Movie Review: Dog Soldiers

(2002)
Directed by Neil Marshall
Starring Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Liam Cunningham, Emma Cleasby, Thomas Lockyer, Darren Morfitt,
Chris Robson, Leslie Simpson

Back when this first came out, I ignored it. The reason was that it debuted on the Sci-Fi channel, and fans quickly learned that whatever made their debut on there was going to stink. For example, Cherry Falls (2000), Wishmaster 2 (1999), or Vampires: Los Muertos (2002). Now, not to knock anybody who likes those films, I would say they are not that well made. So when I heard of this new werewolf movie that was going to debut there, I paid no attention to it. A couple of months later, when it hit DVD, I started hearing from friends on how it is actually pretty damn good. So I gave it a whirl and was just blown away. Sure, it could be because my expectations were so low, or it could have been because it was just a well made horror flick, with an amazing cast, and some of the best practical werewolf creatures I’ve seen since The Howling (1982).

Studies on Joe Dante’s The Howling

Centipede Press has recently released a new volume in their Studies in the Horror Film series, this time taking a deep and dark look into Joe Dante’s The Howling. While it is one of Dante’s earlier films, it still remains one of his best known titles, for many good reasons. Now, thanks to Lee Gambin, you can read more about this film than you ever thought possible!

Over 350 pages, loaded with color photos and an new introduction by Dee Wallace, this book includes rare behind-the-scenes photos, most of which have never been published before. There are interviews with the likes of Dee Wallace, Belinda Balaski, Dick Miller, Don McLeod, John Hora, John Sayles, Robert Picardo, and others. And of course, Joe Dante.

But there is more! According to the blurb from Centipede Press, you will also get “the definitive story of the making of The Howling, complete with an insightful plot synopsis and complete critical analysis, behind the scenes information, and a slew of interviews with cast and crew. Rounding out the book are nearly 150 stills of the movie, ranging from individual frame enlargements to rare, never-before-published behind the scenes photographs.” What more could any Howling fan ask for???

The price is only $35 and can be ordered directly from the publisher. For all the information, just click HERE.

Book Review: The Werewolf Filmography

The Werewolf Filmography
By Bryan Senn
Published by McFarland, 2017. 408 pages.

Why a book like this has never been written before is beyond me. Yeah, there was the The Illustrated Werewolf Movie Guide by Stephen Jones, but that just quickly goes through titles with very little written about them, as well as it covering movies having ANY connection to werewolves or changing into a creature listed. A nice book to chew on, so to speak, but not one to go to for any real meat. But it can also be said that maybe the reason a book like this hasn’t been written before was, as author Senn puts it in his introduction, since the werewolf sub-genre is so huge, there are many, many titles that are far from good. So since the bad definitely outweigh the good, it would be a very tough hill to climb to watch and write about all of them. But Senn has taken on that task, and has done an admirably job!