The Wasteland Reviewer

Werewolves (2024) Written Review

How many werewolf films do we have on the horizon? Many eyes are on Leigh Whannell’s new adaptation of Wolf Man which has a trailer out that is downright unnerving. January might deliver a great horror flick on the horizon. But that is not the only film about our favorite Lycan creatures. Steven C. Miller has a new action/horror flick on the horizon, and it is simply called Werewolves. We are going in a high concept idea that if a supermoon arrived for one night and everyone in its light gets turned into werewolves. That sure has some interesting potential for sure. 

Does Miller deliver upon that potential? Miller does not have the strongest track record with his directorial efforts, but it does look like he might have found the right genre fare to sink his teeth into. They keep the lore simple. The concept is the concept. There are some scientific advancements that keep key players from turning (until it is convenient) and everyone else abides by the simple rule of staying out of the moonlight. But Miller can leverage some fun filmmaking elements to build some good tension and thrills. The camera work is rock solid with a few inspired moments that stand out. There are a couple of editing moments too that deliver some cool moments as well. The key words here for Miller’s flick are “cool” and “fun”. The lighting might be one of the technical issues though as a few big moments are tough to even see due to this issue. 

What is the biggest element that stands out? Those practical effects. The werewolves look fantastic. The film does a good job of leading into the reveal (that scene where we see them for the first time uses some great blocking, framing, and sound mixing). But the film does not shy away from showing these creatures in their full glory and the designs are pitch perfect. When you are making an action flick with werewolves, they better be mobile, big, and intimidating. They sure are. The few transformation moments deliver as well as they have some solid body horror elements. The film doesn’t have the most depth, but it does deliver on what it is going for. 

Does Matthew Kennedy’s screenplay do the film some favors? That is not exactly its strongest suit. The dialogue is clunky and awkward. You might even roll your eyes at a few moments because of how cheesy and weird they come off. The narrative beats of the film are quite familiar too as it is quite predictable what is going to happen to each of the other characters at any given moment. Those sequences that are supposed to be “surprising” feel too telegraphed. But the structure of the film leaves it open to have plenty of fun genre action beats…and that is what matters most, right?

How is the cast in the effects and genre heavy flick? This is a Frank Grillo led action flick so you should know what to expect. Grillo is a rock-solid action lead as he delivers on the physicality and can throughout a few good one-liners. The film does attempt some emotional beats and Grillo is serviceable. Most of the acting heavy lifting lies on the shoulders of Katrina Law and Ilfenesh Hadera who are the pair of female leads. They deliver well in their “sidekick” and mother roles respectively. You even get a bit of some Lou Diamond Phillips (even if most of his role is exposition). 

Is Werewolves going to be a new fixture in the werewolf subgenre of horror? Probably not. But those who do hear about it and take the time to check it out will find out that there are plenty of genre thrills to enjoy with this one. A cult classic written all over it. Miller has crafted a throwback style B-movie full of cool effects and some solid scares.