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| Not to be taken seriously. |
Directed by: Lowell Dean
Produced by: Bernie Hernando, Deborah Marks, Danielle Masters, Hugh Patterson
Written by: Lowell Dean
Budget: CAD 1,000,000 (estimated)
Starring: Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Chery
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYS)
You know you're in for a treat when this is the first caption that shows up over animated pentagrams, guns, and cloaked figures.
After watching this for the first time I thought it was a mistake to include it on this list. WolfCop is just too good.
When deadbeat Sergeant Lou Garou becomes the victim of a horrific curse, he finds himself transforming into a terrifying half-man, half-wolf hybrid. So what is a lycanthrope to do when grisly murders begin in his small, backwoods Canadian town?
Solve the crimes, that's what.
This film was suggest to me by a coworker, and right up front I will say that I don't think this is a bad movie in any way. While it is not a masterpiece of cinema, I do think WolfCop is a perfect example of a modern B movie which will earn well-deserved cult status.
Many bad movies are horror movies, simply due to the fact that horror films can be produced with relatively low budgets. The Blair Witch Project, Saw, and Paranormal Activity are all examples of how low-budget horror films can earn huge returns (Paranormal Activity 1 was a record-setter). However, that also leaves you with dozens of low-budget horror movies which were made with very little skill or talent behind the production. There are way, way too many to list here.
So what makes WolfCop work? It's most definitely the fact that the creators took their premise and didn't take it too seriously. This movie plays up all the right tropes, handles its ideas well, and knows when to trade the creepy in for the goofy.
The Good
The transformation stuff is executed well, which is definitely something you need for a movie like this. If the changing stuff was poorly done then the movie wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable. While the small budget is most definitely noticeable, the direction handles it far better than even high budget super hero movies (I'm looking at you, Amazing Spider-man 2). Fair warning, there is some nudity but I'm not going to spoil exactly what.
WolfCop has one of the only "library contains the supernatural answers" tropes which I've seen done well. While it's still a cheap solution it makes sense in this world and is actually played for laughs, which is something I haven't seen.
About halfway into the movie it goes off the rails and becomes something beautiful. Highlight for spoilers: There is a sex scene. Yes, Lou is in werewolf form when it happens.
The Bad
The acting isn't bad, but Leo Fafard doesn't put much into his performance. While I don't like Lou as a character I feel like it's less me wanting him to improve his lot in life and more like me just wanting him to grow up. When he's more Wolf than Cop I love his performance, but ironically his human acting is subpar, and it doesn't feel intentional.
The directing isn't anything special, but at least it's competently made. There are some editing mistakes, like having a character look up from a camera multiple times (in a way that isn't played for laughs) which detract from it, but considering it was a crowdfunded indie film it's far better than it has any right to be.
The Rest
If a werewolf kills someone in wolf form and leaves some hair behind, will it read as human DNA during a lab test?
A sequel to Wolfcop has been successfully funded and is in production, with plans for release sometime in 2016. This is a good thing, as I believe the world needs more WolfCop.
Should You Watch it?
Yes, if you are at all a fan of B movies. Though there are some flaws and the acting is passable, this movie has more than enough to make up for it. It's got that campy, fun factor and feels like something that would fit in with any monster movie marathon.
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