If you think you’ve seen all the possible stories revolving around werewolves, I give you Bad Moon! Quickly forgotten by critics and audiences, it’s based on the novel Thor written by Wayne Smith. You might think, hey this is going to be an awesome and original movie about werewolves, but you would be only partly right. This is an original movie alright but it’s incredibly strange. The reason for this is the novel that was written from the perspective of a dog witnessing a case of lycanthropy. If I didn’t tell you this, you would watch Bad Moon and be totally surprised by what’s going on. The character development is off, there’s no tension and you keep waiting for something to happen to bind it all together.
However, I found it hard to look away mostly because of the quick pace and gory practical effects with fountains of blood. Something that seems so odd intercut with a nice family with a small kid and a dog. I was also expecting some sexual encounters or tension but after the first bit of nudity in the opening scenes, we’re left empty-handed. Too bad, since our homeboy Michael Paré looked incredibly ripped for that time. He was great here along with Mariel Hemingway but Primo as Thor the dog stole the show. The script was pretty sharp with a decent amount of humor that will make you chuckle from time to time. They are also not afraid to showcase a really good werewolf quite often. It’s so refreshing to watch it do stuff in brightly lit rooms and not in shadows barely visible.
Ted Harrison, a freelance photographer, just got back to the States from Nepal. Living in his trailer deep in the woods, he’s still trying to come to terms with a horrible incident that happened a couple of months ago. Some strange beast attacked him and his girlfriend, killing her and leaving him critically injured. After his sister along with her son visits him he starts hoping that the family is the best cure for him…
Again, if you have friends who like movies about werewolves and keep pestering you about “unknown gems” like An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, Ginger Snaps or Dog Soldiers just play them this movie. It also works great as an all-around weird movie that you can trash while watching. With a runtime of just over 75 minutes, Bad Moon will be over before you know it leaving wondering what the fuck did you just watch. And I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend to you the best werewolf movie I have watched in the last ten years, WolfCop. Enjoy.
Director: Eric Red
Writers: Wayne Smith, Eric Red
Cast: Mariel Hemingway, Michael Paré, Mason Gamble, Ken Pogue, Hrothgar Mathews, Johanna Marlowe, Julia Montgomery Brown
Fun Facts: Janet’s revolver is a Rossi Model 971.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115610/
