'Blood of the Werewolf' is one of those genre movies that I have missed from the horror scene for quite some time...the horror anthology! This welcome return to the anthology movie encompasses three differing modern tales of the old monster favourite the werewolf!
First up is 'Blood Reunion', where we meet divorced horror novelist Edward Sparrow who returns to his small hometown of Martense to hook up with his old friend Jane Radford whom he has an unrequited crush on still after all this time. On arriving at the town he meets up with some of the local drunken hicks who he asks for directions from but they warn him about steering clear of insular Jane and her creepy granny Radford. You see granny Radford has kept poor Jane in seclusion all these years, warning her to stay away from the men folk and keeping a tight rein on her movements and Jane fearful of her control. Edward takes no notice of this environment and deftly pursues the brow beaten Jane, soon romance between the two is kindled much to granny's dismay.
Whilst this is going on mutilated animal corpses start turning up around town and when the mutilated body of one of the hicks appears the local police get interested, questioning a bewildered Sparrow and causing distress to granny Radford. What is the truth behind the barbaric mutilations around town? Why does the creepy granny Radford keep Jane sheltered from the outside world? And why does Jane submit to granny's oppressive psychological control?
'Blood Reunion' is a very entertaining horror short that is both a success in storyline and performances by the small ensemble cast. Tony Luna is well cast in the role of novelist Sparrow and the lovely Mary Hilko delivers a faultless performance as the oppressed Jane. A thoroughly satisfying production by the very talented Bruce G Hallenbeck and by far the best film in this trilogy .
Next up is 'Old Blood', which brings the werewolf genre into modern day big city living and relationships. We meet lesbian shapeshifting wolf Roberta and her amour Charlene. Like most relationships things don't always go smoothly, you see Roberta is keen to keep her wolf antics at bay and integrate more with normal human society which she does by taking drugs that control and inhibit her lupus tendencies. But her human girlfriend Charlene isn't happy about this as she is attracted by Roberta's wolf tendencies and is in fact anxious that she is brought into the fold by being transformed herself into one of the creatures of the night. Roberta discusses her concern with her fellow wolf Luther who insists that she should tell her lover the truth that only those with the birthright can truly become one, but Charlene is determined...will Roberta give in to her lovers pleas?
'Old Blood' is an entertaining tale of modern relationships mixed in with the werewolf genre and Kevin Lindenmuth shows once again he can embrace the genre and bring it right up to speed in a modern environs. Mia Barrelli gives a sturdy performance as the put upon Roberta and the very cute Sasha Graham does well as the pushy Charlene. Genre fans also may want to note brief cameos by Mike Gingold and Debbie Rochon.
Rounding the trio up is 'Manbeast', an entertaining old school romp very much in the tradition of the old EC comic stories where we see a man on the run being hunted by two rifle wielding assailants who are tracking him down like they would hunt any other wildlife. Why are they hunting this guy and what will happen to him when they catch up with him?
'Manbeast' is a short slice of horror fun, though for this old boy it was also a somewhat predictable one (well I grew up on those old EC fantasy/horror comic books that this obviously takes its scenario from). That said, it's still a lot of fun and most viewers will smile wryly at the films conclusion.
As an all round package 'Blood of the Werewolf' is a very welcome return to the horror anthology and a very enjoyable one too. Let's just hope that we see a growth in this format of movie production and strongly encourage folk to check out this satisfying trip into the werewolf genre. Great entertainment - the anthology returns to form!
For more details on 'Blood of the Werewolf', check out the movies cool website by clicking here.
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