Rating: ****
Starring: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Gregory Hines and Edward James Olmos
A corporate entrepreneur, his yuppie wife and their driver gets attacked and murdered one night after attending a groundbreaking for a real estate development in the South Bronx. Detective Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) gets assigned on the case and learns from the coroner, Whittington (Gregory Hines), that the bodies, though horribly mutilated, have no traces of metal in their wounds, which means they're dealing with no ordinary killer. Not for long, a homeless man got his neck ripped open by what appears to be the same killer and this time, something just as unusual was found in the victim that links these murders together: wolf hair.
This discovery leads to potential angles to the crimes such as ritualistic killings and cannibalistic prowlers, which in turn have Detective Wilson eyeing on a suspicious local, Eddie Holt (Edward James Olmos), a former member of the Native American Movement who claims to be able to shapeshift into different forms of animals. What Wilson would soon find out, however, is that they might be against something far more dangerous roaming the streets of New York. Something ancient and hunting them all down in the name of survival.
Starring: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Gregory Hines and Edward James Olmos
A corporate entrepreneur, his yuppie wife and their driver gets attacked and murdered one night after attending a groundbreaking for a real estate development in the South Bronx. Detective Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) gets assigned on the case and learns from the coroner, Whittington (Gregory Hines), that the bodies, though horribly mutilated, have no traces of metal in their wounds, which means they're dealing with no ordinary killer. Not for long, a homeless man got his neck ripped open by what appears to be the same killer and this time, something just as unusual was found in the victim that links these murders together: wolf hair.
This discovery leads to potential angles to the crimes such as ritualistic killings and cannibalistic prowlers, which in turn have Detective Wilson eyeing on a suspicious local, Eddie Holt (Edward James Olmos), a former member of the Native American Movement who claims to be able to shapeshift into different forms of animals. What Wilson would soon find out, however, is that they might be against something far more dangerous roaming the streets of New York. Something ancient and hunting them all down in the name of survival.
Based on a 1979 Whitley Strieber novel of the same title, Wolfen (1981) is pretty much a detective story following the investigation of a series of murders far more savage than any normal human can commit, building itself around a whodunit territory that increasingly leans toward a vividly supernatural angle and tackling the idea of American modernity falling prey to mysticism and ecological struggle. It's a rather complex take on a common plot, one that dives a little deeper down the usual police procedurals and horror hack 'n slash, though this isn't to say the film's shy on throwing in a good dose of slasher film-inspired murders which are bloody enough to satiate the bloodhounds among us and earn the movie a bit more points for creativity, with the killer's identity remaining hidden behind a gimmicky thermograph vision and utilizing a creepy sound design to indicate the threat's otherworldly nature.
As the murders of seemingly random victims continue, so further the investigation moves the story's narrative into eventually touching matters of environmentalism and how nature will try to correct the balance. It is around these parts that Wolfen (1981) can get a bit preachy with its message of men's folly and nature's wrath, roping in a clan of shapeshifting Native Americans to basically establish then and there what our protagonists are facing against, as well as hammer in how greed has left mankind vulnerable to ancient forces. This does ultimately make its way to a silly yet fair enough last act that have Detective Wilson and a few others in the case cornered like prey, slowly understanding just how dire their predicament has become and struggling to survive against hunters hellbent on killing anyone in their way. It has some last minute gore, lots of impressive animal stunts and a somewhat cheesy finale that's fitting within the context of things and, frankly, could've been worse.
Producer Rupert Hitzig and Director Michael Wadleigh made quite an ambitious flick with Wolfen (1981), though being released within the major boom of werewolf movies dominated by the likes of An American Werewolf In London (1981) and The Howling (1981), it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if its disappointing box office was due to it being overshadowed by these horror title juggernauts. Quite a shame, really, as Wolfen (1981) is an interesting approach towards lycanthropy as a folklore, being more reserved in its horror exploits and focusing more on the metaphorical aspects of concept. Granted the approach has its flaws, especially when all said and done, this is technically a slow-burning movie where ancient teleporting ghostly forces are assassinating billionaire moguls, but I got a fair kick of intrigue out of the film and the crisp production value makes the movie quite easy on the eye.
Less of a creature feature and more of a murder mystery cop tale with a strong side of supernatural and environmentalism, Wolfen (1981) is shines an interesting enough idea to warrant a watch and, perhaps, a spot on one's collection of unsung horror gems despite it flirting precariously with its own pretentiousness at times.
1 male had his hand lopped off, mauled to death
1 male had his chest mauled open
1 female mauled by the neck
1 male had his neck torn open, later found in pieces
1 male thrown off a bridge
1 male mauled on the face (mostly offscreen)
1 male mauled to death
1 male had his whole neck mauled torn off (!), beheaded
Total: 8
No comments:
Post a Comment