The Beast is Unleashed! Review of Wer!

Wer (2013)
Director: William Brent Bell
Writer: William Brent Bell, Matthew Peterman
Stars: A. J. Cook, Sebastian Roché, Vik Sahay

Considering that werewolves are one of the most iconic horror creatures, it is rather surprising how few decent werewolf films there are. I can count them on both hands and have spare fingers, let’s put it that way. And it has been a long time since a new movie has been added to that short list. The last time, as far as I am concerned, was 2002’s Dog Soldiers. The only other truly ambitious attempt since then 2006’s Skinwalkers and I’m going to be very kind and simply say that attempt didn’t pan out…

Late last year saw the release of Wer. The film is about the aftermath of the brutal massacre of a camping family. A man named Talan is arrested for the murders but defense attorney, Kate, believes that the strange but seemingly harmless man is incapable of such acts and seeks to prove it. In attempting this venture, she instead discovers that Talan is quite capable of the murders after all. Talan, as it turns out, is a werewolf.

I will not say that this is the best werewolf film ever. But I will say that it is nonetheless amazing. Some of the scenes are just genuinely jarring. I really love the story progression. What appears as, at first, a disease that mimics that symptoms of a werewolf slowly, step by step, shows that maybe there is more truth than exaggeration to the myth. Each new example is delivered to the audience with great skill and chill. There legitimately are scenes in this where Talan does something new and it will take you completely by surprise, making you want to rewind to make sure you saw it right.

Story aside, the other thing I love are the effects and camera work. There are a lot of CGI effect to this film, but they are actually done right! They all look top notch and the only reason I even know they are CGI is because I know there is no way to do certain things practically. Although, speaking of effects, one of the few downsides of this film is there is no true transformation scene, wildly considered a staple of a werewolf flick. This is mostly due to this film’s take on the werewolf form not being incredibly different in overall shape from the human form. As far as the camera work, all I can say is that the angles are handled with a master’s hand and they lend themselves perfectly to the atmosphere of the film

I love werewolf movies and I am glad to have another decent one to watch. Check this film out, it’s out on DVD here stateside on September 23rd.