WolfCop, 2014.
Directed by Lowell Dean.
Starring Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio and Jonathan Cherry.
SYNOPSIS:
As a series of strange and violent events start happening, an alcoholic policeman realizes that he has been turned into a werewolf as part of a larger plan, so he investigates with the help of his partner and his friend.
Knowing what you’re in for with any film can help set expectations and allow you to judge a film according to the criteria it wishes to be judged on. Trailers, however, can be misleading. Posters can deceive and synopses can prove to be elliptical, but a film called WolfCop? Well, you’d expect a wolf who is also a cop, and in a literal sense the film certainly delivers.
Hungover and late for work we meet Lou Garou (Leo Fafard) who heads off to his job as a local police officer with the help of Jack Daniels and some erratic driving. We’re introduced to a few of the local miscreants and after being called out to investigate a routine disturbance Lou is captured by a few shadowy assailants. It’s not until the next day that things get really strange for Lou as he realises something is very wrong with his biology, but with the help of resident oddball Willie (Jonathan Cherry) he soon begins to understand and control his newfound werewolf abilities. The intentional B-movie aspects are all clear and present: dialogue, aesthetics, a sultry femme fatale dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and a passionate scene set to a song titled ‘Moonlight Desire’. If there was still any doubt about just how far the film is willing to go they’re dispelled during Lou’s first transformation which takes places in his penis. Broad comedy is a key component of WolfCop and in some ways it works counter to the film’s goals, as all the best B-movies are ones which play their story completely straight. WolfCop is not hilariously incompetent or particularly subversive, but it’s also not quite funny enough according to the metric it has set itself of ‘horror/comedy’.
If there is a star of the film it’s the practical effects department for their transformation work. Flesh rips, hair sprouts and everything that shouldn’t bulge bulges. Managing to do this convincingly at all is an achievement, but with a budget of $1,000,000 it’s especially impressive. All of the effects surrounding this are just as accomplished, with blood exploding out of freshly-made orifices and entire faces being torn from their respective skeletons. It’s a gory joy to behold and one sure to please any crowd of like-minded fans. The performances however are somewhat in limbo; caught between po-faced delivery of straight-laced dialogue and winking nods towards the camera following various wolf-related puns. The movie does eventually settle into somewhat of a buddy formula as Lou and Willie head out into the night to enact wolf justice on criminals of the town, but it’s over pretty soon before we head into a somewhat muddled conclusion involving shape-shifters and black magic rituals.
Perhaps due to budgetary constraints WolfCop falls somewhat short of fully delivering on its premise, and it’s hard not to feel like there’s an even greater movie buried within – something more in line with the absolute insanity and complete aesthetic of Hobo With a Shotgun. Taken by itself it’s a fun enough way to spend 80 minutes, but one that’s probably not destined for cult fame and glory. Most importantly though, any film that has the sense to end with a rap detailing the preceding events has some merit.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
John Lucking
Originally published October 5, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
