BAD MOON (1996)

Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Michael Pare', Mason Gamble, Ken Pogue, Hrothgar Mathews, Primo. Written by Eric Red, based on the novel "Thor" by Wayne Smith. Directed by Eric Red. USA. 80 minutes.

"You should have listened to the dog."

More than one critic dubbed this "Bad Movie" when it had its brief theatrical run. I myself was quite curious to see Bad Moon since its written and directed by Eric Red, the man who scripted the white-nuckle horror road movies Near Dark and The Hitcher and directed the Cronenbergian Body Parts. After hearing some just plain damning reviews I was fully prepared for the worst, but Red's second film as an autuer isn't a bad film at all and actually rather good in sections. On the down side, Bad Moon suffers from a poor central cast, namely the chronically wooden Michael Pare' (who has a delivery more stilted than that of Christopher Lambert, and English is his first language!) and the pretty vacant Mariel Hemingway (who was far more interesting and appealing in her pre-boob job days). However, even this bland pair can't sink the film because the central character is a dog, and MAN can that pooch can ACT.

The plot concerns an explorer (Pare') who survives a loup garou mauling in Central America (ala Henry Hull in Werewolf of London, seen transforming on a TV set later in the film) who returns to the states to live with his sister (Hemingway), her little son and their German Shepherd "Thor" (Primo). Poor Pare' is understandably distraught and put under a considerable strain by his nightly transformations and the gradual spiritual corruption brought on by his disease, so he turns to the only family he has, seeing familial love as his only hopes for salvation. Good ol' Thor smells a rat right off the bat, and before long the lycanthrope and the loyal doggie are locked in a fierce struggle over their mutual family, a battle complete with tooth-and-claw scraps and territorial pissings. The tensions build to a pretty stirring climax which is, sadly, ultimately cheapened by one of those cheezey "gotcha!" dream sequences out of a 70s stalk-n-slash movie.

The special effects are generally excellent (this is one critter that is most certainly NOT camera-shy) and the attack scenes are pretty jarring, but this beastie seems to have the same perpetual snarl problem as Rick Baker's monster in the old Fox TV series Werewolf and the title character of the the 70s Marvel horror comic "Werewolf By Night". As far as lyca-flicks go I'd rank this below The Howling and Neil Jordan's brilliant The Company of Wolves, above the many weak Howling sequels and about neck-in-neck with Silver Bullet. Most of ya'llz will probably want to pass on Bad Moon, but it's worth a look for hardcore horror fans and werewolf junkies, and I sure as shit know you could do worse.

**1/2 Doggie Bowls Full of Maggots.

* Dead meat, ripe n' reeking.
** Moribund, but showing a slight flicker of life.
*** Good and healthy.
**** Brimming with vitality.