Here’s Yell! Magazine’s interview with the film’s writer/director, Justin Price:

I imagine it would have been hard to come up with a werewolf movie script that hadn’t already been told? Where did you start?
KHU, my producing partner, reels in my brain from going haywire and creating scripts every 10 minutes. Now I can’t say that every script is good, but I know that sometimes they are cohesive enough for people to follow it for a little while.

Dark Moon Rising started with Amber Noel sending me some premixed music followed by Nea Nova sending me songs in the techno-punk rock range. Once I started listening to the music it got me excited to see what script we could use to truly bring to life this energy and we found one of the scripts I had finished but never thought we would be able to pull off. The original title was Les Wolf, which probably gives you a little insight into why KHU’s job is the more important out of the both of us.

The script is more of a Japanese live-action anime, so the goal was to have kick-ass costumes and wardrobe and cool dialogue and characters we can give the audiences time to grow and evolve with. The problem stemmed with the idea we didn’t have 50-plus years of comic book history to fall on, so the film had to try and “Edutain.” Which essentially means entertain and educate all at the same time. That is where we started.

We started with characters and wanted to know how their arcs would stretch over three films. August 4, 2015, when it releases to iTunes and Vudu, and Netflix later in the year, we are anxious to see how the story held up with audiences.

And for the uninitiated, can you tell us a bit about the plot?
A group of shape-shifting werewolves descend upon a small town in search of a girl who is reborn once every 2,000 years. What this logline is meant to invoke is a sense of mystery as to why werewolves and why this story. We wanted to basically tell a tale of a species trying to survive by coming together and bringing the best of what was left of their individual packs in order to destroy the very thing that bred life into them.

In the movie, there is a scene where Sin [Justin Price] confronts Chace [Cameron White] and tells of how the moon was formed and why wolves howl at the moon. In true Japanese Anime form, this story took about 10 minutes to tell and was filled with fantasy cliffs and long pauses. It was essentially a fable heard around a campfire and it was one of those small details hearkening back to the anime we grew up watching as kids, where the fighting was the icing on the cake but the dialogue and character development was why we watched for hours and hours.

Is it a straight-up horror film?
Dark Moon Rising is a mixing of genres. The goal was to take sci-fi and mix it with horror and create a universe where these characters don’t belong to any particular place, but it makes sense in this small town. Audiences have such an affinity for the genre that it’s important for us to uphold certain elements while trying to push the envelope in other ways. In the beginning of the film we find Dawn [Anastasia Antonia] awakening from ravaging through the woods and then the wolf-pack of alpha werewolves chasing Danse’s [Timea Saghy] mother through the woods. The wolf-pack lead attack person, Kaio, played by KHU, uses her powers to trap Vasha [Mikki Padilla] with the roots of the trees. So our goal was to mix those sci-fi elements with the typical chase-in-the-woods followed by the unexplained animal attack.

How important is it that the audiences care about your characters?
The entire story centers on the audience caring enough about the characters to follow them throughout the franchise. We have Dark Moon Rising 2 and 3 slated to begin production in the winter and the success of Dark Moon Rising 1 is pivotal to the following films.

Each storyline in the film is meant to begin with an origin and slowly break down how we got to this town and what makes each character unique to the overall dynamic. In staying true to Japanese anime it was a deliberate effort to try and give each character a level of detail that was unique to his and her tribe and their personalities. Gecko [Matthew Simmons] was unique to a pack of werewolves that used gas and acid as a weapon. This gas and acid liquid could be weaponized in mist or liquid form and was formulated within their bodies as a defense mechanism. Having small touches integrated within the story allowed us chances to give unique fight sequences and add more altruistic ways to differentiate our werewolves from others. That was our main goal when creating this universe.

How was the wolf created? Can you give us a little insight into what went into that?
We actually used the three different stage rule in the film. We had real wolves brought on set to represent betas. There is a scene where Eric Roberts is testing Chace’s resolve by forcing him to kill a beta before it fully transforms and it changes into a real wolf. The day of filming we had two trainers on set for that scene to ensure the wolf didn’t get too comfortable with people and decide to go The Grey on us.

That was the first phase, and the next phase was the brow and teeth facial prosthetic stages the wolf pack found themselves in throughout and this is where Heather D’anne and Erik Alamia really brought the wolves to life. This phase allowed for dialogue exchanges and unique character choices in wardrobe and make-up.

The final phase was total CGI and this was in the hands of the VFX companies we use for all of our films. The Lycan phase centered around a large wolf walking on two legs with ferocious muscles and long arms. This phase was truly animalistic and had no hint to its human counterpart. Working with Uncork’d Entertainment and being allowed the creative freedom really helped us bring all of the phases to the forefront.

After the jump, find out which is Justin’s favorite kill scene and what he’d do if he were a werewolf…

Howl stars Ed Speleers, Shauna Macdonald, and Sean Pertwee, and if you’ve been tracking Hyett’s career, then you know he’s been doing effects work on films such as Neil Marshall’s The Descent and Doomsday before making his directorial debut in 2012 with the revenge horror The Seasoning House. As a self-respecting effects artist, it’s reported that he’s avoiding CGI as much as possible in Howl, which should please lycan fans.

Howl is expected to hit the rails later this year.

Howl Synopsis:

Joe, a young ticket collector, is riding the last train out of London on a dark and stormy night along with a meager bunch of passengers. When the train brakes violently and comes to a sudden halt deep in the middle of a forest, it seems they have hit something on the line. But when the driver ventures out to investigate, he never returns, leaving the passengers in a state of panic – particularly when Joe sees the driver’s mutilated body outside the carriage. Realizing there’s something dangerous lurking in the forest, Joe tells the passengers to make barricades to secure themselves in the carriage, but soon the deadly creature is stalking the besieged train and smashing through their defenses, picking them off one-by-one. Joe rallies his “pack” of passengers to fight back. During a vicious battle they manage to kill the creature, revealing it to be a hideous mutated fusion of human and wild animal – a werewolf. However, celebrations are cut short when they hear more howls coming from the forest…

Rock Hard \m/

To say another retelling of a werewolf story is good thing for horror is a lie, but since I’m a big fan of the genre because of movies, such as American Werewolf in London and Dog Soldiers, I don’t plan on skipping Late Phases, an upcoming werewolf movie from Spanish director Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Here Comes the Devil), which seems to be inspired by those two classics. Plus, Late Phases stars Stake Land’s Nick Damici, who commands the screen again after a solid performance in last year’s Sundance vigilante thriller Cold in July, and the critically acclaimed cannibal drama, We are What we are. So, I’m sensing this could also be good.

You can check out the trailer for Late Phases above. If you think it looks great then make sure to catch its limited run in theaters on November 21, 2014.

You might be currently enjoying Katharine Isabelle as Margot Verger on Hannibal, or you might have taken her in as Suzanna Waite on the final season of Being Human, but the American Mary star first came to prominence with the Canadian film Ginger Snaps.

Ginger Snaps is a shocking and visceral coming-of-age story as two outcast sisters deal with becoming werewolves. Now the John Fawcett flick is getting the Blu-ray treatment and we have the details for you. Coming at you on July 22nd, the Blu-ray will include the following special features:

Ginger Snaps Blu-Ray Special Features:

-New interviews with director John Fawcett, writer Karen Walton, actors Emily Perkins and Jesse Moss, Producer Steve Hoban, Make-up Effects artist Paul Jones, Composer Mike Shields and Editor Brett Sullivan
-New Women in Horror panel discussing Ginger Snaps
-Audio Commentary with Director John Fawcett
-Audio Commentary with Writer Karen Walton
-Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by John Fawcett and Karen Walton
-The Making of Ginger Snaps – Vintage Featurette
-Creation of the Beast – Vintage Featurette
-Being John Fawcett — Vintage Featurette
-Cast Auditions and Rehearsals
-Theatrical Trailers
-TV Spots
-Production Design Artwork Photo Gallery

Sounds amazing, but where’s he commentary from Katharine Isabelle?

Rock Hard \m/

Hemlock Grove synopsis:

A teenage girl is brutally murdered, sparking a hunt for her killer. But in a town where everyone hides a secret, will they find the monster among them?

Hemlock Grove Trailer:

Eli Roth directed the pilot episode, which stars Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgard, Landon Liboiron, Lili Taylor, Kandyse McClure, Freya Tingley, Dougray Scott, Aaron Douglas, Tiio Horn, and Penelope Mitchell. The rest of the episodes will be directed by Deran Sarafian (To Die For) and T.J. Scott.

Rock Hard \m/

Being Human U.S. Season 3 – Credit: SyFy.com

Production for the upcoming season got underway last June, and what we can expect is a resurfaced Aiden who must find a new way to feed, a Nora who has found a way out of limbo, and Josh must contend with a fateful visitor.

I don’t think that spoils too much of what’s to come in Being Human (U.S.) Season 3, and if you’re just getting aboard this supernatural scripted series, it probably leaves you confused. So, if you’re not up-to-date on the series, I’ll brief you on the cliffhanger from last season.

Josh (the werewolf) decided to kill Ray (his maker) with the understanding that doing so would remove the curse from himself and anyone else he has turned. This is important to Josh because he accidentally turned his girlfriend, Nora. Josh asked Sally (the ghost) to possess Ray’s wife and to call Ray in order to lure him out to a remote area to help her with a flat tire. When Ray arrives, Josh marches him into the woods at gunpoint. Needless to say a struggle ensues and Nora shows up with a weapon of her own.

Meanwhile, Aiden (the vampire) sets out to kill Mother so that he and Suren can live happily ever after in the undead. Things don’t work out according to plan. Aiden gets captured and Mother (also Suren’s mother) kills Suren in front of Aiden. When Aiden attacks Mother in a rage he’s easily overpowered and subsequently buried undead (alive).

The final episode of Season 2 ends with Sally communicating via a radio that she’s found a way out of limbo, but she needs the unavailable Josh and Aiden.

Even if the series’ largest audience demographic is female, which either makes this another Buffy or a soap opera, I’m eagerly looking forward to Being Human (U.S.) Season 3.

Check back with Yell! Magazine for updates as they occur.

Rock Hard \m/

“Many, many moons ago, almost too many to count, in a small village deep within the forest, there lived a young girl with hair as red as the setting sun.” It’s not quite “In a galaxy far, far away,” but it’s the opener for 2010’s Red: Werewolf Hunter.

Normally I’m not one for werewolves, but when I saw Felicia Day’s name attached to this one, I decided that I needed to watch it at once. And that’s one of the only reasons to watch this film, believe you me – but we’ll get into that in a second. Let me preface this review by saying that this was a made-for-SyFy movie and I reckon that the actors used sandpapery one-ply toilet paper to supplement more important things like the CGI budget. But this is still a movie that sets the made-for-SyFy movie bar a little higher than usual. Then again, our first tip probably should have been the fact that it wasn’t called Sexy Wolf Hunter and MegaCroc Vs. The Lycans.

Felicia Day plays the descendant of Little Red Riding Hood, and she’s given stylish red boots in place of an actual hood. The whole werewolf hunter occupation is a family affair, and every firstborn daughter in a generation is honorarily called Red. Virginia “Red” Sullivan is bringing her workaholic fiance Nathan (Kavan Smith, TV’s Eureka) home for the first time to meet her family, which includes her wizened grandmother (Rosemary Dunsmore, Orphan), stereotypical hard-ass/jerk-ass cop and older brother Marcus (Greg Bryk, A History of Violence), and wise-cracking younger brother Jake (David Reale, TV’s Skins). All the characters are astoundingly flat; you can’t really get absorbed in the story because you can tell that these were people with bills to pay, rather than actors who were truly honing their craft and committed to bringing you the best werewolf ass-kickin’ experience that cable has to offer.

They're hunting werewolves and not hoping the Ex-Lax kicks in soon, really.

The movie would probably have been better off had the plot been a solid humorous “fiance goes home to meet the folks” story. But oh no, nothing can ever be so simple. A man is immediately mauled by a werewolf despite the fact that the full moon isn’t expected for a while, which leaves the werewolf hunters on edge and Nathan asking the usual, “What is going on here?” type of questions.

The Sullivan family is a little guarded about their background and we come to learn that there’s a nearby pack of werewolves that the Sullivans have a shaky truce with. This peace is being tested by a werewolf named Gabriel (Stephen McHattie, Immortals) who has learned to shape shift, no matter what time of the month it is. After the big reveal to Nathan about werewolves and hunters, he’s in predictable denial and decides to venture off in the forest alone. What you expect to happen, happens, and Nathan is turned into a werewolf. And only then does Red: Werewolf Hunter become personal, but not quite personal enough for the cast to be enthused about acting out this horror/romance romp that has no real heart.

Felicia Day, if you ever read this, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you took this part, and I’m sorry that I’m being such a bitch in this review, but we both know it’s true, just like that Milli Vanilli song: “Girl, you know this shit is true.” I wish I could say that Ms. Day is the best part of Red: Werewolf Hunter, but Stephen McHattie steals the show as Gabriel, the vaguely noir-looking werewolf villain. He channels Lance Henriksen splendidly and does the best he can with the material, which is a little more than I can say for the rest of the cast.

Alright, alright, Felicia Day isn’t that bad in this role. As any of you familiar with her work will know, she’s very good at vulnerable, and she pulls it off here, but ultimately, her slightly less naive than normal portrayal of Red isn’t enough to make you want to sit through the whole movie. Red and Nathan have no real chemistry together and you almost kind of wish that one of them would die from the very start so you could be spared the inevitable romantic subplot that fuels this SyFy stillbirth.

The CGI effects that I mentioned earlier are cheap even by SyFy standards. The lack of actual action in the action sequences leaves more than something to be desired. It seems like we’re treated to a lot of scenes of the characters “gearing up” before a fight rather than putting forth any actual effort into the downfall of any werewolves. There’s a lot of rehashing of the werewolf mythos and family dynamic that comes into play, but it’s not enough to save this sinking ship from going the way of the Titanic. (Hell, Titanic With Werewolves sounds like a better movie than this.)

All that intent staring isn't going to help them find plot development…

The Verdict: [rating:2]

Red: Werewolf Hunter is a tough review for me, as I really wanted to like this movie. It would have been far better as the premise for a TV show – there’s a lot of good elements here that are handled in a rushed, forced manner. With the right cast, this would have made a great pilot. It’s one of those movies best viewed on a Saturday afternoon when you have nothing to do but recover from Friday night with a few more 40s and your funniest homeboys – because oh Lord, you’re going to want a running commentary for this.

For my closing thought: Felicia Day is pretty. That is all.

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

[rating:2]

Year Released:

30 October 2010

Director:

Sheldon Wilson

Cast/Crew

Felicia Day, Kavan Smith, Greg Bryk, Rosemary Dunsmore, David Reale, Carlyn Burchell, Argiris Karras, Victoria Robertson, and Stephen McHattie

Genre

Fantasy, Horror

Official URL:

none

Like fellow action/horror film franchise Resident Evil, the Underworld series likes to pop out a new entry every couple of years like clockwork. However, unlike its zombie-infested counterpart, which has consistently starred Milla Jovovich’s Alice, Underworld has been without its central character since 2009’s Rise Of The Lycans had to make do without Kate Beckinsale’s sultry, lethal Selene… and her skintight leather suit that kick started roughly a million wet dreams.

That puddle she’s standing in is the accumulated drool of a thousand fans.

While Rise Of The Lycans, starring Beckinsale’s ex-husband Michael Sheen in the lead role, was a decent if middling box office performer, Selene’s presence was sorely missed. Fast forward to 2012 and Underworld: Awakening is now in theaters, featuring the return of our beloved heroine, a bevy of special effects and the dreaded conversion to 3-D, which is never a good thing for movies as darkly lit as Underworld. Can Awakening, the second movie in the franchise out of the hands of original series helmer Len Wiseman, live up to the potential of the first two movies? Or will it be a forgettable entry, left to linger in video store bargain bins alongside the mediocre Rise Of The Lycans?

Join me, your ever faithful and so categorically hairy he might just be a Lycan reviewer, as Yell! Magazine unleashes its review of Underworld: Awakening! For this review, I equipped myself with silver bullets, wooden stakes, and a box of tissues.

The tissues are to wipe away the tears. From all the crying. During the sad parts. Yeah, that’s the ticket…

Sadly, Awakening fails to pick up on many of the plot threads left hanging at the conclusion of Underworld Evolution. For those of you coming late to the game, Selene had seemingly grown powerful enough to stand in direct sunlight without fear of exploding like a sexy Roman candle and her erstwhile paramour, the lycan/vampire hybrid Michael (Scott Speedman) was at her side and growing exponentially more powerful. Awakening skips ahead 12 years and makes the mistake of ditching Speedman’s character entirely.

While never the most animated of actors, Speedman is as important to the franchise as Beckinsale. The interesting romance between Selene and Michael made up much of the series’ story and his exclusion sticks out like sore thumb. A poorly chosen body double stands in for Speedman during flashback sequences, but this makes the audience miss him even more. Selene wakes up in cryogenic suspension, having given birth to a daughter sometime in the interim. Awakening’s central plotline involves Selene’s quest for her missing family. Cue akimbo firearms, black leather so tight you’d have to be poured in, and sexy crawling through air ducts.

I’d follow her anywhere.

Awakening won’t win any awards for screenwriting, but even so, the story is a notch below that of the first two movies. The familiar war between wolves and vamps is mostly abandoned, instead Awakening focuses mostly on human antagonists, led by Stephen Rea’s Dr. Jacob. Rea, normally a strong performer, doesn’t dial it in so much as leave a text message. That’s how bored he appears with the project.

Faring incredibly better is young newcomer Indie Easley as Eve, Selene and Michael’s hybrid daughter. The young actress shows up Rea by several levels of acting ability, displaying a convincing grasp of what it means to star in a vampire movie. Replacing the irreplaceable Bill Nighy as head vampire honcho is Game Of Thrones’ Charles Dance, who doesn’t quite chew the scenery with the same voracity as Nighy but makes for a decent vampire elder nonetheless.

Instead of further exploring the Underworld mythos, Awakening mostly struggles to fill its running time with increasingly preposterous action sequences. While stunning, slow motion set pieces have been a part of the series since the beginning, it’s painfully obvious here that Awakening is substituting bullets for storytelling. Whatever gravitas the series once had is replaced by a ludicrous amount of spent shell casings. It’s inarguable that Beckinsale looks stunning wielding a pair of firearms, but that only takes the viewer so far, there’s simply no meat on Awakening’s bone.

“Oh, I don’t know. He tastes pretty meaty to me.”

Special effects are decent if unspectacular. A late-game appearance by a pumped-up, gigantic lycan on steroids easily steals the show, but the movie definitely shows its middle-of-the-road budget limitations. As far as the 3-D is concerned, Awakening takes place mostly at night in darkened areas, thus lending a muddy, hazy quality to the 3-D effects.

The Verdict: [rating:3.5]

All in all, Awakening is a boon to action fans looking for something to sate their appetite during the slow movie season of January. In a month filled with mostly nothing except Oscar-bait movies, you could do a hell of a lot worse than Underworld: Awakening to soothe your craving for guilt-free thrills. Still, if the series is to continue, a better script is recommended for the next installment.

Your faithful reviewer,
TheMatt

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

[rating:3.5]

Year Released:

20 January 2012

Director:

Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein

Cast/Crew

Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, Sandrine Holt, Charles Dance, and India Eisley

Genre

Action, Fantasy, Horror

Official URL:

Underworld: Awakening Official

In Underworld Awakening, Selene has been imprisoned for 12 years, how dare they treat Kate like that, by the humans. As fate would have it, the humans have been conducting experiments on her in their quest to find a vaccine to eradicate her kind. Now, Selene is pissed. Down with the humans.

There’s a part of me that sees a bit of Species 2 in this, especially if the humans had something to do with creating the massive lycan. There might also be elements of Resident Evil in this. While the first and second film in the Underworld franchise were clearly a take on Romeo and Juliet, Awakening might better be described as Othello, or perhaps a V.C. Andrews drama with an illegitimate child, the hybrid child mentioned earlier, which is clearly the offspring of Selene and Michael.

Underworld Awakening is at least presenting us with an interesting enough story, and judging from the trailer, the visuals look amazing (nope, not referring to Kate Beckinsale’s derriere as she works he way down a heating duct).

There’s no safe place to hide as the all-new supernatural Untitled Werewolf Thriller begins principal photography in and around Bucharest, Romania. Universal celebrates its storied history of creatures and horror with an exhilarating original adventure that embraces the popular cultural resurgence of the age-old werewolf myth. Breathtaking action and nail-biting suspense collide as an army of bounty hunters descend on a tiny hamlet in search of the most terrifying monster they have ever fought. The latest entry in the hugely successful DVD Originals line from Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production entity of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Untitled Werewolf Thriller will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand in time for Halloween 2012.

“Universal introduced the movie-going public to the ‘creature feature’ more than a half century ago,” said Glenn Ross, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Universal 1440 Entertainment. “Today, audiences are once again enthralled by supernatural creatures in books, on television and in movies. Audiences young and old will enjoy this completely new take on a timeless story that is an essential part of Universal’s legacy.”

Untitled Werewolf Thriller stars Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta, The Crying Game), Steven Bauer (Scarface, Primal Fear), Ed Quinn (True Blood, Eureka), Nia Peeples (Pretty Little Liars, Walker Texas, Ranger), Guy Wilson (Almost Kings, Little Black Book), Adam Croasdell (Supernatural, East Enders) and Rachel DiPillo (Law & Order, The Gates).

Louis Morneau (Joy Ride II, Hitcher II: I’ve Been Waiting) directs the nightmarish hunt through an idyllic countryside shattered by an unstoppable beast. The film is produced by Mike Elliott (The Devils Rejects, Smokin’ Aces 2), from a screenplay by Michael Tabb and the writing team of Louis Morneau & Catherine Cyran. A top-flight production team has also been assembled, including director of photography Philip Robertson, production designer David Hirschfield and costume designer Oana Paunescu. The editor is Mike Jackson.

SYNOPSIS

A monstrous creature terrorizes a 19th Century European village by moonlight and a young man struggles to protect his loved ones from an unspeakable scourge in Untitled Werewolf Thriller, Universal Studios’ all-new addition to its time-honored legacy of supernatural thrillers. During his studies with the local doctor (Stephen Rea), Daniel (Guy Wilson) witnesses the horrific consequences of werewolf attacks. Watching as the beast’s fearsome reputation draws bounty hunters, thrill seekers and charlatans to the tiny town, Daniel dreams of destroying the ruthless predator. So when a mysterious stranger (Ed Quinn) and his team of skilled werewolf hunters (Stephen Bauer, Adam Croasdell) arrive to pursue the monster, he offers to join them, despite his mother’s (Nia Peeples) protests. But it soon becomes clear that this creature is stronger, smarter and more dangerous than anything they have faced before. As casualties mount and villagers see their neighbors transformed into ravening monsters, the townsfolk take up arms against each other to find the true identity of the werewolf. Amid the hysteria, Daniel begins to suspect he’s closer to his target than he ever dreamed.

Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

‘Untitled Werewolf Thriller’ To Be Released On Blu-ray For Halloween 2012