Wer (2013) #396

"Wer" is an enjoyable, low budget horror film that touches on the basic themes of Werewolf lore (both historical and cinematic) rather than trying to bedazzle the audience with an overload of CGI effects. I really enjoyed how the film takes place in France, where the legends of werewolves ran rampant in the 1500 through 1700's. The curse is still spread by surviving an attack by an inflected beast, and the werewolves are still fast, strong, and menacing. While the appearance of the werewolf in this film is less impressive than other movies, the physical effects and make-up are highly appreciated and is a breath of fresh air.

The plot of "Wer" is kept simple and straight forward, focusing on a American defense attorney who is brought in to defend a quiet loner named Talan who is accused of killing a vacationing family in the wilderness of France. Talan is actually a werewolf and escapes from jail, going on a rampage in Paris.

The Wolfman (2010)

The 2010 remake of "The Wolfman" will not be remembered as fondly as the original. It may not contain the awkward forwardness of Don Chaney Jr's character towards the the women in the film, it may use state-of-the-art special effects and make-up (which won an Academy Award), and it may indeed star the usually amazing Anthony Hopkins, but somehow this film still comes up short. Benicio del Toro does look a bit like Don Chaney Jr in this film but I don't think that he was a good fit for the role. It's difficult to care for his character or for the other characters that directly interact with him. Anthony Hopkins doesn't fully own his character in the same way that he owned Van Helsing in "Bram Stoker's Dracula". And Emily Blunt's role just feels too forced, not by anything that she does herself, but just by being there for no other reason than as a story device. The ending is different and somewhat satisfying but it isn't enough to save the movie. The strongest part of this production is the performance delivered by Hugo Weaving, which really doesn't come as much of a surprise; it's a shame that he enters the film so far into it. An uncredited and brief appearance by Max von Sydow is a pleasant surprise.

The world renown Shakespearean actor Lawrence Talbot returns to his childhood home of Blackmoor, England after he receives news that his brother has been violently killed. Lawrence has an uneasy reunion with his father, Sir John Talbot, who still resides at his grade estate with his assistant Singh and his brother's grieving fiancee Gwen Conliffe. Being back at his old home causes Lawrence emotional distress, including dreaming flashbacks of his mother's suicide and his former mental issues. Lawrence tries to find out what happened to his brother on his own and while visiting a gypsy camp near-by, he is attacked and mauled by a wolf-like beast. With Gwen's help, Lawrence is nursed back to health incredibly fast which makes the locals very uneasy. When Inspector Aberline arrives in town to investigate a recent string of murders, he comes to suspect the odd acting Lawrence. Unfortunately the timing is right for Lawrence to change in to the Wolf, and discovering that his father is one and has locked himself away, Lawrence falls under the power of the beast and goes out into the night to kill. The next morning, Aberline arrests Lawrence and brings him back to London where he is admitted to the haunting asylum that he spent his childhood after his mother died. With vengeance in his heart and a hatred for his father, will Lawrence be able to control the Beast within when the full moon rises once more?

Ginger Snaps Back aka Ginger Snaps 3 (2004)

What happens when you have a werewolf story about two sisters and one of them dies in the first film and then the other one transforms in the second? Well, you reboot the concept and take both sisters and place them in the Canadian wilderness during the winter of the 1815! In "Ginger Snaps Back", the Fitzgerald Sisters are back, trying to survive the harsh winter after their trading party never returned from the Hudson Bay. I love the time period that this film takes place and I always want to watch it as a double feature along with "Ravenous". The chemistry between actors Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle is as strong as ever and come across as two devoted sisters who only have each other. Add in the venomous distrust of a hateful reverend, a fort filled with men who are weary and tired of constant attacks by werewolf's, and a dangerous secret that could ruin everything, you end up with a powder keg situation ready to explode. And when the time comes, it does explode in a beautiful and bloody way.


Brigitte and Ginger are wandering the Canadian wilderness, travelling aimlessly after losing their way. They come across an nearly empty camp, where a wise Indian women gives them each a talisman in the form of a necklace and tells them that they must "kill the boy", otherwise one sister will kill the other. A hunter then takes them to Fort Bailey until it's safe to travel again. It is here that their troubles begin as they become the focus of suspicion from the members of the camp who have been under attack by unnatural forces. In the fort itself, Ginger is attacked by the leader's son who is a werewolf. She becomes infected and is determined to kill the boy so she won't kill Brigitte. The chaos soon spirals out of control as the leader, the reverend, the hunter and others react to the situation, leaving Brigitte to face the terror that her sister has caused.

An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)

“An American Werewolf in Paris” is perhaps the largest guilty pleasure that I will ever admit to in this blog. Yes, I liked this film despite all of its major obvious flaws. The CGI is over used and horrible, replacing and outright forgetting the best damn make-up special effects moments ever seen in a horror film, the transformation scene in the original “An American Werewolf in London”. And this film tries to blend comedy and this also falls flat and feels forced.  And of course there is the “cure” that is discovered by accident at the end of them movie, which simply mocks the curse of being a werewolf. So why do I love it? Probably because it stars my all-time celebrity crush, Julie Delpy. And the story isn’t bad; it’s just the best for a horror movie. Another redeeming quality is the fact that they include the various ghostly victims that are killed throughout the film, going so far as to try to cause an accident or two so their killer will get himself killed.

Three American friends are traveling around Europe, trying to outscore each other by performing crazy stunts; they’re also keeping score on how many women they meet and have sexy times with. Andy hasn’t done much on the trip and that’s because he’s waiting for Paris where he has an extreme stunt planned; to bungee jump off of the Eifel Tower. Once there after the Tower closes, Andy is preparing to jump when he sees Serafine, a Parisian woman who is about to jump off of the tower and commit suicide. Andy Jumps after her and catches her but ends up injuring himself as the rope retracts. He wakes up and decides that he has to find her. Andy eventually finds her and soon learns that she tried to kill herself because she’s a werewolf; unfortunately he learns this after he himself is bitten by a werewolf at a nightclub. Now Andy has to come to terms with his situation while dealing with a pack of werewolf bullies who throw parties that turn into bloodbaths. 

The Company of Wolves (1984)

“The Company of Wolves” is another untraditional werewolf movie like “Cat People”, except this time it does deal with wolves, lots of them. Like “Cat People”, it explores the exploration of sexuality and the loss of innocence. This topic matter is presented through different stories that are told throughout the film with the major story arc on the film ending in with its version of Little Red Riding Hood. Again, there is little violence in this film and it could have had a rating besides R if it hadn’t been for the last story told. The special effects were mostly puppetry and make-up which provided some impressive visuals but were not scary in the least. The cast was included Angela Lansbury as Granny, David Warner (“The Omen”) as Father, and the film was directed by Neil Jordan, who would direct “Interview With the Vampire” ten years later.

The movie begins by setting up the fact that the film takes place within a dream. A modern day Rosaleen is dreaming of herself living within a medieval fairytale forest. Her older sister has been killed by a wolf while she was in the forest; to give Rosaleen’s parents time to mourn, Rosaleen’s Granny takes her to her house for the night. While there, Granny begins to tell Rosaleen stories about men whose eyebrows touch and warning her of the beasts within men. After hearing a few stories over a few visits and being told to never stray off of the forest path, Rosaleen finally agrees to go for a walk in the forest with a boy her age that has a crush on her. They kiss once but she tells him that he has to catch her if he wants to kiss her again. She succeeds in hiding from him but while he is looking for her, he finds a cow that has been killed by a wolf. The townsmen go and trap the wolf, and when her father returns, he has the beast’s forepaw. He thought that it was the same wolf that killed Rosaleen’s older sister but he tells his family that the paw had turned into a human hand. They burn the hand and try to forge the horrid image. One day, Rosaleen meets a handsome hunter in the forest as she is going to visit Granny…and thus the Little Red Riding Hood tale begins, ending with its own unique ending.

Favorite moment – I love the visuals that are used during the killing of Granny.

Second favorite moment – I also love the wedding banquette scene and how the party guests change into wolves and run out…and over a poor peacock walking by outside.

Not frighting but still pretty cool for the 1980's

Rosaleen and Granny

The Wedding Banquette

Dog Soldiers (2002)

“Dog Soldiers” is a violent and fun werewolf movie that is brave enough not to rely on CGI. The werewolf bodies look odd as they are actors in spandex-like suits but I think the heads and arms look great and these beasts are still vastly superior to the werewolves in “Cursed”. This film was the directing debut for Neil Marshall, who would later go on to write and direct “The Descent”. The film costars one of my favorite supporting actors, Sean Pertwee, in a role that’s absolutely perfect for him.

“Dog Soldiers” is about a unit of British Army soldiers running through a training mission against elite forces deep in the forests of the Scottish Highlands. Notable members include Sgt. Wells, Pvt. Cooper, and Spoon. When they cross “enemy lines” and raid the elite forces campsite they find the camp ransacked and empty except for one wounded survivor, Capt. Ryan. A few weeks before, Cooper had tried out for a spot on a Special Forces unit under Ryan’s command but failed to get in when Cooper refused to shoot a dog. Suffice to say, the tension between the two is high. The team moves out with Capt. Ryan in two as they realize that whatever took out the Special Forces was closing back in on the camp. They manage to get to a road just as a local woman named Megan was driving by. She picks them up and takes them to the nearest house. No one is home and so they barricade themselves in for the night. From what Megan and Capt. Ryan reveal, the soldiers learn that they are being stalked by a pack of werewolves, smart werewolves. Before they can leave to get help, the car that Megan was driving is torn apart, forcing the soldiers to buckle down and fend of the monsters until daylight. In classic horror movie style, they are picked off one by one until the big finale.

Favorite moment – Sgt. Wells was wounded as he went back to look for one of his men, having his stomach sliced open and some of his intestines falling out. Once at the house, Cooper and Megan try their best to Sgt. Wells back together. I love how he keeps grabbing a bottle of whiskey and chugs it until it’s promptly taken away from him so he grabs a gun until it’s taken away from him so he grabs the whiskey again. It’s a very playful scene and you can’t blame him for trying!

Second favorite moment – The fight scene between Spoon and a werewolf in the kitchen is EPIC!

Cursed (2005)

Sadly, not every werewolf movie Grade A material. Some are actually quite horrible and should be avoided and “Cursed” is such an example. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the pair that created the film “Scream” clearly didn’t have the right chemistry this time around. I’ve read that that there were numerous reshoots and script changes demanded by the studio executives, but if the film was worth making in the first place, then I believe that these demands wouldn’t have been given in the first place. Now it I should say that Wes Craven is a director with a long history of creating both hits and utter failures so it shouldn’t be surprising that this was one of them. It doesn’t help that none of the actors seemed to give a damn about their work in this film except for Jesse Eisenberg. The movie was filled with actors that teens at the time loved and that was apparently good enough for Craven.  Another issue with this film is that it was way too predictable so it leaves the viewer with nothing to anticipate. Finally, the werewolves themselves look horrid and the transformation scenes are rendered in outdated CGI.

Ellie and Jimmy are siblings who hit a large creature and another car while driving home one night. They get out their car to see if the other car is alright only to see its driver killed before they are attacked. They manage to survive the attack and go home, where Jimmy starts to research werewolves since that’s what he thinks attacked them. The rest of the movie revolves around the two dealing with their their condition and finding out who to break their curse. It includes high school bullies and a cute girl for Jimmy, and a noncommittal boyfriend and his various ex’s for Ellie.

Ginger Snaps 2 : Unleashed (2003)

In 2003 two movies inspired by “Ginger Snaps” were filmed. The first was a sequel titled “Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed” and the other was a prequel called “Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning”. At the moment I’m going to focus on the sequel and as most sequels go, it’s decent but not nearly as strong of a film as the original. First of all the title is a bit misleading because Ginger died in the first movie and is still dead. She does make a couple of appearances as a ghost/vision that talks to her sister Brigitte. The movie also tries (half-heartedly) to compare her symptoms to those of a recovery drug addict. It doesn’t work but luckily it doesn’t interfere with the movie too much. I do want to point out that I really enjoy and appreciate the creative choice in this film series to have the change into the wolf form a permanent metamorphosis. They are unable to change back and forth so the stakes are drastically raised to keep their humanity and prevent the change as long as they can.

The film begins some time after the original. Brigitte is on the run across the suburbs of Canada. She is taking doses of monkshood to keep from turning into a wolf creature like her sister Ginger had. She is seen cutting herself and keeping a detailed record on how long the cuts take to heal. The quicker they heal, she realizes, the sooner she is doomed to complete the change into the beast. The monkshood is not a cure but only slows down the process, so she decides to take a second dose in one day…which turns out to be nearly fatal. After taking the second dose, she hears the male werewolf that has been stalking her (Ginger’s ex-boyfriend from the first movie), and runs out of her apartment but suffers from shock from her OD. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a drug rehab center. The staff believes she using the monkshood to get high and her cuts are the results are her being a “cutter”. She tries to escape and fails but is able to steal a piece of glass so she can continue timing her cut/healing rate.

At the hospital she meets Tyler, an orderly who offers her monkshood in exchange for sexual favors, which Brigitte promptly turns down. She also meets a young girl called Ghost who is at the hospital with her grandmother, who had suffered 3^rd degree burns over her body. Ghost comes and goes as she pleases throughout the clinic and quickly attaches herself to Brigitte. Ghost is clever enough, as well as imaginative enough, to figure out what Brigitte is. She tries to help by sneaking Brigitte some monkshood but they are caught by Tyler. Eventually Tyler gives in and lets Brigitte have some monkshood. Soon, Brigitte and Ghost escape from the hospital and drive out to where Ghost and her grandmother lived. There they prepare to fend themselves to kill the male werewolf that has tracked Brigitte down.

Favorite part – The last 15 minutes. Once the film changes scenery from the hospital to Ghost’s house, the pace picks up and becomes much more plausible and enjoyable.

Silver Bullet (1985)

I’m finally reviewing a second movie that’s associated with Stephen King. Don’t worry, there’ll many more to go over as the weeks go on. The film “Silver Bullet” is adapted from King’s novella called “The Cycle of the Werewolf”. It’s a good movie but not nearly as dark as some other werewolf movies from the 1980’s such as “An American Werewolf in London” or “The Howling”. “Silver Bullet” wasn’t as great as I remember when I first watched it in the late 1980’s and then rented it in the 90’s. It also has the distinct dialogue that most of King’s secondary characters tend to have; I’ve noticed that they all sound the same and if you are watching a film that he wrote the screenplay for, you can often tell it’s one of his stories by this trait. It stars Gary Busey and Corey Haim; two years later Haim would star in his best known film “The Lost Boys”.

The movie “Silver Bullet” is about Marty, a young boy who is paralyzed from the waist down, his favorite Uncle Red who makes motorized wheel chairs for him but isn’t the best role model due to his drinking, and his older sister Jane who he fights with but ends up becoming close to during the year when several people die in their small town. When four murders occur one after another, each in a very violent manner, a mob of locals form a vigilante group to go find the murder but some are killed during one night. The town’s Reverend Lowe had begged for them not to go and begins to have horrible dreams and it is revealed that he is the werewolf and responsible for the deaths in town. Marty discovers this as well when one night he shoots a bottle rocket into the beast’s eye and when Jane later sees Reverend Lowe with the same wound. They beg for help from their uncle who agrees to do what he can, first by sending their parents away on a romantic weekend and then staying with the kids until the Reverend Lowe comes to kill them all. There is a brutal showdown between the four but Marty is able to save his sister and uncle when he fires a single silver bullet to the werewolf’s good eye kills it.

Favorite moment – The nightmare sequence is probably the strongest horror moment in the film beside the ending itself.

The Howling (1981)

“The Howling” is another strong werewolf movie from the early 1980’s but where “An American Werewolf in London” is about one person who changes into a vicious beast, this movie is about an entire colony of them! The make-up and special effects for the werewolves is ok but I don’t particularly care for what the last werewolf in the movie looks like; reminds me too much of a poodle. I liked the plot, the pacing, and overall quality of the movie in general. Several sequels follow ranging from horrible (mostly) to decent but none of them reach the level of quality that the original set. Kudos goes out to director Joe Dante who co-wrote the script and went on to work on many other great films in horror and other genres.

Karen is a reporter who is working on a story about a serial killer. During a sting operation with the police, she meets the killer, Eddie Quist, in a porno theater. When things look like they are getting are out control, the police come in a shoot Eddie. The event is too traumatic for Karen and develops a case of amnesia. Her therapist sends her and her husband to a secluded countryside resort to recovery. There are other patients at the resort and one of them tries to seduce Karen’s husband Bill. When he turns down the advances, he is attacked by a werewolf as he is walking back to their cabin. Soon Karen’s friend Terri is attacked when she comes to visit, only after they discover that Eddie is still alive and hiding out at the resort. Terri’s boyfriend comes to Karen’s rescue, bringing along silver bullets in order to kill Eddie and any other werewolves they may encounter. As they try to escape, they realize that everyone at the resort is a werewolf, including Bill. After getting away and making it back to the city, Karen goes on TV during a live showing to tell the world that werewolves are real. To prove her point, she turns into one and Chris promptly kills her, as she requested. But the viewers are left to wonder if it was a hoax or not…

Favorite moment – The beginning is thoroughly creepy and gross.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

American Werewolf in London is simply one of the most amazing movies of its kind. It has the best and possibly most realistic, pre-CGI effects style transformation scene and won an academy award for it that year. The movie blends comedy and horror with ease without being campy. It's original while honoring previous classics like "The Wolf Man".  I personally think it’s interesting that three wolf theme movies came out that year, the other two being “Wolfen” and “The Howling”.

David and Jack are two young Americans backpacking across Europe. The movie begins with them traveling through the distant countryside of England. They come across a small town just as night falls and decide to try to get something to eat at an inn aptly named “The Slaughtered Lamb”. As they enter, they are met with objecting stares from the locals. They become more unsettled when they see a large pentagram on the wall. When Jack asks about the pentagram, the locals become hostile so Jack and David decide to leave. Before they go, they are told to stay on the road…which of course they don’t. Before long they have lost their way and the road and begin to hear a creature pacing around them in the darkness. Suddenly Jack is attacked and brutally killed and before David can get away, he too is mauled. Before the beast can finish him off, the locals from the pub arrive and shoot the beast. And David passes out…

When David comes to three weeks later, he finds himself in a hospital. He is interviewed by police and a representative from the American Embassy, but he doesn’t remember much and is shocked to find out that Jack is dead. The doctor takes an interest in David’s story while the nurse takes an interest in David. As David heals, he begins to have weird dreams about Nazis and hallucinations about a decomposing Jack. Except Jack is not a hallucination, he’s a spirit caught on earth begging David to kill himself before the full moon comes. David dismisses Jack’s existence and moves in with the nurse, Alex. Everything is going well until she leaves him alone one night when the full moon is near and David goes through his famous painful and horrific change into the werewolf, where he then breaks out of Alex’s apartment and kills a couple going to a party, a few homeless bums and a man walking from the subway. When David wakes up in the morning, he is naked in a zoo. He is later visited by Jack and the ghosts of those he murdered. David’s sanity is tested as Alex and the doctor quickly try to find the truth from the locals at “The Slaughtered Lamb” before it’s all too late.

Favorite moment – the transformation scene!

Second favorite moment – The conversation in the porn theater between David, Jack, and the other ghosts. Some are nice towards him while others want him to kill himself and to be quick with it.