Werewolves

On my several journeys to Scotland i have some really lovely memories. Not only of the wonderful hospitality the Scottish people welcomed me to their homes but the amazing Scottish highlands especially how beautiful it was to experience the incredible landscape. I remember on my second journey to Scotland i woke up one night at the Bed And Breakfast hotel we stayed at up near the Scottish highlands and i stepped outside to get some fresh air. It must have been around 3 a.m. and the moon was shining bright. It was while i was standing there i looked over to the other side of the road where a local pub was closed. I couldn´t see the pub sign letters completely but it was clearly a very old fashioned sign. It reminded me of a pub sign in legendary director John Landis 1981 classic horror comedy film An American Werewolf In London, when the American men visits a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb. Not that it was called something similar but the shape of the sign was similar and was made out of wood. Standing there with such a bright moon i instantly thought about werewolves, how could i not after seeing that pub sign up in the Scottish highlands? Most horror fans know the classic horror comedy An American Werewolf In London and there are other werewolf classics such as Dog Soldiers ( you should own a blu ray release of this film from distribution company Second Sight Films ). When it comes to werewolf films there is both some good releases worth checking out, but there are some terrible werewolves films as well. Who remember the awful 1995 film Howling: New Moon Rising ( the 7th film in this franchise ) ?. One specific title i can recommend though that is worth watching in the werewolf category is the 2014 horror film Late Phases from director Adrian Garcia Bogliano. A blind war veteran is forced to survive against a werewolf while he is prepared to kill the beast. Late Phases is a simple werewolf film but have an interesting plot and the fact that the main character is blind makes this film more interesting. Worth renting on VOD or picking up on a physical copy. Speaking of werewolves late last year was the release of the horror action film known as Werewolves that looked like a fun tribute to B movies of my childhood. I decided to rent the film on VOD since i am a fan of action actor Frank Grillo and i was curious to see him in a horror film. Is this a must see this spring or is Werewolves more terrible than i ever would have imagined?

One year ago, during the supermoon, humans transformed into werewolves who came in contact with moonlight. In response, humans are preparing for another supermoon event, barricading their homes with weapons and self-defense traps. Whatever you do, make sure you are locked inside and do not come in contact with the moonlight.

I might as well be honest and say that Werewolves is a film that is clearly made for B movie lovers, and if you are not a fan of B movies then this is definetely not for you. However, if you love old school monster films we used to get on VHS back in the day at rental stores then you are going to have fun with this fim. This is basically like a mixed combination of The Purge and the Underworld franchise, where werewolves is the main enemy. There are several details to appreciate about Werewolves so let´s start talking about what i appreciate most. The fact that anyone can turn into a werewolf just looking at the full moon is a pretty cool concept, since this is supposed to be a supermoon that only comes out one specific night. I also like the idea that society prepare themselves like this is something similar to a purge night, and try to block doors and windows not to get the moonlight shining in and keep the werewolves outside. When it comes to the characters we have a mixed bag here but the main character Wesley ( played by action actor Frank Grillo ) is a great lead character for this film. He is tough, not afraid to risk his own life while he is worried about his dead brother´s wife and their daughter. Frank Grillo proves once more that he knows exactly how to handle action scenes and it´s fun watching him battling werewolves with actress Katrina Law as the character Dr. Amy. Nice to see legendary actor Lou Diamond Phillips in here even though i wish he had more screen time. The action scenes may not be the greatest i have seen but i think Werewolves manage to balance both horror and action together in a positive way. The werewolves look cool enough to enjoy if you are a werewolf fan. On the negative side i would probably say that this film could have been more brutal, with more brutal body attacks where bodies are ripped apart. Other than that i had fun with Werewolves for being a throwback to action horror films of the 80´s and 90´s. Director Steven C. Miller ( director of the great 2012 Christmas horror film Silent Night ) clearly had fun making Werewolves and he show that by giving us a tasteful B movie treat filled with tasty details. If you want a pizza night with cold beer at home and don´t know what to watch, Werewolves should be the perfect choice for a VOD rental evening.

Rating: DDD