I have been a Werewolf fan since I saw the original Wolfman when I was a kid. Then it was Abbot and Costello Meet The Wolfman, then American Werewolf In London, Wolf, Dog Soldiers, The Howling, and many more in between. Though some were not worth talking about, I still dig them and will watch any that come my way.

WER tells the tale of an American family overseas who gets mauled by what is thought to be an animal, but then the police realize it was a man and apprehend Talan Gwynek (Brian Scott O’Connor), a huge, hairy man.  A defense team headed by Katie (A.J. Cook) comes in to disprove that these murders were actually a man, specifically, her client.  Is Gwynek an animal or just an innocent man who has lived his life in ridicule because of a very rare disease?

WER is written and directed by William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside and Stay Alive), FX by Robert Hall (Almost Human), and stars A.J. Cook, Sebastian Roché, and Vik Sahay.

The movie is a slow burn but a very good one.  Bell very slowly pulls the hammer back, as you anticipate the explosion.  The explosion however, does not come when expected, instead Bell pulls the hammer back a little longer and a little slower to produce a much bigger BANG in the last act of the film.  Though the beginning of the film is slow, there is always this underlining tension while watching it.  Tension with Gwynek, tension amongst the defense team, and tension with the police.  It’s an emotionally tiring film and that’s just the slow part.  The most interesting piece of the film is the casting of Brian Scott O’Connor as Gwynek.  He is a towering, large, haunting figure within the film.  Everytime he is on screen you are just waiting for something bad to happen.

When Bell does release the hammer it turns into a fantastic blend of action, horror, gore and mayhem.  This is one of the most unique werewolf depictions I have ever seen, more man than beast but has all the strength and ferociousness of a beast. The physical change is subtle but works perfectly here and is even more haunting than a full-fledged beast transformation. Robert Hall and Almost Human’s work here is fantastic, realistic and a blast to watch.

This turned out to be one of my favorite werewolf films to date.  It goes right up there with American Werewolf In London, though the films are much different in narrative and style; but as the sub-genre goes, WER goes right up to the top.  This is certainly one you are going to want in your collection, because watching it once is just not enough.

 

WER 2013 Review: Jaw Rippin’ Goodness!