The first thing I checked after blindly purchasing "The Pack" was if it's a remake of the tense but sadly forgotten 1977 horror/thriller with the same title and directed by Robert Clouse. It's not, and I guess that makes sense, since "The Pack" is a logical and common title for a movie about a bunch of wild dogs entrenching petrified families. Nevertheless, I couldn't wait to watch it fast, because I have a fondness for Aussie horror and particularly because I'm always in the mood to see a good old-fashioned "animals gone bad/nature against humanity" flick. It's already a personal favorite sub-genre of mine and, quite frankly, I've been so fed up with horror movies about cannibalistic/inbred families lately, that an "animal-attack" film sounds extra fresh and appealing! The best possible thing I can write about "The Pack" is that debuting director Nick Robertson did an exceptionally impressive job when it comes to building up tension and sustaining the uncanny atmosphere. The body count is rather low, I'll reveal that much, but it's a rare example of a recent horror movie where you develop sympathy for the lead characters and move towards the edge of your seat during the chase sequences. The plot introduces the Wilson family, living on an isolated farming estate in the remote Australian countryside. The rebellious teenage daughter wants to move back to the city and the parents are virtually bankrupt, mainly because all their sheep are getting killed by a pack of bewildered dogs. When the dogs move in closer, the mean and nasty debt collector from the bank is the first one to get what he deserves. But savage dogs don't care about mortgages, and pretty soon the family's sole concern becomes the nightly battle for survival. I like my 'nature revolts' movies best when the animals in question are as normal as possible. Like in the awesome 1977 film, these dogs aren't mutated, sick or excessively large. They've just gone savage because they were abandoned and depend on their natural killing instinct to survive. Simple, perhaps, but even more efficient and it's exactly what makes them more menacing. There are a few clichés and fake jump-scares, but also a bit of decent gore and the attack sequences are more than adequately illustrated. I didn't know any of the names in the cast, but they all put down good performances. "The Pack" isn't the most memorable or spectacular horror/thriller you'll ever watch, but it's certainly worth and hour and a half of your life.
