Skinwalkers
Directed by James Isaac
By Brendan Willis

The formula for an enjoyable “werewolf” movie is not complex: cool man-to-wolf transformations, scary monster make-up, a bit of blood and gore, and hairy creatures chasing someone through the night. Unfortunately, Skinwalkers barely manages to meet any of the criteria.

Legend has it that a boy will lift the curse of the Skinwalker (aka werewolfs) on his 13th birthday. Timothy (Matthew Knight) is that boy. Unfortunately, the bad werewolves want Timothy dead so they can continue to be filthy creatures of savage destruction. Luckily, the good werewolves are protecting Timothy so the prophecy can be fulfilled and they can be cured of their Lycanthropy. As the red moon rises on Timothy’s birthday, the war for werewolf rights begins (well, not war really, more like a minor skirmish).

For a movie about bloodthirsty wolf creatures, Skinwalkers is woefully lacking in the “scary.” In fact, about 20 minutes into the screening I began to wonder if this film was supposed to be a comedy. The audience spent more time laughing than cringing in terror but, sadly, the laughs didn’t quite meet the standard of “so bad it’s good.” The make-up and special effects, key elements in any werewolf movie, were cheap looking; the werewolves (of the two-legged, Lon Chaney variety) looked more like “dudes with beards” than terrifying creatures of the night. (If you have a phobia of hippies you might find them a little unnerving, I guess).

Other than the few unintentional laughs and a gunfight that has to be seen to be believed, Skinwalkers is not worth your hard earned cash. If you are really in the mood for some good Canadian moon-monster action, go rent a copy of John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps instead. (Maple)
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