John’s Horror Corner: Werewolves (2024), a decent, low stakes, horror-action popcorn movie.

MY CALL: I won’t give this a hard rec. But if you enjoy Frank Grillo or simply love werewolf movies, this is definitely a fun-enough watch. Decent effects, decent action, decent premise, a lot of practical effects. Never amazing, but consistently “pretty good”. MOVIES LIKE Werewolves: Probably Dog Soldiers (2002).

Introducing us to the premise, Dr. Aranda (Lou Diamond Phillips; The First Power, Bats, Route 666) explains the supermoon-induced werewolf pandemic that afflicted the earth one year ago, when anyone exposed become an afflicted, murderous monster. And now, with the next supermoon upon us, Wesley (Frank Grillo; Demonic, The Purge: Anarchy) prepares his family’s (Ilfenesh Hadera; Oldboy) home with various traps, cameras and barbed wire. The whole neighborhood is preparing.

Echoing The Purge movies (2013-2021), emergency services will be suspended from sunset to sunrise as the werewolves transform and descend upon non-lycanthropic society. Meanwhile, Aranda and his team of scientists including Wesley and Amy (Katrina Law; Spartacus, Apparition) seek a discovery to save mankind. Volunteer werewolves submit themselves for experimentation during the supermoon, tactical and research teams suit up, civilians pray and wait… this is a different kind of werewolf movie. But not an unfamiliar type of movie in general—it’s very World War Z (2013) meets The Purge (2013) with a bit of Dog Soldiers (2002)… but not measuring up to those iconic films.

The monstrous transformations pack some cool visuals. The CGI is not the best, but it serves the movie just fine. The practical-suited werewolves are lanky, a bit slimy, and generally satisfying to watch. And as they hunt their human prey, the humans must not only survive, but also avoid exposure to the moonlight.

Like the CGI, the gore is not top notch. But it’s easily good enough to please. However, with lower budget films, the action suffers the most. A lot of action occurs off-screen, or the scene cuts right as the action would happen—not all of it, though. Yet, despite this shortcoming, the movie does surprisingly well with its limitations and deals with them tactfully. There is one totally absurd on-screen death, and somehow the perpetrating werewolf’s jeans still fit fine after he turned. So, while this may be no hard recommendation. It’s still pleasantly satisfying.

Director Steven C. Miller (Automaton Transfusion, Silent Night, Under the Bed) has made some fun, low stakes horror, and Werewolves is par for the course. It’s a good afternoon popcorn flick on a rainy day.

Werewolves, werewolf movie, Steven C. Miller, Frank Grillo, horror action, Katrina Law, Ilfenesh Hadera, transformation scenes,