Remember how scary and awesome werewolves use to be before Twilight turned them into pussified pedophiles? Well this movie remembers, all too well it remembers.
We open on a train yard in the town of Tarker's Mills where an Arnie Westrum is working the night shift. As he’s working on tracks, a dark figure is lurking about. Arnie spots some strange footprints before the dark figure sneaks behind him and with one swipe decapitates Arnie. Since Arnie was a chronic drunk the town’s coroner concluded that he passed out on the tracks and no other evidence can prove otherwise. Cut to a town festival where we’re introduced to Jane Coslaw (played by Megan Follows). As Reverend Lester Lowe (played by Everett McGill) is giving a speech, Jane decides to leave and her mother asked to check on her brother Marty (who’s a paraplegic). Cut to Marty Coslaw (played by Corey Haim) and his friend Brady Kincaid (played by Joe Wright). So before he fought vampires in Lost Boys, Corey Haim fought werewolves go figure. Anyway they found a garter snake and Brady has an idea to scare Jane with it. Marty is hesitant so he ask him not to overbroad. A few minutes later Jane is looking for Marty until she sees the garter snake in the tree; she freaks out and runs away but only to fall down immediately ruining her pantyhose. Jane sees Brady up in the tree holding the snake and gets rather mad. Marty shows up out of hiding saying that it’s just a garter snake. As Jane gets up Brady throws the snake at her causing her to fall into a puddle. Marty is not too happy about that and tries to apologize but Jane is angrily resentful and walks away. Jane stops behind the bushes to take off the ruined pantyhose (now she underage folks so no naughty thoughts please). Anyway Jane spots a woman trying to tell to a man that she’s pregnant and the baby may be his. The man immediately denies it and walks away leaving the pregnant woman in distraught. After the Coslaws returned home we cut to nighttime as Jane is sleeping but is awaken by Marty entering her bedroom leaving her money to get new pantyhose. Jane accepts the money and Marty’s apology.
Cut to the home of the pregnant woman from earlier as she’s about to commit suicide by consuming pills. Meanwhile outside the house in a POV shot of someone or something climbing up the house. The pregnant woman continues to consume the pills until she turns around, sees a dark figure outside of her window and screams. The dark creature smashes through the window and tears the woman to piece. Meanwhile the woman’s mother is downstairs hearing all of the commotion; she grabs a revolver and heads to the pregnant woman’s room only to find her daughter dead. To summarize a couple of scenes the town sheriff Joe Haller (played by Terry O’ Quinn) calling in for some additional help while some of the townspeople are concern of what happened. Cut to school as Marty accompanies a friend name Tammy to her house; on the way they come across the police investigating the pregnant woman’s house. As they arrived to Tammy’s house she tells Marty that she’s been hearing strange noises from an old shed across her house. Tammy’s dad orders her to get in the house and Marty leaves on home. Cut to nighttime at the Coslaw house where Marty is playing cards with his uncle Red (played by Gary Busey). Marty’s mother is not too kind of having Red around given that he’s an alcoholic and that he’s going through a third divorce. After Marty goes off to bed, his mother and Red started arguing over he well-being. His mother is contempt that Marty has too many strikes against him but Red believes that there’s more to Marty than not be able to walk. Cut to Tammy’s house as her dad crack open some beers and watching wrestling. He’s interrupted by a commotion in the old shed, goes to grab his rifle and proceeds straight to the shed. Inside the shed he sees some of his flower pots smashed; continues to the other end of the shed and finds nothing out the backdoor. But little does he know that something is stalking him from under the floorboards. He gets spooked by a noise behind, quickly turns around and fires his rifle, but it only turns out to be a flower pot. The shed starts to shake until the creature burst through the floorboard and grabs Tammy’s dad. As he gets pulled down, he gets impaled by a protruded floorboard and dies as he’s pulled down off-screen.
The next day Sheriff Haller is approached by the mayor asking if he has any leads, but all can Haller can say is that he’s working on it. The townspeople are terrified that another person is brutally murdered; so terrified that they’ve begun to return to their homes very early before sundown. Cut to Marty getting his kite down from a tree while Brady is flying his kite; Jane shows up to get Marty home before dark. Brady stays behind to fly his kite leaving Marty looking very worried before he leaves. Cut to nighttime at a town bar where an angry resident Andy Fairton (played by Bill Smitrovich) insults Haller’s abilities of investigating these murders. The deputy Sheriff Pete Maxwell (played by David Hart) has had enough with the guy and threatens him to shut it. The two were about to fight but an Herb Kincaid (played by Kent Broadhurst) enters the bar asking if anyone seen his son Brady. Unfortunately we found out what’s become of Brady as we cut to the traumatize Sheriff Haller carrying Brady’s kite that’s covered in blood. Mr. Kincaid shows up at the crime scene finding his son’s dead body and becomes completely disarray at the site of it. The next day after Brady’s funeral Red takes Marty to drive him home. On the way Marty makes a speculation that maybe the one who’s doing the killings isn’t a person but a monster, like a werewolf. Red quickly laughs it off and insures Marty that it’s just some crazy man and nothing else. Cut to the town bar where some of the townspeople have gathered for manhunt nearby the woods. Sheriff Haller arrives to stop them, telling them that what they’re planning to do is worse than lynch mobs and is against the law. The townspeople are rather nervous but Mr. Kincaid gives a vengeful speech that inspires them as he leaves off for some private justice. Reverend Lowe shows up trying to stop them but proven futile. The townspeople arrived to the area where Brady was killed and proceeds straight into the woods. Most of them have split off in small groups and cut to Andy’s group entering a fog heavy area as they start hearing loud monstrous growls. One of them speculates that it’s under the fog with them. The creature takes out two of them while the rest make a run for it. The bartender gets caught by the werewolf but he fights back by hitting it with a baseball bat. But the creature snatches the bat from the bartender and beats him to death. WEREWOLF SMASH!
Cut to a funeral in progress which I to point out that there are four caskets. Now we just saw three people got killed, who was the fourth person? When the fourth person got killed, somewhere off-screen? I usually would say “continuity what’s that” but I would think there was a scene that was cut out from the movie. Reverend Lowe is giving a speech but Mr. Kincaid interrupts him behaving a bit odd. Lowe continues his speech as we take notice of most of the townspeople looking rather vicious towards him. Mr. Kincaid interrupts him again this time looking beast-like and roars; Reverend Lowe is in stays in shock as he watches the townspeople transforming into werewolves. However, it turns to be a nightmare as Lowe walks up screaming. Cut to next day the Coslaw stop at a town fair only find out that it’s been canceled along with the fireworks which disappoints Marty. Back at the Coslaw house Red is secretly working on something in the garage and shows it to Marty upon finishing it. It’s a custom built wheelchair with motorcycle parts and engine; now I’m not a paraplegic or anything but damn I want one. Hell anyone who’s in a wheelchair needs this thing and I mean anyone in a wheelchair not those lazy fucks whom can’t be bothered with the simple task of walking. Anyway after Marty test drives it we cut to nighttime as the family is having a cookout as Red is about head out. Red gives Marty a bag full of fireworks and asked him to stay near house. Marty promises that he will but as we cut to later that night Marty sneaks out of the house and rides off. Marty stops at a bridge near the woods and starts lighting his fireworks. However, unaware to Marty he is being stalked by the werewolf lurking nearby. As Marty is about to light up the last firework (a rocket) but gets terrified as he sees the werewolf slowly approaches. Marty nervously tries to light up the rocket as the werewolf gets closer. Before it attacks Marty’s got the rocket lit, points it right at the werewolf and lets it go; flying right into the werewolf’s eye. Now if Jacob Black got hit in the eye by a rocket (firework) I would find really hilarious. As the werewolf is roaring in pain Marty use this opportunity to quickly turn his wheelchair and drives away; speeding all the way home. Marty makes it back home and calls Red, telling him that he saw a werewolf but Red doesn’t believe him and hangs up.
Cut to the following morning where Jane spots Marty sitting all by himself. She asked him what’s the matter and with that we get a narration from an older Jane saying what Marty told her was unbelievable yet somehow she believed it. We cut to Jane going around town collecting cans and bottles for a charity drive but secretly she’s looking anyone with just one eye. Since that the rocket hit the werewolf in the eye it’s possible that whoever it may have one eye in human form. With no such luck Jane takes the cans and bottles to the church; she is greeted by Reverend Lowe but hasn’t even notice something different about him. As in he has one bandaged eye BUM BUM BUUUUUUM! Jane starts unloading the cans and bottles in the garage until she’s startled by a rat and falls back into a pile of cans. She then comes across the bartender’s (Peace Marker) baseball bat as Lowe enters the garage. Jane gets spooked by the site of Lowe having one eye and nervously walks out of there. Back at their house Jane is still spooked of what she knows and asked Marty what they gonna do. Cut to Marty making a letter using cut out words and letters saying that he knows of Lowe being a werewolf and he should kill himself. Jane sends off the letter to Reverend Lowe via postal mail box and of course Lowe receives the letter but immediately discards it after reading it. OK this is kinda pointless because it’s obvious that Lowe has a clear idea of who Marty is, what he looks like and where exactly he lives. So what’s the point of Marty sending anonymous letters to Lowe? Does he really think that rocket to the eye gave Revered werewolf amnesia? What’s to stop Lowe from going after Marty in broad daylight and try to kill him? And surprisingly he does but I’m jumping ahead a bit. Anyway cut to Red rather upset of what Marty and Jane have been up to at this point and completely disbeliefs that Lowe is a werewolf.
After Marty, Jane and Red spied on Lowe which nothing happens cut to Marty watching a kids’ baseball game feeling rather envious of the kids being able to walk and run. Meanwhile Marty is being watched by Lowe in a car from afar; as Marty leaves Lowe shortly follows him. On the road Lowe begins to speed towards Marty and tries to run him over. Marty’s wheelchair stalls out but starts up and moves out of the way in time before Lowe runs him over again. Marty speeds away but and Lowe soon pursues him; a small chase scene Marty makes a sharp turn which causes Lowe’s car getting stuck in the dirt. Marty ends up at a close down condemned covered bridge but his wheelchair is out of gas. Lowe catches up with him and enters the bridge; he monologues to Marty that he can’t kill himself given that suicide is a sin. Lowe then monologues on when he found out that Stella (the pregnant woman from the beginning) was gonna kill herself. So he decided to “take her physical life but saved her life eternally.” Basically Reverend Lowe has adapted Christianity to his werewolf ways to justify the killings he has done. I mean yeah he’s adapting Christian beliefs perversely but in a way you can understand where he’s coming from that the things he does are considered to be acceptable to god. Anyway Lowe is about to kill Marty but hears a tractor outside and Marty yells at the man on the tractor for help. The man approaches the bridge as Marty turns around to Lowe already gone. Later Marty tells Red of what happened this time he’s more compliant to believe him. Red inspects the dent on Marty’s wheelchair asking Jane what color is Lowe’s car; she says it’s blue and spots a scrapping on the dent. Cut to nighttime at the police station where Red tells Sheriff Haller about Lowe; including the part about him being a werewolf. And no surprise Haller is rather skeptical but agrees to check on Lowe. A little bit later Haller is outside the church as he gets no answer at the front door. Haller goes around the back and enters the garage where he finds the dented car and is confronted by Lowe. Haller draws his gun on Lowe asking him to come to the station but Lowe disarms him and transforms. Haller stands in shock as Lowe beats him in the head with the bartender’s bat. Lowe continues transforming then proceeds to HULK SMASH Sheriff Haller to death.
Cut to next day at a park with no other option left Marty gives Red his medallion and ask him to turn it into a silver bullet. Jane gives Red her crucifix and asked him to do the same. Marty is convinced that Reverend Lowe will come after him when the moon is at its fullest; when Lowe is fully a monster. Red stops by at a local gun store asking the gunsmith to forge a silver bullet for his nephew. The gunsmith complies and makes the bullet; the gunsmith made the bullet low grain so it won’t tumble but should be pretty accurate. Red plays dumb saying that he’s not gonna shoot it, it’s just a gag. Then he response with a question “what the heck are you gonna shoot a forty-four bullet at anyway?” But the gunsmith doesn’t seem to be a fool as he replies, "How about a werewolf?" Cut to Halloween with a full moon about to come out; luckily Marty and Jane’s parents left the house due to Red giving them tickets for a trip to New York. This leaves Red, Marty and Jane alone at the house to face werewolf Lowe. We cut to nighttime around ten minutes to 3AM as werewolf Lowe is right outside the house. Meanwhile the kids are awaken by Red unintentionally burned himself with a lit cigarette. Red has had enough of this saying that the werewolf isn’t and they should be in bed. Red is about to take Marty off to bed but Jane sees werewolf Lowe out the window and screams. Red slowly goes to the window to look outside but sees nothing and for some reason takes the silver bullet out of the gun. Werewolf Lowe breaks the fuse box, shutting off the lights in the house and everyone panics. Red and the kids hear noises from the kitchen until werewolf Lowe does he best Kool-Aid Man’s OH YEEEEEEAH by bursting through a wall behind Red. Red tries to reload the gun but werewolf Lowe knocks the gun out of Red’s hands. Marty tries to catch the bullet but misses and the bullet falls into an air vent on the floor. Red tries to fend off werewolf Lowe but keeps being thrown around the room. Jane gets the gun while Marty managed to get the silver bullet out of the air vent. Marty quickly loads the gun as werewolf Lowe turns around and coming towards the kids. Marty aims carefully and fires the gun hitting werewolf Lowe in the other eye. Werewolf Lowe is now dead as he transforms back to human form while Red and the kids all watch. Red and the kids are all relieved and with that the film ends.
My Final Verdict: This film was pretty scary back then and I think it still holds up today. I love it how the film doesn’t show much of the werewolf which makes it scarier. Kinda like how the shark in the Jaws was not all that seen made it more terrifying. Hell most of the scenes where werewolf Lowe is stalking people have that Jaws vibe; even the music has that Jaws vibe. The werewolf transformation effects are rather impressive for its time unlike the transformation in Twilight where it’s all CGI and no subtlety. I’ve seen better wolf transformations from Hemlock Grove. And if I have to give my opinion Hemlock Grove is Twilight with balls and a spine.
That’s two down, stay tuned next week for round three with Daybreakers.
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