All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle is a sheep in wolf's clothing.

The Charge

Half man.
Half wolf.
Total terror.

The Case

There have been so many werewolf movies that at this point it's hard to keep track of them all. The granddaddy is, of course, the 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. original, The Wolfman. Since that film was released seventy five years ago there have been countless imitators about hairy man-beasts including Joe Dante's The Howling, John Landis' seminal An American Werewolf in London, and the Jack Nicholson howler Wolf (just to name a few). Add to that collection Eric Red's Bad Moon, a nearly forgotten mid-1990s entry into the werewolf genre that deserves to be rediscovered.

While admittedly a slight entry in the genre, twenty years later and Bad Moon's bad reputation seems wholly undeserved. The film was released in 1996 and was a total bomb at the box office. On one hand, I can sort of see why. The film's scope seems more in line with a mid-budget straight-to-video title than a major theatrical release. The nearly single location setting almost gives Bad Moon a staged theatrical feel. None of these are negatives. At a scant 79 minutes, this is a compact horror movie that hits all the right highs (with only a few minor lows).

Bad Moon's set-up is quite simple: a single mother and lawyer, Janet (Mariel Hemingway, Delirious), and her young son, Brett (Mason Gamble, Dennis the Menace), live peacefully in the woods with their German Shepherd, Thor. When Janet's photojournalist brother Ted (Michael Pare, Eddie and the Cruisers) comes in to visit, he brings his camper and sets up shop in their backyard. What Janet and Brett don't know is that during the night Ted changes from a loving uncle into a terrifying, man-killing werewolf!

The film hits all the right beats needed for a solid horror movie: the setup is fast, the monster appears fairly quickly, people are mauled/eaten/torn apart, and the whole affair is over before anyone has the time to be bored. With today's CGI filled blockbusters cluttering theaters, it's nice to see a movie that almost exclusively revels in the use of practical effects. Although Bad Moon's werewolf isn't totally convincing (his eyes clearly are remote controlled), make-up artist Steve Johnson's creation is big and brawny and looks imposingly impressive. The actors all give good performances in a movie that doesn't really require much from them â€" Mariel Hemingway acts concerned about her son, Mason Gamble acts concerned about his dog Thor, and Michael Pare acts concerned that someone is going to find out he turns into a man-beast at night. Aside of a few very minor characters (mostly around to be mauled by the werewolf), this is really a three person cast. Four if you count the German Shepherd.

Bad Moon was based on the novel Thor by author Wayne Smith, though much was changed when the book became a movie; the novel's story was told exclusively from the point-of-view of the German Shepherd, and in the film Thor is more a side character than the narrator. Either way, the changes work in the film's favor. Bad Moon isn't great cinema, but it's fun and one of the last dying gasps of practical effects before Hollywood became soaked in nothing but CGI. For those who enjoy discovering movies that haven't been given a fare shake, check this out.

Bad Moon (Blu-ray) is presented in 2.40:1 widescreen in 1080p high definition. Scream Factory offers up a very nice looking transfer that sports little in the way of imperfections or major defects. The image is often very dark and has a light grain structure that is never intrusive to the viewing. Kudos to Scream Factory for rescuing this title and giving it some TLC on Blu-ray. The soundtrack is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo in English. This two-channel soundtrack isn't going to win awards for being very dynamic, but it gets the job done with clearly recorded dialogue, music, and effects. Also included on this disc are English subtitles.

Extra features include a new audio commentary with director/writer Eric Red, new interviews with Eric Red, actors Michael Pare and Mason Gamble, special effects artist Steve Johnson, and stunt coordinator Ken Kirzinger, a theatrical trailer, and a few storyboards from the film's shoot.

Bad Moon isn't the pinnacle of the werewolf genre, but it's entertaining and worth revisiting, especially for Pare's bug-eyed performance as he turns into the werewolf.

The Verdict

This one isn't half bad.

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