collection at some stage?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> I\u2019ve always intended to get enough stories together for a collection, but it\u2019s been hard to put aside the time to do so. I have a couple ready to go out, but also another twelve or fifteen sitting in the wings awaiting writing. I think maybe I need to give up sleeping so I can get everything done in my life. That being said, I am being forced to write a short story by the end of the year\u2014for your Cthulhu: Deep Down-Under<\/em> collection\u2014so I guess that\u2019s the best way of getting these stories done: have someone make me do them.<\/p>\n

BS:<\/strong> So, what is next, film-wise and fiction-wise, for you Aaron?<\/p>\n

AS:<\/strong> I\u2019m hopeful that by the time this interview\u2019s published I\u2019ll have another (very dark) film into production. That will make it quite an extraordinary year. I\u2019m partway through a new novel that was pushed aside for the Creek<\/em> one, so I\u2019m looking forward to getting back to that. And I have a number of other screenplays I\u2019m working on that I\u2019ll start going out with next year once Creek\u2019<\/em>s released. On top of that I\u2019d like to write two more books in the Blood<\/em> series, and there\u2019s another two or three novel ideas I have swirling. That should keep me going for the next ten or so years.<\/p>\n

This interview took place in June 2013 and appeared in Choking Dog Gazette issue 11 Vol, 4 # 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks to Bryce and Steve.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek 2’ World Premiere – Venice Baby!<\/h2>\n

July 29, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s official. The world premiere of Wolf Creek 2<\/em> will be at the Venice International Film Festival, running from August 28-September 7. It’s extraordinary that a horror sequel has made it into such a prestigious event, and points I think to the efforts of everyone to make this a film of exceptional quality. It’s just a shame that I won’t be able to attend, being the lowly writer and all. But that’s our lot, I guess. I’ll have to wait until February next year like the rest of you.<\/p>\n

We’re just finishing up the final post-production polishing. I made a visit to our sound studio during the week to lay down some ADR for my cameo at the end of the film. I still can’t say what the cameo is, but at least I’m now sure I haven’t been edited out. Quite a weird experience trying to replicate in a sterile studio the emotion and intensity of dialogue on location, but it’s only a few lines so hopefully I muddled my way through.<\/p>\n

I’ve also been given another set pic from one of my night visits. Yes, it appears I’m standing over Herr Director, making sure he doesn’t alter any of my precious words. Because I was.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nThanks to Cam Oliver for the pic.<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s been a busy few weeks. Hopefully there’ll be some things to report soon. Amongst it all I managed to do an interview for my good friend Bryce Stevens’ Choking Dog Gazette<\/em>. It’ll be released in the next few weeks, and I’ll let you know then how to grab a copy, or access it online. It’s my first real interview, covering not only my fiction but also my film work with the Creek<\/em>s, Rogue<\/em>, et al, so I’m quite chuffed to have been put on the spot. I hope it’s worth a read.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here’s the SA Film Corp’s press release announcing our acceptance into Venice:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.safilm.com.au\/Article\/NewsDetail.aspx?p=16&id=2590<\/a><\/p>\n

WOLF CREEK 2 to Debut at the Venice Film Festival<\/h2>\n

Wolf Creek 2<\/em> has been invited to premiere at the 2013 Venice Film Festival for an out of competition midnight screening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m absolutely thrilled that Wolf Creek 2<\/em> has been selected to screen at one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world,\u201d said Director Greg McLean.<\/p>\n

“Presenting our film to an international audience ahead of the Australian release will not only be a great honour, but also a great way to experience how this very Australian movie plays to a global audience. My hope is it will be embraced for being every bit as entertaining, controversial and compelling as the first movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actor John Jarratt who once again steps out as the hauntingly sadistic Mick Taylor said \u201cIt’s very rare for\u00a0a film festival to accept a sequel, unless it’s exceptionally high quality. This is a wonderful endorsement of our great film.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Venice Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world and takes place annually on the island of the Lido, Venice.<\/p>\n

Trapped in a bloody battle of wits with sadistic serial killer Mick Taylor, a fresh group of unsuspecting backpackers find no mercy in this terror-filled sequel to Wolf Creek<\/em>.\u00a0 His irreverent attitude towards human life has escalated to a sadistic new level, more terrifying than ever; will anyone escape this gruesome game or has the nightmare only just begun?<\/p>\n

Written by Greg McLean and Aaron Sterns and produced by Helen Leake (Swerve<\/em>, Black and White, Heavens Burning<\/em>), McLean and Steve Topic (Crawlspace)<\/em>, the film comes nine years after the original Wolf Creek<\/em> hit screens internationally.<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2<\/em> will be released in Australia on the 20th<\/sup> of February 2014 by Roadshow Films. International sales are being handled by Arclight Films.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek 2’ Gets a Release Date!<\/h2>\n

July 9, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, February 20th 2014 is D-Day (or Head-On-A-Stick-Day). Director Greg McLean announced at ComicCon on the weekend that we’ll be releasing early next year, at least in Australia. No word yet on the international release.<\/p>\n

“Thrilled to announce the release date for Wolf Creek 2 in Australia
\nand New Zealand will be Feb 20th, 2014. Thank you Village Roadshow!,”
\nherr director just tweeted.<\/p>\n

We’ve spent the last how-ever-many weeks running test screenings while Sean (our editor) and Greg put the final touches to the edit. I’m happy to report that despite the intensity of… a few certain scenes we had no walkouts! I thought that was amazing considering the hell we put our characters through, but hopefully that means the story’s compelling enough to glue people to their seats. The feedback from these screenings turned out to be quite worthwhile actually, because it highlighted a few things we needed to compress (such as the start) and clarify (the ending), but also validated the power of other scenes I was worried might have gone a bit too far. (If you tell me to ‘go for it’, I will. I cannot be held responsible.) We’re all locked off now, so bring on the festivals, then bring on our big release.<\/p>\n

Here’s the controversial one-sheet, by the way. Yes it’s a little similar to a certain other bloody film making the rounds at the moment (cough<\/em>-Evil Dead-cough<\/em>). Consider it a homage I guess. Regardless, Mick cuts a striking figure, don’t you think? And this is Mick’s movie. He’s going to be under your skin by the end of it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.shocktillyoudrop.com\/news\/174837-wolf-creek-2-gets-a-release-datein-australia<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2 Gets a Release Date…in Australia<\/h2>\n
\n
by Ryan Turek<\/div>\n
July 07, 2013<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Roadshow Films announced that it will release the sequel, Wolf Creek 2<\/strong><\/a>, on February 20, 2014 in Australia. \u00a0Hopefully, a U.S. debut will follow shortly after that.<\/p>\n

“Our goal is to create an even more suspenseful, chilling and unforgettable experience for audiences and we feel very confident they will not be disappointed,”<\/em> said Greg Mclean. \u00a0\u201cI’m so excited to be once again working with Roadshow Films on the new movie and look forward to unleashing the next instalment of this thriller across Australia early next year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Wolf Creek<\/strong> was the number one Australian film in 2005 and also became the highest grossing Australian R18+ film of all time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Trapped in a bloody battle of wits with sadistic serial killer Mick Taylor, a fresh group of unsuspecting backpackers find no mercy in this terror-filled sequel to Wolf Creek. His irreverent attitude towards human life has escalated to a sadistic new level, more terrifying than ever, will anyone escape this gruesome game or has the nightmare only just begun?<\/p>\n

Written by Greg McLean and Aaron Sterns and produced by Helen Leake, Greg Mclean and Steve Topic, the film comes nine years after the original Wolf Creek<\/strong> hit screens internationally.<\/p>\n

Wolf Creek 2<\/strong> will be distributed in Australia by Roadshow Films. International sales are being handled by Arclight Films.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

On the Set of ‘Wolf Creek 2’<\/h2>\n

May 3, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

I managed to make it to set a couple of times during the shoot, once to do a cameo, and again for a couple of days to hang out and watch some key scenes being filmed.<\/p>\n

Once I’d costumed up I was taken to a closed-off Adelaide highway and had the surreal experience watching characters I’d written some six years ago brought to life. I felt a little guilty too, considering what we put them through later in the script, but the actors didn’t seem to hold that against me (at least at that stage).<\/p>\n

I then performed my standard role (look menacing\/ beat up someone) and retired to the Hawker Pub to drink with the crew. Quite a great experience. There are lots of photos I’ll be allowed to use later, but until then the buggers in charge (ie. Greg and Producer Steve Topic) would only release one for now. Because I’m in a dressing gown. Thanks guys. I either look like a movie star or a bum.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/a>On set at Hawker – thanks to Cam Oliver for the photo<\/em><\/p>\n

A week or so later I returned to Adelaide (this time with R & N) and watched a couple of night shoots. I lucked upon the most graphic moment of the film and watched stunned along with everyone else as it played out. When I’d written the scene I’d half-assumed it would never be filmed, but I’d been told to ‘go for it’ — and as I thought the impact was essential for the story and characters (and audience) I did indeed go for it. If anything, Greg’s pushed the scene to the extreme. You’ll know when you see it. I hope it makes it in as it was shot, because it’s one of the most mind-numbingly powerful scenes I’ve seen.<\/p>\n

Greg and Sean are now deep into the edit, and the movie’s starting to take shape. There’s still a bit more honing to go (they have weeks of editing yet), but I can see the movie has the potential to be as intense and dark and real as I\/we wanted it to be, and yet it’s also perversely more fun than I expected (which I’d chalk up to Greg and John knowing this character so well and playing with him).<\/p>\n

I’ll post more when I’m allowed, but until then know everyone’s still working hard to make Wolf Creek 2<\/em> as incredible as possible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

‘Wolf Creek: Book One’ first reading @ Oz Horror Con 2013<\/h2>\n

Feb 10, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

My Oz Horror Con session featured the first ever reading from Wolf Creek: Book One<\/em>. The first in a projected series of five or six Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novels, Wolf Creek: Book One<\/em> follows a young Mick Taylor as he discovers and unleashes the darkness within.<\/p>\n

I’d intended to read a brutal passage featuring Mick and his father earlier in the book, but then realised there wasn’t a skerrick of humour in the scene, so decided to switch it for a later passage where an older (and emerging) Mick happens upon a couple of unfortunate hippies.\u00a0 Still ends brutally, but at least there’s a few funnies along the way.<\/p>\n

Here’s an action shot:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The rest of the session went well. I briefly talked about my writing career as a short story writer and novelist alongside my screenplay work, my experience working on both the sequel film and the prequel novel, and (vaguely) what our intentions were in pursuing both timelines of Mick Taylor — into the future and back into his past. Herr Director McLean managed to send along a few pre-production photos just days before the shoot started, so as an exclusive I was able to show some photos and relay a few anecdotes. I think people enjoyed themselves.<\/p>\n

My thanks again to Mark Smith-Briggs for chairing the session and keeping me on target, and Steve Dillon for organising. And to my pre-release Mick Taylor bobblehead for overseeing the reading (he was sitting behind me in the above shot):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(How lifelike is that? Can be obtained here<\/strong><\/a>.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oh, and I’ve actually just returned from my first visit (and cameo!) to the Wolf Creek II<\/em> set, but as I’m about to head back to Adelaide tomorrow to attend a couple of the night shoots you’ll have to wait for my post (and a couple of approved pics if I can wrangle them). I will say it was an amazing and somewhat surreal experience seeing the script come to life! But more on that later.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

‘Wolf Creek 2’ – The day has arrived<\/h2>\n

Jan 21, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

After seven years building to this moment, shooting started today in South Australia!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not over there yet (having to be in Melbourne to attend Oz Horror Con for one thing), but I\u2019ll be heading to the set in a week and a half for a look (and potentially another little cameo\u2026 more on that later).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

‘Back Up the Creek’ – ‘Wolf Creek II’ @ Oz Horror Con 2013<\/h2>\n

Jan 14, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

Just me this time. With Wolf Creek II<\/em> only days now from shooting (and herr director Greg McLean in Adelaide furiously prepping), I’ll be representing the series at Oz Horror Con here in Melbourne this weekend.<\/p>\n

And it’s going to be a doozy.<\/p>\n

Yes, I’ll be talking about my experience writing the Wolf Creek II<\/em> script, and how Greg somehow convinced me (chained me to a desk–a three month deadline! yikes) to write the prequel novel as well.\u00a0 But I’ve also been allowed a few closely-guarded pics from pre-production… and I’ll be doing a world-first reading from the novel. (I’ve picked out a lovely little scene between Mick and his father. Such a happy childhood.)<\/p>\n

Mark Smith-Briggs–a talented local horror writer in his own right–has kindly agreed to do the grilling, so many thanks to him for helping the Creek Clan. And also to Con Organiser Steve Dillon for wrangling us into the busy schedule.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here’s the official session details (and my very cool page):<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.ozhorrorcon.com\/aaron-sterns<\/a><\/p>\n


\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Wolf Creek II<\/em> session @ Oz Horror Con<\/span>
\n2pm Saturday 19th January, 2013<\/span>
\n The Cellars, Donkey Wheel House, 673 Bourke St Melbourne<\/span><\/p>\n

Aaron Sterns–the co-writer of Wolf Creek II<\/em> and the first Wolf Creek<\/em> prequel novel–will discuss the expansion of outback serial killer Mick Taylor’s twisted world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only will he have on hand exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the upcoming sequel shoot, he’ll also be giving the first ever reading from the novel series!!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So if you’re a Wolf Creek<\/em> fan this should really whet your appetite. Hope to see some faces there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

‘That was 2012’<\/h2>\n

Dec 21, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

What a year. The movie\u2019s moving along (we start shooting next month), the prequel novel is done.<\/p>\n

And this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Welcome to the world my little munchkin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

‘Wolf Creek II’ Armageddon pics<\/h2>\n

Oct 20, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

Our panel at Armageddon October 13th–the first for Wolf Creek II<\/em>–went well. Those who attended received a few tidbits regarding the new film and the first novel, along with some insights into the writing process. Quite strange to be talking about both stories after working on them for so many years.<\/p>\n

Anywhere, here’s a couple of pics of Greg and I in action:<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/a>No, G’s not interviewing me. There was only one mic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/a>Thankfully I wrested it away a few times.<\/p>\n

(thanks to Cam Oliver for the photos)<\/em><\/p>\n

The panel also saw the launch of Greg & Tristan Jones’ new crowd-funded graphic novel Sebastian Hawks: Creature Hunter<\/em>. They’ve already reached 10% of their goal, so check out the site to score some great crowd-funded rewards: http:\/\/www.pozible.com\/index.php\/archive\/index\/11289\/description\/0\/0<\/a> or that newfangled facebook thing: http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Diezelpunk<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

‘Wolf Creek II’ panel @ Armageddon Expo<\/h2>\n

Oct 10, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

I shall be participating in a Wolf Creek II<\/em> panel at the Armageddon Pop Culture Expo, Melbourne Exhibition Centre this Saturday 13th October, Stage Three @ 3:30pm.<\/p>\n

It begins.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/armageddonexpo.com\/au\/special-events\/greg-mclean<\/a><\/p>\n

Comic Panel \u2013 3.30PM Saturday \u2013 Stage Three<\/p>\n

Greg McLean \u2013 EMU CREEK PICTURES<\/p>\n

Film Director Greg McLean talks about his feature films Wolf Creek<\/em> and Rogue<\/em>, and the upcoming sequel to the horror hit movie Wolf Creek II <\/em> which begins production in 2013.\u00a0 Greg recently established a genre film producing company Wolf Creek Pictures, with Red Hill<\/em> (directed by Patrick Hughes) and Crawlspace<\/em> (directed by Justin Dix) as its first projects.<\/p>\n

The filmmaker also recently launched a comic book publishing company, Diezelpunk.\u00a0 The first book released by the company Dark Axis<\/em>\u2014Rise of the Overmen<\/em> is a WW2 action\/ horror tale featuring a group of GIs stumbling on a crazed German weapons facility in the final days of the war.<\/p>\n

Joining him onstage will be Aaron Sterns, co-writer of Wolf Creek II<\/em> and the first Wolf Creek<\/em> novel and Tristan Jones, writer of Sebastian Hawks<\/em>\u2014Creature Hunter<\/em>, one of the new graphic novel titles being created by Diezelpunk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

______________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

‘Wolf Creek II’ is Go<\/h2>\n

Oct 5, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

We’re greenlit!<\/strong><\/p>\n

ScreenAustralia approved funding for Wolf Creek II<\/em> at their recent September board meeting, so we’re finally under way. Pre-production begins in a couple of weeks, with filming to take place January and part of Feb in South Australia. Stay tuned to this website and Emu Creek<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n

As an added bonus here’s the exclusive, official logline hot off the presses:<\/p>\n

The Australian Outback becomes a nightmare hunting ground once more
\nas the terrifying Mick Taylor locks onto unsuspecting backpackers.<\/p>\n

But when his prey escapes, the chase begins
\nand nothing or no-one will stand in Mick’s way.<\/p>\n

Yes, we have a chase movie.<\/p>\n

Get ready.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

‘Return to Wolf Creek’ iBook<\/h2>\n

May 27, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

Things are moving… As a lead-up to Wolf Creek II<\/em>, Emu Creek and Sharp Agency are putting out an incredible innovative horror iBook\u2014’Return to Wolf Creek’.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The app and accompanying website (www.returntowolfcreek.com<\/a>) will feature a ‘never-before-seen’ collection of videos, photos and trivia from the 2005 movie. There’ll also be updates from the Wolf Creek II<\/em> production camp, as well as a blog and chance for fans to tell their own ‘Wolf Creek moment’.<\/p>\n

Apparently, a groundbreaking interactive section called ‘Mick’s Drawer of Screams’ will give users a chance to be part of the horror film community like never before. I don’t know what that bit means, but it all sounds cool, hey?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The iBook’s due on the App Store June 1st, with an Android version to follow (so the rest of us can use it too). Keep an eye on the facebook page<\/a> (and my website of course).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

‘Watchmen’ reprinted in new werewolf anthology<\/h2>\n
May 01, 2011<\/em><\/address>\n

‘Watchmen’ has just been reprinted in the new werewolf anthology Bewere The Night<\/em>, edited by Ekaterina Sedia, alongside stories by Holly Black and Kaaron Warren and others. It’s a brand-spanking new version of the story, reflecting some of its expansion into the novel Blood<\/em> (ie. there’s more cool werewolf transformation now).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Just released by Prime Books, it’s available at Amazon<\/a>!<\/p>\n

From the back cover: “Kitsune. Werewolves. Crane wives. Selkies. Every culture has stories of such strange creatures – animals turning into humans, humans shapeshifting into animals. Sometimes seductive, sometimes bloodthirsty, but always unpredictable like nature itself, these beings are manifestations of our secret hearts, our desire to belong to both worlds: one tame and civilized, the other unfettered and full of wild impulse. Here are stories that will make you wish you could howl at the moon until your heart bursts with longing or feel yourself shedding your human body as easily as a snake sheds its skin. Beware the night…it might not kill you, but it will certainly steal you away!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Wolf Creek: Origin’ Wins 2014 Australian Shadows Award April 30, 2015 I’m pleased — and shocked — to announce that Wolf Creek: Origin won the best Australian horror novel of the year at the recent Australian Shadows Awards (given by the Australian Horror Writers Association). It’s especially pleasing because it’s such an unconventional horror novel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-69","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":108,"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1586,"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69\/revisions\/1586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/aaronsterns.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

How my High School Teacher and Stephen King started me on the road<\/h2>\n

Feb 10, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

There’s a very nice article in today’s Ballarat Courier<\/em> about how my High School English teacher and one Stephen King started me on the road to writing horror. I indeed walked down a side street I’d never seen before and found a used bookstore with King’s It<\/em> as the only book on display in the window. I promptly bought it, then everything else he’d written up until then. His Danse Macabre<\/em> even introduced me to horror theory, so I’m very happy to have this little anecdote in print.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.thecourier.com.au\/story\/2076387\/ballarat-link-to-horror-film-wolf-creek-2\/?cs=62<\/a><\/p>\n