Director: Steven Morana and Chris Green
Year: 2020
Country: Canada
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Werewolf
Plot:
Attending a video-game launch party, a group of web-developers hoping to make waves with their latest werewolf-themed game find themselves being slowly killed off one-by-one by a strange beast, forcing them to find the creatures’ true identity to stop the rampage and get away from the house party alive.
Review:
This was an enjoyable if flawed genre effort. Among it’s more enjoyable elements is the fact that this one manages to get a lot to like with its fun who-done-it mystery approach to the storyline. The fact that the creature’s identity is the main selling point to their quest and trying to figure out who among them is someone they can trust plays a big deal about the suspense of this one early on. Going off the discovery of the dead bodies and the state they’re in, it makes for a logical motivation to do what happens here with the debates and discussions about who’s the culprit committing the murders which is quite enjoyable.
The other really entertaining feature is the series of creature attacks which are really enjoyable. The manner in which the creature is shown to jump out of the shadows and attack in grisly fashion, ripping out throats or tearing bodies to strings, is all rather fun and leads to some fine chase scenes around the house trying to keep the creatures out. Featuring some solid twists about the identity and a fantastic look to the creatures that are fully exposed in the final half for a great series of confrontations in this part of the film, these sections manage to hold the film up for the most part.
This one has some big issues with it. One of the main problems is the fact that the game they play is highly confusing and really tough to get into. It’s simply assumed people will know what the rules are and what they’re supposed to do as the film simply drops us into the realm of the game dealing more with the character introductions and hosting the party than detailing what’s going on. By the time it takes on the later stages where something’s going on, it’s not all that interesting as all the party antics and relationship issues that are featured are nowhere near as interesting as they appear as this is rather boring for the most part.
The last issue with this one is the rather obvious lack of urgency in their actions within the last half as their desire to stop it seems to be less than enthusiastic. Rather than try to pass the advantage against the trapped and terrified people, the creature openly challenges them to take him on and chase them around the area on the house which goes for quite an unusual challenge that doesn’t really make much sense, as does the later reveal of the true werewolf which doesn’t really come off as shocking at all. This all adds together with the rest of the action to make for a somewhat underwhelming finale even with these likable aspects.
Overview: ***/5
With some enjoyable werewolf elements alongside the fun mystery even though there are some big flaws to be had, this was a slightly troubled effort that still works enough to be watchable but not much more than that. Really go into this one if you’re a fan of the genre or appreciate the style attempted here, while those who aren’t into these elements might have some problems getting into it.
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