‘Werewolves’ Review: ‘Dog Soldiers’ Meets ‘The Purge,’ Complete With The Guy From That Series

A holiday season horror film that beat Wolf Man to theaters is trying to bring lycanthropes back to the days of drive-in B-flicks when the effects were cheaper, the story was barely there, and people like Rob Zombie dreamed of the day when they could turn such films into an art form.

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That film is Werewolves, which I became aware of when the trailer dropped online back in October. From the clips therein, I could tell it was going for an apocalyptic plot with sci-fi tropes where survivalists must “beware the moon.” I was intrigued by the setup and very impressed by the primal and beastly creature design. This might be another surprisingly fun low-budget romp, I thought.

But, once the credits rolled, I wasn’t exactly howling over what I watched – though I am getting ahead of myself. First, as the text at the beginning explains, a supermoon that turns people into the title monsters appeared in the night sky a year ago. The phenomenon is about to recur, but humanity is prepared this time – or so everyone hopes.

While neighborhoods hunker down behind electric fences in their fortified houses, guns at the ready minus silver ammo, a team of scientists led by doctors played by Lou Diamond Phillips and Frank Grillo test a solution called “moon screen.” Theoretically, it should act like sunblock and create a layer of dermal protection against lunar rays and the raging beasts within. The tests show promise, but not everything goes according to plan. 

The test subjects, some of whom are a few fries short of a Happy Meal, wolf out anyway and tear the lab apart along with most everyone in it – except, of course, for Grillo and a scientist played by Katrina Law (an actress known especially as Nyssa Al Ghul in the Arrowverse). Together, with the aid of their wits, military training, and the last of the moon screen, they have to find shelter from the moonlight and the packs of werewolves on a rampage. 

In the meantime, a separate pack of the altered beasts stalks the besieged survivors’ loved ones across town outside their homes. So it’s the old fight for survival in the streets meeting the race against time, much like in the Purge series. There are a few parallels between Werewolves and those films, especially in style, but the presence of Grillo is a constant reminder. 

However, director Steven C. Miller and cinematographer Brandon Cox learned the wrong lessons from the Blumhouse franchise. To them, being visceral means shoving the action right in your face. I hope you like extreme closeups because that’s how everything is framed either as an artistic choice or to cover up the limitations brought on by the budget. The good news is their werewolf suits look delightfully grotesque and intimidating. 

The production seemed to have more than a handful of them and they aren’t afraid to show them off. There’s also enough variety to go around as each creature has a distinct personality based on traits they inherit from their human forms. Some werewolves have face paint, body armor, shackles, or whatever they happened to be wearing at the time they transformed.

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One over-the-top example is a punk rock werewolf that jumps down from a building to snatch prey and face off with Law. When you get a good look at it, you see its vest, a graphic t-shirt, and a prominent nose ring. So ridiculous, and it’s fun, this is one time the film can elicit a laugh on top of a scare. 

It’s kind of unfortunate then that the rest of the film doesn’t have that balance. When it isn’t dark or claustrophobic, it’s a little jarring in its sequence of events and often leaves things hanging. Lou Diamond Phillips has a major part, but just as he is exposed to the moonlight and starts to change, he’s never seen again after that. 

The script throws in some interesting ideas: from people dwelling underground to escape the chaos to a militia using the beasts as target practice. The werewolves themselves display surprising attributes within the framework too, from a cunning intelligence to a crazed urge to rip everything to pieces that shows even when they are human.

Some of these ideas could be explored further with more coherence than what we ultimately get. The same can be said for the science behind the lycanthropy pandemic. Anyone can turn under the supermoon because everyone has the latent gene that brings about the change. Though an ambitious twist, there’s no reason for it other than to maximize the carnage they can muster. 

I’m not sure how much money Miller and his crew had, but Werewolves couldn’t have been an expensive project. It looks like it was made for streaming on a slim seven or eight figures, where it belongs with Bad Moon and Howl. Most of you would discover it there anyway, theaters or no theaters.

It’s the kind of thing you queue up on a lark when it’s unexpectedly recommended, so don’t worry about waiting to indulge your curiosity if you are up for this kind of thing.

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