Cub Bares its Bloody Fangs: A Film Review

*full disclosure: an online screener of this film was provided by Artsploitation Films.

Director: Jonas Govaerts.

Writers: Jonas Govaerts and Roel Mondelaers.

Cast: Maurice Luijten, Evelien Bosmans and Titus De Voogdt.

Cub aka Welp is a film from Belgium. The film has released in several other territories, with a debut in North America scheduled shortly. The film is a coming-of-age horror feature. In the film, Sam's (Maurice Luijten) growing interest in women is interrupted by a small family of killers. Very entertaining, Cub is a brutal horror film, full of tricks and traps. Gorehounds will especially like this outing, which leaves much of the cast in bloodied pieces.

Sam and a troupe of cubs are heading out into the wilderness. The camp counsellours are warned about disappearances, in the area. But, everyone disregards the message. Soon, the young cubs are disappearing into the forest and a strange, animal-like child is stalking all of them. As well, there is something strange underground. Another killer is waiting below the surface. His reason for murder is obscure, but the bodies keep piling up, nonetheless.

Sam discovers bodies deep below the surface.

Cub is primarily a coming-of-age horror film. Sam is dealing with a trauma, which is mentioned throughout the film. However, that trauma is never revealed. Instead of developing Sam's character, the film focuses on Sam's interest in sex. He watches a young cook, from a viewpoint. His burgeoning adolescence is diverted, however. He is encouraged to kill an animal, later in the film. In another scene, Sam is watching two lovers undress. His sexual interest is again subverted, when he is forced to attack a woman. There is this unnatural interplay between violence and sex. This interplay offsets Sam's development. This is especially apparent late into the picture.

There are few themes within Cub. The film focuses on developing a dark tone. Characters are torn up or impacted by arrows. The local forest is littered with man-traps. However, there is no real deeper meaning within the film. Outside of the coming-of-age theme, the film's plot develops in a slightly flat fashion. Though brutal in its portrayal of violence, there is no underlining purpose for that violence. Cub is essentially a celebration of gore and murder.

Still, Cub manages to be entertaining. This viewer never looked at the clock, nor counted down the seconds till the end. Cub moves along at a fast clip and conflicts are introduced fairly quickly. As well, several scenes develop unpredictably. For instance, a government official is diverted down an isolated road. He finds a dark entrance into a basement. But, he never manages to explore further, with a shadowy figure appearing behind him. The interaction between these two characters is never fully revealed. Yet, the official's bloodied cell phone will allude to his fatal outcome. Other scenes show how a feral child is able to lure characters into dangerous environments. And, many of the film's interactions end bloodily. This part-time misanthrope enjoyed the creative bloodworks.

Cub will be releasing in North America mid-month; indie or foreign film fans should seek this title out. Though not a part of the New Wave of French Extreme Horror, Cub still manages to create a believable and dire situation. The protagonist's natural progression into manhood is diverted and this diversion leads to a tragic ending. Dark in tone and heavy in murder, Cub manages to create an exciting tale of terror. Still, it would have been interesting to look past the film's wooden mask, to see what leads a character to hunt and kill others.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

More details on the film are available at the Artsploitation website:

Cub at Artsploitation Films


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Posted in: 2015,childhood trauma,children,foreign,movie,movie review,murder,review,story