“Trust me. I’m a producer.”

Genre: Furry Horror Comedies
Release Date: 2023 (wide & streaming), 2022 (Festival circuit)
Where I Watched: Shudder

Gist: Crimson Manor, the latest installment of a beloved Gothic vampire series, is wrapping up production at a huge ol’ Talbot Manor. Who cares if they should have left when their contract expired yesterday? We’ve got a gorgeous full moon, a drunk lead, and plenty of B-roll to shoot. Might be here all night. What’s that howl?

Gotta say: MAN IN SUIT! And he’s gloriously cheesy! Wolf knows you want some laughs, some gore, and a few moments of suspense. Boom, here it is. This film winks at the audience often, to make sure you’re in on the silliness. If you’re into meta stories, this one’s for you.

The meta dialogue and gibes at filmmaking, keep Wolf light and breezy. Which is a good thing, as this is a low budget’er from streaming staple Uncork’d Entertainment. So you can expect the usual singular location scenery, clear but standard-video level cinematography, and gore visuals that keep you just far enough so you can’t see the spirit gum and Karo syrup. Keeping things a bit goofy, rather than trying to make A Serious Horror is definitely the way to go; budgetary restraints can make even the best idea turn out silly – think of those mid-20th century creature features – so why not lean into the giggles? 

Wolf trots out plenty of horror tropes – the character who realizes That Body Prop is real (but doesn’t tell anyone), the character who decides to go outside for no reason, a character that can’t seem to convince anyone something’s happening, and so on. The humor isn’t overdone, though there are moments that go all in with the goofy. But more often, it’s the pacing – from scary sliding into deadpan – that makes Wolf worth a watch. At less than an hour and a half, it’s a nice length to sink into, never becoming a drag. Films with ten times this budget wish they were half as entertaining. Sure, the end is a bit sloppy, but who cares? I laughed, I got some gore, and I got to see the lovely and talented James Fleet, one of my film crushes since he played Tom in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Everybody wins!

Plus, if you stay through the end credits? You’ll get a quick black and white mini-movie that shows how the werewolf curse started at Talbot Manor. Who doesn’t love a mini-movie?

Come for: The “movie-makers find themselves in a real horror” premise
Stay for: A better horror comedy than you’d typically get from Uncork’d (nothing but love y’all), with tons of genre jokes and a talented cast.