And like Charlie Brown, I can’t resist kicking

Look, horror is something that works on a personal level. Some people like it when big special-effects monsters jump off the screen, their Velociraptor teeth gnashing in a frenzied hunger. Me, I get scared when people turn psycho .

I mean, like when you’re talking to somebody and, suddenly, what you thought was a joint sense of the world becomes something else completely . And no matter what you say, the other person starts looking at you as if you don’t exist. Or if you do, then you have about as much status as an amoeba . Maybe less.

That’s the kind of creepiness that “Wolf Creek” possesses. The little Australian import opens in Spokane on Sunday, Christmas Day no less, and this much is for certain: It ain’t “A Christmas Story.” In fact, there are a couple of moments that … but I won’t spoil it. The film’s official Web site gives a hint of what I mean.

And the plot? Well, let’s just say this. It’s the cinematic equivalent of Lucy holding the football .

Below: Kristy (Kestie Morassi) struggles to escape the horror of … “Wolf Creek.”

Studio publicity photo