Bad Moon (1996)

Full moon, crescent moon, quarter moon...each is a Bad Moon for Ted Harrison. By day, he's a photojournalist enjoying a stay with family in the Pacific Northwest. By night, he transfigures into a horrific half-human--a werewolf. Writer/Director Eric Red (The Hitcher, Body Parts) delivers a new infusion of thrills with this roaring, red-blooded shocker. Michael Pare portrays Ted, hiding his accursed condition from his sister (Mariel Hemingway) and nephew (Dennis the Menace's Mason Gamble) Year: 1997 Director: Eric Red Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Michael Pare, Mason Gamble

"Thor", the hero of the movie!

This movie was very enjoyable for me. Though the story was a bit sad, it was worth watching. I love dogs and in my opinion, they are truly man's best friend. November 22, 2008

Surprisingly Decent Film

There are so few films in the horror film werewolf sub-genre. Moviegoers seem to prefer their movie monsters in the (lame) form of a quasi dead bisexual outfitted in black Dolce and trolling for sex and blood. Werewolves have always been the underdog (no pun intended). There are only a few really good films: American Werewolf in London, The Howling and The Wolf Man. While this film is no where near the exceptional work of the aforementioned it does stand on its own rather well. I don't want to give away the plot but the premise involves the typical guy gets bitten, becomes monster, attacks people, seeks cure. The difference is that the film doesn't become laden with the monster as victim angle (as emphasized by TWM) and the film's hero is an unlikely and ironic one. The werewolf attacks are brutal and bloody. The only drawback to the film is that it does carry an odd LifeTime movie quality to it. October 25, 2008

Very well done and vastly underrated werewolf film....

When I first saw this movie as a kid, I don't think I was experienced enough in my film viewing life to give it it's proper due. I remember being a bit dissapointed with it, though admitting that the werewolf lokked cool. Yet, like so many others I passed it off as a throw-away fare with no lasting merit.

Flash forward nine or so years and I have this nagging urge to view the movie again. Unable to find it at any video stores, I knew my best bet was to go to the Circuit City where I had last seen it and buy it, taking the risk of disliking it and being out of 6.99$.

Now that I have viewed it all these years later after seeing so very many truly bad werewolf films, and bad Horror films in general, I haven't the slightest idea what was running through my head before. This movie is like how I wish some other films could be: straight, direct, not full of unnecessary subplots, and genuinely frightening on more than one level. The characters in the movie all seem quite real and believable, and contrary to other claims the acting is really quite decent.

I really must say, though, that what makes this movie truly great is the dog, Thor. Almost right away we grow to love him and see his intelligence as well as his steadfast loyalty to his owners. The story is largely told from his point of view and I must say that before this movie I had never really thought of any animals in films as 'actors'. But, dare I point out, the dog who plays Thor actually has personality and even wisdom in his gaze. He is very much the hero of the film, as so many others have stated already. But I also must say that while he is one of the main characters, we do get an insight into the humans in the film as well, only not too much to the point were we get bored or refuse to care about them.

Now the werewolf....oooh, boy is it gorgeous. A grand beast of a monster whose only major flaw (besides the odd looking transformation) is the somewhat glaringly mecahnical movements of it's face. But if your a nut for cool looking monsters, this one will make you look past the little glitches and stand in awe of the beast itself.

Add to the that some decent gore and even some psychological implications into what it's like to actually be afflicted with lycanthropy and you have a superior werewolf film!

Trust me, this sharp, poignant, solid film is very well worth your time. Too bad the silly critics didn't like it, but what do they know anyways???

Enjoy! October 19, 2008

CLASSIC, GREAT STORY AND PREFORMANCES

BAD MOON

I have been a werewolf kick lately going back through the collection to watch all my werewolf films. Of course The Howling collection is in there as well as others like the classic Wolf man and such. But when I came across this lost classic I had to watch it again, this is honestly one of the best werewolf movies of all time. Based on the book by Wayne Smith called "Thor" this film is a quick straight forward action packed werewolf flick. I really enjoy this movie every time I watch it; I recommend it to any movie fan out there.

The story is about a man that is attacked along side his girl by a werewolf and well he makes it out alive with a nice little bite taken out of him. So when he returns home to visit his sister he must try not only to fight the turning into a wolf but also the family dog named Thor. Of course this movie wouldn't be here if he failed at both ends of that statement. Actor Michael Paré is perfect in the role of the uncle turned wolf in this film, he really makes it believable. Same can be said for Mariel Hemingway who played the sister to the werewolf [I can see the net Howling title-Your Brother is a Werewolf], she is great in her role as well. Mason Gamble is good as the son in this film, but at times I swear he looks like a girl. Ken Pogue, Hrothgar Mathews, Johanna Lebovitz, Gavin Buhr, Julia Montgomery Brown round out a great supporting cast. But the real star here is Primo who is the dog who played Thor, the trainers and this dog should get a lot of credit for making this what it is. The dog is really what makes this film, and make this film stand out from other werewolf films.

A lot of credit should go to the make up and special effects department as well because as far as the time this film came out and on a low budget this film looks great. Cinematography is great as well on this, screenwriter/director Eric Red and all the producers of this film really created a classic in my opinion.

If you are looking for a good movie to watch one night check this out, matter of fact buy it don't rent. It really is that good.
September 8, 2008

Disappointing

After hearing about how Bad Moon was one of those "overlooked gems of the 90's", and realizing that Eric Red (one of the minds behind 80's cult classics The Hitcher and Near Dark) had directed it and wrote the screenplay, I finally decided to check it out. Werewolf movies are generally a dime a dozen, regardless of the era. Besides classics like An American Werewolf in London and the original Howling, there isn't a whole lot else that stands out in the genre. Bad Moon sadly isn't any different. 80's star Michael Pare stars as a photojournalist that gets bitten by a werewolf in Nepal, and soon enough begins going on a bloodthirsty rampage. After failing to find ways to cure himself, he decides that if he may rid himself of his curse if he spends time with his sister (Mariel Hemingway) and her young son (Mason Gamble). Naturally, that doesn't work out so well, as his dark secret is uncovered by the family's ultra-intelligent German-shepard Thor, and it isn't long before dog and werewolf have a bloody face-off. The story is predictable, and the only actor that comes across as remotely believable is Pare who is surprisingly good here. The gore effects are nice, as is the werewolf design, but Pare's transformation moment is utterly laughable as the CGI shows it's budget constraints. The film flies by in a breeze though, and die hard fans of the werewolf sub-genre may find some enjoyment here, but for other horror fans, there isn't much to see here. August 9, 2008

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