Curse of the Wolf
Directed by Len Kabasinski
Brain Damage Films

Low budget werewolf films aren't as common as they once were and despite a few problems Curse of the Wolf manages to be an entertaining and surprisingly bloody take on the genre. The film is a bit slow in a few places and like most films of this type the acting isn't the films strongest suit. That said, Curse of the Wolf packs in a lot of gore, skin, and violence to make for an entertaining popcorn flick in the horror genre.

The basic gist of the story is a werewolf named Dakota, played by Renee Porada, no longer wants to be a part of their clan and is taking drugs to suppress her transformations. Essentially the movie revolves around Dakota being on the run from her former pack. She just wants to try and live a normal life but her pack will have nothing of it. When Dakota finds new friends, the pack shows up to exterminate her new friends and bring her back into the pack. This results in a lot of violence and a surprising amount of martial arts usage. Kabasinksi loves to add the martial arts element to his films and while it is usually fairly well implemented what are the chances that an entire pack of werewolves are trained in martial arts? But like I said earlier this is essentially a popcorn movie, so examining the plot to any great lengths really isn't at all necessary.

Dakota finally finds some help after a chase from her pack leads her to a bar. While hiding in the men's bathroom a stranger protects her and now we have a love interest and now the pack has a source of leverage against Dakota. After a rather lengthy fight involving the pack and security in the bar, the pack leaves. The next day her love interest is meant to meet her for breakfast, but when he doesn't show up she meets with the nightclub owner and enlists his help along with his hired firepower to help take out the pack. It definitely isn't the classic werewolf on a rampage type story line for a film of this nature, and in many ways the film feels very much like an action film.

Low budget and nudity seem to go hand in hand and the stars of the film have little trouble with baring it all. Darian Caine is a staple of films by this director and definitely isn't afraid to show off her assets in front of the camera. The few sex scenes here are done well but still seem a bit out of place, particularly the second sex scene as you are somewhat led to believe that the woman involved is a lesbian during previous scenes. That said, the nudity is why a lot of people check out these movies and while Curse of the Wolf definitely wouldn't be considered erotic, it has its fare share of skin.

The gore is definitely above average but the same really cannot be said about the werewolf makeup itself. Certainly werewolves look pretty good, but some others look like they cut off pieces to a Halloween mask and glued it to the actors face. It works best when you only see flashes of the faces I would say. That said there is a ridiculously cool transformation scene complete with buckets of blood. There are also some very well done torn out and slashed throat effects that spray a ridiculous amount of blood. While I wouldnt call this a gorefest, the gore certainly helps the movie have a bit more impact.

This isn't a perfect movie but it is an entertaining one. I think the running time could have been trimmed just a bit to make a more evenly paced film that wouldnt drag in any sections. If you are a fan of werewolf films this is definitely a welcome addition to your collection. Curse of the Wolf is a unique and modern twist on the genre.

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