Where was The Pack filmed?
2015
City Locations
Adelaide, Queensland, Seal Island, New South Wales, Sydney
Location Types
Beach/Oceanview, Cape Cod, Naturescapes, Studios
Location Styles
Beachfront, Cape Cod, Exotic/Tropical
About The Pack
Nick Robertson directed the 2015 natural horror The Pack, which premiered at the Fantasy Film Festival. The movie opens with a sitter (Devon Amber) going to investigate noises coming from the barn. His wife (Dianna Buckland) awakens from an easy chair near the fireplace to see his burning cigarette on the ashtray. She goes out to look for him in the barn and hears noises. As she enters the structure, an unknown creature kills her. Abi, the neighboring sitter, wakes up to find her sheep dead with their throats ripped out. Carla Wilson (Anna Lise Phillips), who operates a veterinary clinic, hears reports about the dead sitters over the radio. Since her son Henry (Hamish Philips) is in the room, she quickly turns the radio off and sends him out to play. Her daughter Sophie (Katie Moore) is on the roof chatting with a friend over the radio as she lies on a lounge chair. Seeing the overdue radio bill, Carla angrily calls Sophie who doesn’t respond. She eventually comes down to the clinic and the pair get into an argument. Sophie argues that school life is boring and the family should move to the city. Carla counters that if Sophie helped out around the house and got a job things would look up for her. The bank manager drops by the vet clinic, and amid his conversation with Carla, we learn that her house is getting foreclosed. Having recently opened the clinic, she hasn’t been turning in a profit. The snide bank manager isn’t understanding and tells her that they can take $200,000 for their barn. Adam Wilson (Jack Campbell), Carla’s husband who is a farmer, refuses. He argues that their sheep keep getting mauled, and that is the only reason their farm remains unprofitable. It leaves them with 48 hours to vacate the property. The manager drives off and stops by the roadside for a quick call. A pack of wild dogs shows up and attacks him before dragging his body down the hill.
The Pack Locations
The clapper first went down on The Pack production in July 2014. Notorious for housing some of the world’s deadliest animals, the natural horror pits humans against packs of ravenous dogs in the Australian Outback. Producer Kent Williams explained that real-life occurrences inspired the terrifying premise. Talking to the Daily Mail, he explained that the increasing number of stories about dogs turning vicious partly inspired the movie. The reported incidents weren’t only isolated to the dingo county but they were also as far-reaching as the Numbla Vale Valley to Queensland’s Glenorie Station. Kojo Films and Prodigy Movies, the production houses behind the film, worked with a combination of animatronic puppets, trained animals, and computer-generated images to conjure up the terrifying creatures. For five weeks, the team did film shoots across Adelaide, Queensland, Seal Island, Southern Bales, New Zealand, New South Wales, and Sydney.
Fun facts:
While The Pack shares the same title as the 1977 movie, the Robertson film isn’t a remake of the Clouse movie. What the two productions share is a premise, centering on packs of wild dogs which start terrorizing the surrounding community.
The pack attacks Adam scene in The Pack
Adelaide Studios, 1 Mulberry Rd, Glenside SA 5065, Australia
As the family settles into a quiet evening later that night, Sophie doesn’t notice the shadow of a dog as she pops into the shower. When Adam goes out to get the generator started, he realizes that their dog is missing. He calls out while walking the perimeter of the edge of the forest. Seeing yellow eyes stare back at him, Adam backs away just as howling begins. Large shadows begin pursuing him as she rushes into the house. Just as he shuts the door, the dogs lunge at him. He gets his rifle and only makes note of the missing bullets. Adam only has two rounds, and Carla can’t account for the others. However, we learned earlier that Henry had been taking the bullets. IMDB lists Adelaide Studios at 226 Fullarton Road in Glenside as one of the filming locations of The Pack. Located just five minutes from the Adelaide Central Business District, the studio offers two sound stages equipped with production offices, wardrobe and makeup rooms, and art departments.
The pack kills a police officer scene in The Pack
Numbla Vale Valley, NSW 2628, Australia
Carla phones the police for help explaining they have suffered a break-in. Adam aims at the door and shoots through it hitting the dog outside. He opens the door to check on the creature, but it isn’t dead, and the canine attacks him. In the scuffle, he accidentally fires the last round, and his rifle skids out the door.
Carla grabs a weapon and beats the dog off him. As an officer (Kieran Thomas McNamara) arrives and witnesses the spectacle, he attempts to radio the precinct for backup. The officer then exits his vehicle and is viciously attacked. The pack of dogs then drags his body off to the woods.
Numbla Vale Valley in New South Wales is listed as another filming location for The Pack. The small rural location has a population of 36, according to Australia’s Guide. Some of the landmarks around the area include The Knoll Napoleon Hill, Shaws Hill, and Pine Hill.
When visiting the area. Consider staying at the Buckley's Crossing Hotel or grabbing a bite at the Iona Gardens Café.
Adam encounters a wild dog at the vet clinic scene in The Pack
Sydney, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Adam can get to his pick-up truck and alerts his family to join him in their escape. However, a dog comes out of nowhere, leaps through the window, and bites him. The surprise attack causes him to step on the gas and he ends up plowing into the cop’s parked vehicle. Carla hides the kids in the pantry while Adam manages to exit the vehicle and get to the vet clinic. He finds a few bullets there and a noise coming from the other room catches his attention. Creeping over to inspect, he sees a wild dog devouring the other animals in cages. Sophie radios him and the noise alerts the dog that he is in the room. It attacks him but he fights the canine off with the rifle. The capital city provided a backdrop for some of The Pack scenes. It is home to the world-famous Sydney Opera House which has welcomed a reported 100 million visitors since 1973. The city has also hosted numerous other film shoots including The Matrix, The Great Gatsby, and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Carla makes firebombs scene in The Pack
Seal Island, Albany, Western Australia
The children face their share of close calls when a wild dog attempts to breach their hideout spot. Carla comes to their rescue and stabs the creature using a kitchen knife. It runs off and they have to find an alternative plan for the situation. The family decides their best bet is the roof of the vet clinic but getting there is a challenge in itself. As Adam searches the house for more shells, Carla makes firebombs using flammables she can find around the house. She throws the firebombs at the canines to keep them at bay as they make their way through the patches of lawn. They barely make it to the roof before fighting off a few more dogs. The Pack production unit also filmed around Seal Island in Albany. The Western Australia locale is almost entirely made of granite. Visitors get to hang out with the top-rated diving site’s stars, sea lions, and seals. Access to the island is only possible through its western end.
Carla traps the pack leader scene in The Pack
Main Rd, McLaren Vale, South Australia
After clearing the last patch of lawn, the children make it to the ladder to get onto the roof of the vet clinic. The pack leader makes a beeline for Carla, and she runs back towards the house. As the canine closes in, she runs to the pick-up truck instead. She enters the vehicle through its back window and grabs a tire iron. She manages to fight the dog off long enough so that she can open the truck’s doors. The canine leaps through the window and Carla slams the door shut, trapping the dog inside. McLaren Vale is described as the cradle of the wine industry in South Australia. Nestled between the Gulf Street beaches and Mount Lofty Ranges, the region houses some of the world’s oldest vines. The Pack location is a prime spot to go hiking or cycling on the Shiraz Trail and paddling on the Onkaparinga River. The Willunga Farmers Market is equally worth a visit to sample the artisan food produced by the local farmers. McLaren Vale is located about 45 minutes away from Adelaide.
The pack retreats to the woods scene in The Pack
Tinjella Trail, Kuitpo SA 5201, Australia
Their closest call yet is when a wild dog corners Carla near Adam’s truck. All she has is a crowbar at hand to fend it off. Thankfully, Adam turns up with the rifle and shoots it in the head. Day breaks and the other canines flee back into the woods. Exhausted and bloodied from the night of terror, the family retreats into their house. Their pet dog comes running back into the house out of nowhere. The camera pans to reveal yellow eyes peering out of a cave entrance in the forest. Established in 1898, the Kuitpo Forest Reserve is located near the Meadows township and it’s a 45-minute drive from Adelaide. The forest offers stretches of walking trails, and the Heysen Trail is amongst the most popular. The South Australian Forestry Corporation has an interpretive center on-site providing insights into the forest ecology as well as the history of Kuitpo. The Pack location is equally a great spot for camping, picnicking, and horseback riding.
Conclusion
While the movie didn’t receive the best reviews, the filming locations of The Pack will inspire the wanderlust in anyone who finds themselves traipsing around the land down under. The movie holds a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes out of 260 ratings. LA Times didn’t have the kindest things to say about the horror film, commenting that the family wasn’t the brightest of the bunch. A New York Observer reviewer gave the film a much favorable critique by calling it “an effective thriller.” The review added that the movie’s selling points include the steady pace, and while it lacks in the way of the character’s shortcomings, the film makes up for it with the action-packed scenes.