Big Bad Wolf

SEPTEMBER 12, 2007

GENRE: COMEDIC, WEREWOLF
SOURCE: DVD (STORE RENTAL)

Yet another movie that was negatively recommended to me, Big Bad Wolf was actually pretty damn fun. As I’ve said before, I usually dislike werewolf movies, but I had a good time watching this, despite some groan-inducing moments, plus a big fuck you from the DVD company, who play some trailers when you hit the “PLAY MOVIE” option from the main menu. Remember kids: a movie and a trailer for other movies from the same company are TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FUCKING THINGS.

Like I said, it’s not a perfect film. The wolf makes wisecracks, most of which are pretty terrible. Luckily there’s only about a dozen in the film. There’s also a truly idiotic moment where a guy breaks into the bad guy’s office to retrieve a DNA report the bad guy had stolen from him. Not only does he stick around to read the thing rather than just take it and leave, but then he stops to take a photo of it! It’s YOUR fucking report dude! Then he gets even STUPIDER, sticking around even longer by sending a text message! Christ. And while the werewolf is a genuine man in suit for the most part, the CG transformation is pretty bad (though we only have to see it once, and it’s quick).

Otherwise the movie is much better than I expected. Not only is it impossible to dislike a film that even features, let alone stars Richard Tyson (Buddy!), but there’s a lot of decent twists to what could have been a very generic movie. The first 10 minutes or so would have you believe that the film was going to be the umpteenth variation on the “A bunch of kids in a cabin get killed one by one by a monster” story, but then suddenly almost all the kids are gruesomely killed and the movie becomes more like The Stepfather (not surprising since a character’s name is Joe Ruben), implementing a surprising bit of suspense into the proceedings as the bland lead and his super cute (but unfortunately over-facially-pierced) would-be girlfriend go about trying to prove his asshole stepfather is in fact a wisecracking, refreshingly non CGI werewolf.

And the fairly-originality doesn’t stop there. The werewolf rapes one of the dumb girls, which elicits the response “She was a virgin you monster!”, and the ending is a bit of a downer. But most importantly, the movie comes up with the single best way to ‘prove’ the main suspect is a werewolf. I don’t want to give it away, but let’s just say it includes the love interest of the protagonist blowing his stepdad in order to get his DNA.

Oh, wait. Sorry.

There’s actually a lot of off-kilter sexuality in the film. In addition to the oral (the resulting fight between the girl and the kid is pretty amazing as well, with lines like “I’ll give you a call if I need someone to fuck him to death!”, complete with sad music) and the werewolf rape, there’s also a character who enjoys kinky sex with his girlfriend (the cute lead from the otherwise execrable Dead Man’s Hand), asking her if she will watch him jerk off while he wears her underwear (!!!). Later, they are making love against a tree and she keeps muttering how she can’t feel anything. What the hell? I’m surprised the director didn’t work in any incest while he was it (though there is a hint that the main kid’s uncle has designs on his brother’s wife).

There’s some other minor in-jokes and some decent gore throughout the film, adding to the enjoyment. And the end credits song is one of the best alt-rock power ballads I have heard in the end credits of a horror film since Brother Cane’s ‘And Fools Shine On’ in Halloween 6. Unfortunately the commentary is a total bore, as the director merely praises everyone (including the boom operator, and more than once) and points out filming locations and things that were shot after principal photography. Dude, you made a movie where a girl has to blow her boyfriend’s step-dad to prove he’s a werewolf; no one watching it gives a rat’s fucking ass that the driveway is in Griffith Park while the house is in Topanga.

What say you?