Mick Taylor is back in all his glorious grit and gore with Wolf Creek 2! I really dug the first one back in 2005, so I’m happy to say that waiting nearly a decade paid off. The sequel is bigger, meaner, and funnier than the first.

For the most part, I agree with everything Brad said in his review of part 2. The set pieces in this one are tremendous and range from small farmhouse suspense to a massive big-rig chase through the outback. Mick Taylor even rides a horse, for chrissakes. Writer-director Greg McLean goes balls out action for lots of the film, then wisely tones it down for a creepy climax that’ll get under your skin.

As Taylor, actor John Jarratt delivers a boldly maniacal performance. As he explains in the Blu-ray’s behind the scene featurette, “Creating a Monster,” he has to go to some “dark places” to get into character. He’s a family man in real life, so playing a raping, homicidal redneck takes some single-minded absorption for sure. Taylor hams it up a bit more in this one too – delivering one-liners ala Freddy Krueger. He even makes a dick joke!

The fine line McLean establishes between rooting for Taylor and hating him is pretty damn impressive. The film kicks off with a hilarious prologue in which Taylor takes on two condescending prick cops. Of course we want Taylor to snuff these pigs out (there’s a lot of pig jokes here too), but later on, when he’s butchering a backpacker and preparing to rape another, you feel bad for rooting for this monster. Wolf Creek 2 definitely toyed with my sympathies.

Aside from all the spectacular action and stunts, I really enjoyed when things calmed down near the end so more suspense could be had. Without spoiling anything, there’s a long scene between Taylor and one of his victims that is amazingly tense. We never quite know what Taylor is thinking or when he’s being sincere. It’s a really anxious scene and the highlight of the film for me.

Image Entertainment and RLJ Entertainment’s Blu-ray of Wolf Creek 2 takes viewers deeper into the outback with the comprehensive behind the scenes look I mentioned before. It runs about an hour long and covers a lot of regular ground, such as casting, production design, and location scouting. Obviously the stunts are the most engaging parts of the doc. Watching them plan and pull off the truck scene is really fun. If you enjoyed the film, be sure to check out the doc.

There’s also 25 minutes of deleted and extended scenes. There’s nothing particularly juicy here, but if you wished you could spend more time with those lovable German backpackers, you’re in luck. There’s a lot more of them. The only really interesting deleted bit would’ve gone in the very beginning, when the backpackers are still in the hostel. In the deleted scene, another young traveler is warning them about the dangers of hitchhiking, talking about how hundreds of people disappear a year that way. Since we already know about the disappearances from the first film and from the titles that open the film, I can see how it’s an unnecessary scene.

Prepare to have you eardrums kicked in their hypothetical asses too. The 5.1 surround on this bitch is impressive, especially during the truck sequence. No complaints about the video.

Fans of the original Wolf Creek will not be disappointed with the sequel. Unfamiliar viewers will be able to follow along without having seen the first (though I highly recommend checking it out). Either way, make sure you get Wolf Creek 2 up in your eyeballs when it hits home video June 24!