‘How to Make a Werewolf’ Review
Stars: Jace A. Edwards, Melahnie Bagley, Jonathan Meyer, Yve, Miles Nelson, Adam Burden | Written by Omar Reid | Directed by Steph Henderson, Omar Reid
Most guys are happy to wake up to some head. But not Xen (Jace A. Edwards; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Descendants: The Rise of Red) the unfortunate dude at the beginning of How to Make a Werewolf who wakes up to find a corpse with its head severed next to him. How did he get to be in this predicament? We won’t find out the details for a while, but it all started with a potion Aana (Melahnie Bagley; Don’t Bring the Streets in Between Your Sheets-GOD) gave him. Apparently, she could have had better results, but he wasn’t willing to kill his cat and cut out its eyes.
This isn’t happening back in colonial times, but in present day Atlanta, where covens of witches and vampire clans still exist hidden behind the appearance of being everyday people with jobs and families like their neighbours. There’s an uneasy peace between them, and even dhampirs, part witch, part vampire. But the peace is a fragile one, and there are those on either side who would be happy to see it collapse.
Writer and co-director, with Steph Henderson, Omar Reid (The Brother’s Keeper) wrote the has created a world and a backstory for How to Make a Werewolf and its characters. He’s also populated it with a surprisingly large cast for an indie film that appears to have been made on a tight budget. The cast is large enough that it’s a bit confusing at first trying to figure out who is who and how everyone connects to each other.
And it does seem like many of the characters share a blood, as in family not blood drinking or blood magic, connection. Of course, given the plot, there are plenty of those as well, and it gives the film the feel of a dark soap opera. Something like True Blood or an updated version of Dark Shadows crossed with Blade and the Underworld franchise’s decadent vampires and bloodthirsty lycans. And at just under two and a half hours, How to Make a Werewolf could easily pass for a pilot episode of a potential series.
And like a pilot, episode, it ends with very little resolved. The situation with Malachi (Jonathan Meyer) and his vampires has turned into open conflict. The Midnight Order, who appear to be a faction of warrior monks like the Knights Templar, make a brief appearance. Unlike the Templars however, they don’t become The Blind Dead. And a revelation about two of the leads, Ashanti (Yve) and Rainn (Miles Nelson) that will make you go “Ewwwww” if you haven’t already guessed it.
The result is a film that’s interesting, even if it’s not particularly frightening. It doesn’t help that most of the werewolf attacks and other violence takes place off-screen, rather than giving the viewer stalking scenes and jump scares. The werewolf itself (Adam Burden; Bad Girl Virtuous Woman) is a budget creation, with a wolf’s head and claws but a hairless human body. Similarly, there are a couple of sex scenes, but everyone keeps their naughty bits covered, keeping the film’s visuals tamer than some of the plot elements it deals with.
Apart from some rough performances among the mostly inexperienced cast, the main problem with How to Make a Werewolf is the extended running time. While it doesn’t get boring, the film’s slower pace did make the extended running time feel a bit long. I’ve said more than once few films need to run this long, a bit of trimming and a faster pace would have gone a long way here.
Despite its flaws, How to Make a Werewolf should appeal to those more into stories of the supernatural than into outright horror. It’s more well-populated world and plot-driven approach has the potential to spawn an interesting franchise if Reid handles them right.
*** 3/5
How to Make a Werewolf is available on digital now.
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