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Australian horror month began with Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek (listen), then tackled Andrew Traucki and David Nerlich’s 2007 creature feature Black Water (listen). For week three, Jenn and I are back in human villain territory with the “bodies in the barrels” murders depicted in Snowtown (2011) or The Snowtown Murders (2012).

In the mid to late ’90s, serial killer John Bunting groomed teenager Jamie Vlassakis to commit multiple murders under the guise of protecting their Adelaide suburb from pedophiles and queer men. Director Justin Kurzel and screenwriter Shaun Grant adapt the horrifying true story, which explores how Bunting was able to bend a whole community of malleable minds to his will, how he inserted himself into Jamie’s life, and how this garden variety murderer targeted vulnerable communities, including victims who were developmentally disabled and addicts.

It’s an exceptionally rough film because it’s not flashy. The performances are also extremely grounded and frightening,...

After kicking off Australian horror month with Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek (listen), Jenn and I have turned our attention to a crocodile-based creature feature. But rather than do Rogue, another film by the same Aussie director, we’re spreading the love to filmmakers Andrew Traucki and David Nerlich and their 2007 film Black Water.

The film is based on a real-life incident from 2003, when 22-year-old Brett Mann was swept away in a flooded river in the Northern Territory. His two friends, Ashley McGough and Shaun Blowers, pursued him, but when McGough spotted a crocodile in the water, the pair climbed a tree to safety. Sadly, Mann was killed, and his body was carried away by the creature.

The nightmare for his friends continued when the crocodile returned, forcing them to spend the night in the tree. It’s a harrowing story that was turned into not one, but two 2007 creature...

Allow us to jog your memory as to how much of a scary good time these killer alligator/crocodile flicks can be. From the hilariously campy to the horrifyingly credible, here are our Top 10 Favorite Killer Alligator/Crocodile Movies!

#10. Crocodile (2000) – Just a few weeks back we boldly stood up for what Tobe Hooper’s unabashedly trashy direct-to-video Crocodile – a movie that, while among the lower rungs of his illustrious filmography, is actually much more gory, violent and overall fun than people give it credit for. While cheaply made and poorly acted, the great thing about this flick is the sheer amount of killer-croc-action and exorbitant death toll as the prehistoric beast named Flat Dog chews, chomps, marauds and masticates every damn annoying human in its predatory path. A fall from grace in the eyes of many, Crocodile is minor-key Hooper having a damn good time! Get Here

#9. Alligator (1979) – Also known as The Big Alligator River,...

The episode of Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie covering Black Water was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Animal attack movies have been quite a lucrative genre for a very long time. Obviously, Jaws is the beginning and the end of the conversation but there’s so much more. Grizzlies, whales, dogs, you name it have been the focal point of horror films and will continue to be there with things like Cocaine Bear, The Meg 2, and others infiltrating theaters on a yearly basis. Most of these, of course, are fictional accounts like Stephen King giving us Cujo or any number of other on-screen animals gone wild. There are, however, the rare account that is based on a true story and today is one of those cases. Alligators and crocodiles...

Black Water is one of those rare instances where “based on true events” isn’t just a gratuitous tagline. The 2007 movie (later followed by an unrelated and more polished-looking sequel) is in fact inspired by an event from a few years earlier — near the Finniss River in the Northern Territory of Australia, two people were stranded in a tree after a massive predator killed their friend, then continued to stalk them. While that real-life account and this piece of fiction are substantially different in most respects, they both illustrate the terrifying unpredictability of “salties.”

After spending Christmas vacation with family, Black Water’s three main characters set off on a number of small adventures before returning to their humdrum lives. It’s only when sisters Lee and Grace and Grace’s husband Adam (Andy Rodoreda) go fishing in a mangrove do they encounter one of Australia’s most dangerous residents.

The combination of claustrophobia, darkness, murky water and one big crocodile adds up to a decently scary time in “Black Water: Abyss,” Andrew Traucki’s belated followup to the abyss-less 2007 original he co-directed with David Nerlich. This time, the tasty humans are trapped in an underground cavern during a flash flood, making for a situation that’s unpleasant even before they discover they’ve got reptilian company.

While perhaps not as memorable as some of the movies it might remind you of (like “The Descent” and “Pitch Black”), this is still a tense thriller that nicely exploits a formulaic nature it doesn’t quite transcend. One of the first rollouts in several countries’ newly re-opened theaters abroad, “Abyss” will be releasing to U.S. drive-ins and on demand as of Aug. 7.

The first “Black Water” was a sleeper success primarily in home formats, its big-screen exposure probably hobbled by the...

Luke Mitchell with Jessica McNamee.

Luke Mitchell shot Andrew Traucki’s Black Water: Abyss, a survival thriller about five people who are attacked by killer crocodiles, in a purpose-built pool near Brisbane, but it was no picnic.

“The fear factor was real. There were tricky conditions as we were immersed in rising water in the dark with only our headlamps and torches for illumination,” the actor tells If after returning to his home in Los Angeles.

Mitchell readily accepted the role for several reasons. He wanted to “get my hands dirty” after playing Captain John Abraham in The Code, a military legal drama which screens on CBS All Access in the Us and here on 10 All Access.

It was his first ever genre film, it enabled him to come back to his native Queensland, and it was his first chance to work with Jessica McNamee.

“There was minimal dialogue, so...

(L-r) Amali Golden, Luke Mitchell, Jessica McNamee, Benjamin Hoetjes and Anthony Sharpe.

Jessica McNamee and Luke Mitchell are playing an adventure-loving couple who get trapped in a flooded cave and are attacked by killer crocodiles in Andrew Traucki’s survival thriller Black Water: Abyss.

Scripted by Sarah Smith and Ian John Ridley, the sequel to Traucki and David Nerlich’s 2007 horror/thriller Black Water started shooting in South East Queensland today, supported by Screen Queensland.

The Us-based McNamee is Jennifer with Luke Mitchell as Luke.

With close friends Yolanda (Amali Golden) and Viktor (Benjamin Hoetjes) they abseil into newly discovered caves with tour guide Cash (Anthony Sharpe), believing they will be safe from the approaching tropical storm.

As the cave begins to flood and oxygen levels fall, the group find themselves lost, disoriented and trapped and are easy prey for a pack of crocodiles.

Staring into the jaws of death,...

Director Andrew Traucki has become the latest high-profile Australian filmmaker to turn to crowdfunding in an effort to complete his feature.

Traucki previously helmed crocodile thriller Black Water (with David Nerlich) in 2007, which he followed with shark thriller The Reef in 2010. His latest film, The Jungle, follows big cat specialist, Larry Black, who ventures into the remote Indonesian jungle with filmmaker brother, Ben, to investigate reported sightings of the endangered Javan leopard.

It was filmed in Byron Bay and Indonesia. Traucki, who wrote and directed the film, is attempting to raise at least $16,500 through the Indiegogo website by December 1, which will pay for post-production costs.

.The great thing about crowdfunding, apart from helping raise a film.s budget, is the dialogue that occurs between fans and yourself . the maker of the work," he said in a statement. "It.s wonderful to actually connect with your audience and supporters in this way.

Director Andrew Traucki has become the latest high-profile Australian filmmaker to turn to crowdfunding in an effort to complete his feature.

Traucki previously helmed crocodile thriller Black Water (with David Nerlich) in 2007, which he followed with shark thriller The Reef in 2010. His latest film, The Jungle, follows big cat specialist, Larry Black, who ventures into the remote Indonesian jungle with filmmaker brother, Ben, to investigate reported sightings of the endangered Javan leopard.

It was filmed in Byron Bay and Indonesia. Traucki, who wrote and directed the film, is attempting to raise at least $16,500 through the Indiegogo website by December 1, which will pay for post-production costs.

.The great thing about crowdfunding, apart from helping raise a film.s budget, is the dialogue that occurs between fans and yourself . the maker of the work," he said in a statement. "It.s wonderful to actually connect with your audience and supporters in this way.

Australian writer and director Andrew Traucki is currently finalizing his third feature . The Jungle . in his trilogy of terror, which he names .Three Colours Red..

The Jungle tells the story of an Australian leopard conservationist who travels deep into the remote Indonesian jungle with his documentary filmmaker brother. Intending to investigate an endangered species of leopard, the protagonists soon discover that they have become the target of a deadly unseen predator.

.I have been trying to think of a third story of thriller that I can do,. he said. .It is not conventional. It is more experimental in a sense. I like the idea of being stuck in the jungle and having to work out how to survive..

Like his previous two features, crocodile thriller Black Water (co-directed with David Nerlich) and shark film The Reef, The Jungle continues exploring terror in the natural environment.

.I kind of like the survival-thriller.

Australia may not have an overabundance of horror films but they’ve managed to produce some quality genre pictures. The recent success of the acclaimed documentary Not Quite Hollywood has shed light on a much overlooked aspect of Aussie genre filmmaking, from lowbrow slashers to twisted thrillers and gross-out horror comedies. Back in the 70′s a number of prominent filmmakers began to develop a film movement that would eventually see the successes of such films as Mad Max and The Last Wave. It was during this time that Australian cinema as a whole experienced resurgence due to increased governmental funding and eventually gave way to what international film critics termed the “Australian New Wave” or the “Golden Age of Australian cinema”.

New Zealand hasn’t produced many horror films over the years, but those it has given birth to are remarkably strong entries. In fact one of the biggest filmmakers...

Today is Australia Day here in, you guessed it, Australia. If you're American or British you're probably reading this and it's not technically Australia Day yet (26 of January), but that's my reward for Living In The Future! Time zones be damned! America celebrates the day that British people came to their land with Turkey and family get togethers and being thankful for good health. Australia celebrates by having a bbq and sitting in lawn chairs and wading pools. We're classy like that!

Over at my blog Stale Popcorn I have celebrating by doing another end-of-decade list, this time one that I'm sure not many others have done: Best Australian Films of the Decade. There are some titles on there that you non-Aussies will recognise like Samson & Delilah, Wolf Creek, Mary and Max and Australia, but there's also plenty you have probably never heard a single word about. No matter whether...

Fango’s Australian correspondent Michael Helms sent along casting and other details on two new projects getting ready to roll there, both of which showcase nature gone amok. The more horrific of the two is The Reef, the latest from Andrew Traucki, who co-wrote and co-directed (with David Nerlich) the killer-crocodile flick Black Water.

Reteaming Traucki with Black Water producer Michael Robertson, The Reef stars Aussie actors Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Gyton Grantley, Adrienne Pickering and Kieran Darcy-Smith in the story of a group of friends whose boat capsizes on a jaunt to the Great Barrier Reef. Deciding to attempt a swim to the distant shore, they find themselves being stalked by a great white shark intent on making meals out of them. The $3.5 million (Australian) film is set to begin a five-week shoot October 12 in Queensland’s Hervey Bay; additional live shark footage will be captured in South Australia.

LONDON -- Longtime production executives Paul Cowan and Chris Wheeldon have united to form U.K. production banner Territorial Film Developments, the duo said Tuesday.

TFD aims to finance and produce "at least three in-house, low-budget movies per year in the horror-thriller and comedy genres," the parties said.

The debut movie, penciled in to be titled Black Water, was being presold at last week's European Film Market by U.K. sales outfit AV Pictures.

Billed as "a terrifying tale of human survival against all odds," the movie, via a two-minute promo, was sold to 11 territories, including Japan, Brazil, Spain and Benelux.

AV Pictures said Black Water, a collaboration between TFD and the Australian Film Commission, will be completed in time for May's Festival de Cannes and now is in postproduction in Sydney by the writer-director team of Andrew Trauki and David Nerlich.

Produced locally in Sydney with Michael Robertson at the helm, the story is based on a series of true events. The film follows three young people on a fishing tour whose boat is attacked by a saltwater crocodile in the mangrove swamps of northern Australia.