This is the last Werewolf Wednesday before Halloween. It was tough for me to settle on a film or book to post about today. Should I go classic with and do Universal’s The Wolf Man, or maybe do international and recommend one of Paul Naschy’s many werewolf films. Instead, I decided to do a film that is just a lot of fun. The recommendation for today is Dog Soldiers.
Soldiers vs. werewolves, ’nuff said. No? This film is absolutely awesome and the best werewolf film made in the last 15 years. It pits a group of soldiers (who were being used as bait) against a pack of werewolves that reside in a secluded valley in the country side. The Special Forces that were going to trap the werewolves as they hunted our soldiers were decimated. Now, the soldiers with one of the locals have taken refuge in a secluded farmhouse to withstand the onslaught awaiting during the night. It’s Aliens and The Alamo, with werewolves.
The performances in this film are great. Each of the characters is well-acted, and you will grow attached to them. You never see a full transformation on screen, which is good. I image that they did not have the budget to do a good practical effects transformation. Neil Marshall (The Descent, Doomsday, Games of Thrones) made his directorial debut in this film. I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed all of the projects that he’s made since this, and I quickly fell in love with this movie.
You can click on the cover below and read the official synopsis.
Synopsis: A group of soldiers dispatched to the Scottish Highlands on special training maneuvers face their biggest fears after they run into Captain Ryan: the only survivor of a Special Ops team that was literally torn to pieces. Ryan refuses to disclose his mission even though whoever attacked his men might be hungry for seconds. Help arrives in the form of local girl who shelters them in a deserted farmhouse deep in the forest…but when they realize that they are surrounded by a pack of blood-lusting werewolves, it’s apparent their nightmare has just begun!
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