Review by Matt Harries
For some reason the werewolf has never really established itself as the alpha of horror’s bestiary. Lacking the charm of the vampire, the gimmicks of the xenomorph; without the likes of Dracula or Alien to truly immortalise it. Maybe Werewolf Rising would be the film to change that, and at last truly define the lycanthrope’s place in cinema.
Well, you never know.
When I mentioned to a friend that I was reviewing a werewolf film, he wondered in which direction they were going to take the story. A simple question, but one which the makers of the film could probably have done with considering in greater depth than they obviously did. For what we have here is a rather confused and shoddy attempt at a film that itself raises another question: Why bother?
Werewolf Rising is obviously a monster movie, we all know that. In an attempt to support the basic principle of the monster ripping throats and tearing flesh, there needs to be a back story. WR attempts to provide some depth to the tale by providing us with details about leading lady Emma (Melissa Carnell). She’s not just a pretty face, she’s a recovering alcoholic moving back to her childhood home which she has inherited, presumably upon the death of her father. A chance of a fresh start in the forest-covered Arkansas mountains. The old place and its dusty memories has long been guarded by tubby custodian Wayne (Brian Berry), who is clearly quite taken aback by Emma’s bloom into womanhood. Added to the mix we have Wayne’s nephew Johnny-Lee, an escaped convict eking out survival in a shack in the woods. He too has his eyes on Emma, and unlike Wayne, his amorous feelings may be reciprocated.
We also know that there is another, more predatory gaze peering from the shadows. After opening with the usual helicopter shot stock footage that amply demonstrates the isolated natural beauty of the region, we witness the kidnapping of a young woman that seems to be heading toward violence and rape. Rhett (Bill Oberst Jr) is another who has served time, and armed with a blade he is about to subject the poor unfortunate to an ignominious demise, when something lurking in the shadows distracts him from the task at hand. Enter our werewolf, who wounds Rhett but in the tradition of all good horror beasts seems to prefer the flesh of the young and pretty. The young lady dies, and Rhett survives. The werewolf, presumably too full to finish off the sinewy would-be rapist, returns to the forest shadows. As far as the werewolf’s own back story goes, that’s about it. It is enough for us to know there is one out there. That’s all we learn because Rhett, wounded but still alive, has the curse of the lycanthropy bestowed upon him. This is his territory now.
Poor Emma. She has come here to escape her demons but instead she is plunged into a tug of love between porky Wayne and skinny-assed Johnny-Lee. Wayne, in keeping with the spirit of the film, has his own inner beast awakened by Emma, in the shape of his own weakness with the demon drink that causes him to overstep the mark when inviting Emma round for dinner. Johnny-Lee is at least somewhere around Emma’s own age, and his rebellious ways seem to have the desired effect as she agrees to a date with him. Unfortunately Johnny-Lee has his own problems, as the werewolf that was Rhett stalks him via the tried and trusted technique of peering from behind tree trunks. Perhaps the team behind Werewolf Rising could have exploited the wilderness and the predatory hunting from the shadows angle a little more. Apart from allowing a build up of tension as the crafty wolf-man tiptoes around the tree line, it would also have spared us from the great disappointment of the werewolf itself. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but the idea that Johnny Lee could confuse this Wookie crossed with a bat for a ‘big wolf’ is beyond preposterous. We are also denied that classic staple of the werewolf film, the transformation scene. This is always a good opportunity for the special effects/CGI team to have some fun, but presumably the sight of a bloke stepping into a Chewbacca costume wouldn’t have cut the mustard. In lieu of this we get to see Johnny Lee rolling around doing a few crab arches and running off into the night with a wild look in his eyes.
It says much for a film when the highlight is a buxom young maiden removing her clothing. This comes right at the end, as Emma, by now succumbed to drink and reduced to hysterical blubbering, is pursued into the night and comes across Beatrix (Irena Murphy) waiting by a roaring fire in a silk dressing gown. The chase sequence that leads to Beatrix ranks as one of the most cringe-worthy moments in the film. Emma is shown either sprinting from one angle – pursued by the werewolf who suffers from an all too human lack of pace – or, from the werewolf’s own eye view, from where she staggers about like a drunkard. All the while incessant screaming is laid over the top, as if she could shriek at the top of her lungs, sprint and blub all at once. At one point the chase pauses and Emma rests by a tree. Exhibiting a predatory style apparently gleaned from watching episodes of Scooby Doo, the werewolf jumps out from behind the tree like a panto villain, and off we go again.
Emma crawls and drags herself, exhausted, into the light of the fire where Beatrix stands waiting, ready to reveal a nonsensical plot describing Rhett’s time in prison that sets up the film’s flimsy denouement. Unfortunately the screen time of the shapely damsel is all too brief. She has her neck chewed by the werewolf, feet dangling off the ground. Emma is pinned down by the hairy beast, which transforms (off camera) into a blood and slime covered Rhett. The loose ends of the tale are (sort of) tied up, revealing the nature of her recurring dreams and the blood-legacy of her father. Luckily this all takes a relatively brief 77 minutes.
When watching a film like this you don’t go into it expecting a reinvention of the wheel. From the relatively little known cast you get an idea of the low budget nature of the production. What I was hoping for was some good fun, and maybe some kind of little spin on the werewolf myth that would make me remember Werewolf Rising in a favourable light. Unfortunately the film comes across as muddled and a bit pointless. Giving the characters a past encompassing alcoholism, crime and statutory rape is obviously designed to add some flesh to the bones of the basic plot of ‘werewolf comes to town and wreaks havoc’. This means you have two facets to the film – the back story, and the werewolf stalking. These parts never once threaten to become a cohesive whole. The werewolf could have done with spending a lot more time in the shadows, because when revealed he looks pretty daft. Bill Oberst Jr as Rhett probably gives the stand out performance of the cast. Suitably wild-eyed and intense he is a lot scarier than the beast itself and is somewhat underused.
People might say it’s ‘just a bit of harmless fun’, but Werewolf Rising is trying to be a gory shocker. The interminable sideshow of Wayne hitting the bottle aside, (intentional) humour is not a big part of this movie. Problem is, they obviously didn’t have the time or the budget to properly explore the werewolf’s cinematic potential. The whole thing screams ‘cheapo 80’s horror’, but this is the year 2014. Did we really need another dodgy low rent horror? Presumably these kind of films make money, somewhere. Once again this begs the question; why bother? Honestly I still can’t think of an answer.
Werewolf Rising is out on Region 2 DVD on 22nd September, from Image Entertainment.