Review: Attack of the Werewolves / Cert: 15 / Director: Juan Martinez Moreno / Screenplay: Juan Martinez Moreno / Starring: Gorka Otxoa, Carols Areces, Secun de la Rosa, Mabel Rivera / Release Date: October 8th
Despite its lurid English-language title, Juan Martinez Moreno’s Attack of the Werewolves is more likely to have you rolling in the aisles than shivering in fear or racing behind the sofa. Like last month’s Kill Zombie! this is agreeably cheery (or cheesy according to taste) low budget stuff which goes some way towards rehabilitating the reputation of the werewolf after the touchy-feely injustices heaped upon our favourite lycanthropes in the Twilight saga and the Teen Wolf TV series.
One hundred years ago the Spanish village of Arga found itself falling under a gypsy curse (long story, naughty graphic novel opening illustrations fill in the blanks). Aspiring writer and former resident Tomas (Otxoa) is invited back to the village by the locals and he returns to the family home to write a book. But his arrival at the village exactly one hundred years after the curse isn’t a coincidence and soon his bloodline puts him and his bumbling old school friend Calisto (Areces) in mortal danger even before the sleeping decades-old werewolf trapped underground gets loose. Blood must be spilled to free the village from the curse… and if it isn’t an even worse fate will befall the village.
Attack of the Werewolves takes a bit of time to get into gear but once it finds its feet (or should that be paws?) it rattles along with some decent knockabout humour (occasionally decidedly black), inventive use of gore and violence and – wait for it – some really quite well-realised werewolves. The creatures here aren’t, happily, mundane CGI creations; welcome back to the men in monster suits, dozens of the furry buggers leaping across the screen with balletic grace and chasing our inept heroes across darkened, misty countryside.
Attack isn’t really concerned with being frightening – despite the monsters and the murderous mayhem there are more broad laughs than hair-raising scares – but with its larger-than-life performances, decent visuals and bouncy storyline (and the inevitable obvious twist ending) it’s very much a fun little romp which will serve as ideal fodder for those who fancy a few moderate thrills and spills this Halloween season.
Extras: None
