Director: Mark Cantu
Year: 2023
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Werewolf
Plot:
Arriving in a small town, a film crew looking to shoot a movie in the area runs into a series of interactions with the locals when they try to get their shots, but when they find the area is patrolled by a werewolf clan looking to reclaim their territory have to escape the creatures to get away alive.
Review:
Overall, this was an immensely enjoyable indie werewolf effort. One of the best aspects of this one is the generally effective setup that works through a strong series of storylines throughout. The opening half deals with the family living in the town coming under attack by the creature which puts them in conflict with the rest of the authorities for the delinquency that’s emerged since the attack, their struggle to make ends meet, and the series of confrontations that arise once the film crew arrives that brings about the revelation one of them is the estranged son. The clashing that comes about due to this with the local family members not wanting to trust him due to his leaving them while the father sees the chance to make amends and the remaining crew wants to just make their movie is immensely intriguing which is fantastic at creating an enjoyable setup to make this work.
As a result, this setup allows the film a great series of werewolf attacks that are incredibly enjoyable and effective. The brutality is on fine display from the very start with the outright massacre of the group shown partying around a campfire that includes limbs being ripped off, heads crushed, entrails ripped out, and much more featured in a fast and ferocious scene to start this on a high note. Later scenes, with the creature appearing during the accident at the film shoot attacking several members of the crew or the insert shots of the creatures around town knocking off the various human figures around them, set even more fun scenes in motion in preparation for the high energy finale involving the creatures appearing at their trapped van and launching a series of attacks there. Utilizing the amazing werewolf design in its full glory with several detailed shots of the costume while dealing in great gore effects, a thrilling storyline involving the werewolves trying to do this for the returning one who isn’t capable of being a full-on werewolf, and some great resolutions that are quite surprising, there’s a lot to like here.
There are some minor issues to be had with this hold that do emerge. The biggest factor with this one is the setup with the belief that the area is supposedly theirs at the expense of everyone living around them. This tries to come up with the idea that the creatures are upset over the movie people who have arrived on the scene to film their movie and expose their secret but that never explains why they launched the attack on the opening couples or why they’ve lived in the town with the other humans this whole time as this just creates way too many sideplots in the second half so this section of the film feels quite scattered and rushed with so much going on. The other issue here is that the film has so many unrealistic and unnatural reactions or behaviors from everyone here to make the story work, from the film crew falling apart and turning on each other following the first attack with the intent of getting the film finished, the way the family snaps at each other for what they believe is the runt of the family failing to live up to their standards, or the one character who continually saves the day despite having their arm ripped off. It's all enough to lower this one somewhat.
Overview: ****/5
An immensely effective and likable indie werewolf feature, this one manages to have quite a lot to like with only a few issues featured here to bring this down. Give this a shot if you’re a fan of this kind of indie genre effort, are hardcore werewolf film aficionados, or appreciate the creative crew while those who are turned off by any of these factors should heed caution.
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