The hunt for Mick Taylor begins on May 12th when STAN’s 6-hour long “Wolf Creek” miniseries arrives.

I’m both a huge fan of director Greg McLean and his Wolf Creek franchise, which began like an homage to Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and then turned into a fun game of cat-and-mouse in the sequel.

Now, McLean is flipping the franchise on its head with the 6-part miniseries that sets Eve Thorogood (Vampire Academy‘s Lucy Fry) is on a mission for revenge. In it, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) targets an American tourist family to terrorise and destroy. But the tables are turned when 19-year-old Eve survives the massacre and starts to rebuild her shattered existence by embarking on a mission of revenge.

With McLean’s The Darkness also releasing next week, we caught up with McLean to talk a bit about the series, which is once again changing direction. This time, Mick Taylor is being hunted in what McLean calls “shit-scary”:

“The first ‘Wolf Creek’ was a hardcore attempt to try something out – ‘what would these events look like if they were really happening?’ It’s a very simple idea that created something fairly visceral for audiences,” explains McLean.

“The second movie needed to change gear, 100%. The character of Mick Taylor was now known to the audience – so I had an opportunity to have more fun and screen time with the character as he was front and center the entire movie. It was really about Mick and his world.

“The TV series (six episodes at one-hour apiece) was another opportunity to expand even deeper into the world of the Australian Outback Mick Taylor inhabits. It’s more of a suspense, thriller in tone but ventures into genuine horror the deeper we get into the story.

“We follow a female character who is out for revenge after her family is murdered by the madman so it spins the whole concept of its head in that the slasher villain is now being hunted. And as he’s hunted, we learn more and more about what created this monster, and potentially how to destroy him.”

He continues, “I’m so proud of the series; the writing, acting and imagery is amazing. I think horror fans will love it as it’s complex, rich, and full of atmosphere, while also being shit-scary. It also has some the genuine ‘HOLY FUCKING SHIT!’ moments that each ‘Wolf Creek’ film has (I’m looking at you, ‘Head on a Stick’ scene from ‘Wolf Creek’ and “Jeez, Rutger, are you part bloody donkey!’ from the sequel).”

Being that “Wolf Creek” is now an online/TV series, McLean assured fans that STAN allowed them to do anything they wanted, although this is more of a character-based drama with a serial killer.

“The network we premiere on – STAN – is Australia’s NETFLIX, so we could do anything…and we certainly did! They are great partners and wanted to create something that’d blow audiences away and not shy away from violence, horror or gore. I was amazed and delighted – as I’m sure horror fans will be as well – by seeing something that has no real restrictions. That said it’s not gratuitous as it’s essentially a character-based drama series – the character just happens to have a soft spot for mass murder and serial killing.”

Spoiler. The “Wolf Creek” series isn’t the end of Mick Taylor as McLean envisions an entire universe around the character.

“I co-wrote two prequel novels with the fantastic horror novelists Aaron Sterns and Brett McBean. These were published a few years back and ‘Wolf Creek’ fans can find them on Amazon. Again, very proud of these books – fans will not be disappointed.

“I have a detailed plan for more movie adventures, and would love to see more in the TV world, but we’ll wait and see the response to the first series. They’re really fun movies to make, John Jarratt is a blast to work with, and honestly, spending 6 weeks in the beautiful Flinders Ranges in South Australia every few years sounds good to me. There are worse ways to spend a few months.”

STAN will also see a worldwide release next weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for information as it’s released.

For fans of the Wolf Creek films, which one is your favorite?