Werewolf Fever and Hair of the Rabid Dog or Squirrel: A Move Review

*A screener of this werewolf styled film was provided by Gravitas Ventures for review.

Director/writer: Brian Singleon.

Rarely does this film reviewer get a chance to review a Canadian made indie horror product. This unlucky streak ended with Brian Singleton's (Forest of the Dead) Werwolf Fever. This feature was filmed in 2007 throughout Renfrew, Ontario and this is an homage to the great werewolf films of the '80s e.g. American Werewolf in London. Except this Canadian version is much campier than this previously mentioned film; the acting is a little more awkward too.

The film is likely set in the '80s and the film's focus point is the King Burger, burger joint. Here, several twenty-somethings are humiliated by their dictatorial boss, Odi Buckmeyer (Ian Lloyd). But, he is the least of their worries, when the King Burger delivery driver is bitten by an anonymous rabid squirrel or beaver. After his last delivery of the night, Donnie (Mark Singleton) sprouts hair, howls at the moon and turns his former friends into ground meat. Is there anyone who can stop this bloody rampage?

Few of the characters are up to mental requirements of fighting a toothy six foot monster and their strategies for fending off this beast's attacks are questionable. First, there is the use of the rose defence. You have heard that werewolves are afraid of roses, right? No, well then there is the throwing of the burger meat into the parking lot. This will surely stop their foe. Well, maybe not, but these situations are what create some of the campy fun within Werewolf Fever.

The movie is not all fun and games, however. There is some unbelievable acting to get through, in order to see Singleton's vision. Few of the actors have starred in anything outside of Singleton's films and their overacting, while often entertaining, does not convey the necessary emotions of terror. There is one other drawback worth mentioning.

The run time of this werewolf piece makes the film more of a light snack than a hearty meal. Werewolf Fever comes in at sixty-six minutes, while the average runtime of a feature is nearer the ninety minute mark. This element might be a positive for those looking for a shorter film in a busy schedule.

Currently, this film is being offered by Gravitas Ventures as of January, 2011. Various partners such as Comcast, Charter, At&T, Rogers and many other cable and video-on-demand providers are providing this title for your viewing pleasure. Check out what Canadian horror filmmaking has to offer with this tongue-in-cheek look at the werewolf thriller, where hairy nightmares come to life!

Overall: 6 out of 10 (-1 for not enough musical selections, the Young Werewolves could have been used to effect in the middle portion of the film, -2 for some pretty weak acting in parts, more rehearsals were required, -1 for short runtime).

A list of cable, satelite and vod providers for Werewolf Fever are listed below, at Gravitas Ventures:

Gravitas' Partners

The film's homepage is here:

The Werewolf Fever Homepage w/Details

Another review of this film at Hagiblog:

Werewolf Fever at Hagi

Have a look at some of these werewolf themed films, especially if you prefer DVD and Blu-ray versions:



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Posted in: 2011,brian singleton,cable,gravitas ventures,horror,video on demand,vod,werewolf fever,werewolf movie review