

On the lonely back roads of rural Australia a deadly secret from the past awaits returned soldier Sergeant Ben Cross. Vincent Malek, a cruel and uncompromising killer forces Ben to play his deadly game. Relentlessly hunted through unforgiving terrain, Ben must draw on all his strength to survive, and unravel the truth along the way. The ultimate psychological chase film with revenge at its core, The Backpacker is a thriller in the same chilling vein as the late 60's box office sensation 'Deliverance'. As Malek hunts Ben relentlessly through his forest hunting ground in a gruesome game of cat and mouse, the action revolves around one crucial question: how far would you go for revenge...
Practical Effects
Gnarly injury effects that cost approximately $12
Cinematography
Outback as suffocating antagonist, gorgeous and hostile
Director
Dion Martin Boland
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges, not the actual Outback—locals reportedly kept wandering into frame confused by the 'American' accents.
Part of a 2010s micro-wave of Australian survival horror grappling with rural masculinity crises; think Wolf Creek's uglier, poorer cousin who still shows up to Thanksgiving.