The Bottom Line
Pros
- Nice sense of humor
- Solid acting
Cons
- Poor special effects
- Unoriginal
Description
- Starring Nina Dobrev, Kevin Sorbo, Peter Stebbings, Spencer Van Wyck, Melanie Leishman, Sean O'Neill
- Directed by Brenton Spencer
- Not Rated
- DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
Guide Review - 'Never Cry Werewolf' DVD Review
If Disturbia can be sued for ripping off Rear Window, then the makers of Fright Night might want to take a peek at Never Cry Werewolf. The title is catchy, but they may as well have called it Fright Night 3. Seductive stranger moves in next door to curious teen? Check. Serial killings suddenly begin? Check. Teen sees neighbor through window with a female victim? Check. Teen gets police to investigate, only to be discredited? Check. Teen enlists the help of a washed-up TV star? Check. Neighbor has a supernatural guardian who lives with him? Check. Teen's best friend is caught by neighbor and turned into a werewolf? Check. The only real differences between this and Fright Night are that the villain is a werewolf instead of a vampire and there's a female protagonist instead of a male.
That said, Never Cry Werewolf is fun in a made-for-TV way. It originally aired on the Sci Fi Channel and is a cut above that network's usual weekend fare. The cast delivers admirably, especially Kevin Sorbo as the pompous TV "big game hunter" aiming for a comeback and the likable Nina Dobrev as teen heroine Loren. Although the overall plot is a rehash, the dialogue in infused with some nice moments of humor, as when Loren informs her neighbor, "I know how to hurt you: modern sexual awareness... and soccer" before kicking him in the groin.
The special effects, by comparison, are weak. The cheap werewolf getup has a head that barely moves and looks costume-y, like a man wearing a bearskin rug. The director tries to obscure the monster's shortcomings with a bunch of quick cuts, but that just makes his direction seem worse than it is.
Still, Never Cry Werewolf is about what you'd want in light weekend TV horror fare. It's got a nice sense of fun with the sort of quirky characters that could make for a neat Buffy-like TV show.
The DVD
No special features.
Movie: C
DVD: F
