RATING 2.5 out of 5

Werewolves is at its best when unleashing bloody and brutal werewolf action brought to life by great creature effects and prosthetics work, allowing Frank Grillo to unleash the action star we all know he is, even if the screenplay gets in the way of the film reaching its full potential. 

It’s truly incredible what can be accomplished with independent filmmaking these days. In the past few years alone, independent films of varying budgets have taken audiences by storm like the seven time Academy Award winner Everything Everywhere All At Once, the beautifully devastating Past Lives, or the incredibly entertaining horror twist on the romantic comedy genre Your Monster. One genre that has done very well within the independent realm of filmmaking is the horror genre, allowing lots of filmmakers to make their debut or make their passion projects a reality that may have been too much for a traditional studio to pick up. And joining the ranks of impressive independent horror films is Werewolves, thanks to the great visuals and ability to bring the titular mythological creatures to life on the screen in a way that CGI can not achieve, even despite the story leaving a lot to be desired.

On the one hand, Werewolves has everything genre fans will want from such a film. With an undeniable 90s action horror tone, the set pieces that Steven C. Miller and his team have created are exceptional. With excellent practical effects and prosthetics to bring the werewolves to life, there is an undeniable danger to the film with harrowing creatures wreaking havoc on screen. The stunt work brings the intensity to these sequences, packed with fake blood and Grillo being the action star this film deserves and shines from start to finish in the lead role, Werewolves becomes an entertaining B-grade action horror film. Especially in the film’s final thirty minutes when the werewolf action is fully unleashed, creating one exhilarating ending to the film for genre fans. It’s all the more impressive considering Miller did this as an independent film with a limited budget, because aside from spotty moments of CGI which is forgivable given the funds available for this film, it looks absolutely terrific! With the expertise on display here, you can only dream of what Miller could do with a studio sized budget. And the cherry on top is the great, synth heavy musical score from The Newton Brothers which perfectly fits the tone of the film and is reminiscent of the action and horror films Werewolves is emulating at every turn. 

Not surprisingly, the film struggles in the screenplay department. The film’s first two acts take a film about humans turning into killer werewolves one night a year far too seriously, getting bogged down by generic and surface level lore and unnecessary character drama. You don’t expect much from a film that is essentially The Purge but with werewolves, though you expect it to cut to the chase quicker and deliver what viewers want from it. It eventually gets there, as the end of the second act and the third act is the bonkers action horror entertainment you wanted from the beginning, but it’s hard not to think what could have been if the film cut to the chase sooner. 

Leading the film is Grillo, who is no stranger to B-grade action films. He is perfectly cast as the highly trained soldier who is going to single handedly save his sister-in-law and niece from bloodthirsty werewolves, never faltering with the macho display of masculine strength during the action scenes, while bringing some vulnerability to his character’s backstory (even if that storyline feels tiresome). Ilfenesh Hadera is solid, bringing a strength and determination to Lucy, even if the screenplay relegates her to running around her house for the entire film. Katrina Law does her best, but she is given little to work with, and the rest of the cast really only has a scene and are quickly forgotten. 

It’s hard to classify Werewolves as a dud, because when it’s doing what audiences want from the film, it absolutely rips and becomes the outrageous and gory action film it was meant to be. But there is too much working against the fun washing over the audience, instead allowing it to get bogged down by unnecessary exposition and generic lore before the madness is unleashed in the film’s final thirty minutes. With Steven C. Miller at the film’s helm and Frank Grillo excelling in the action heavy lead role, Werewolves is a brutal and entertaining horror action flick thanks to outstanding practical effects and prosthetics to bring to life the titular monsters that compensate for a basic screenplay that gets in the excitement’s way