Wolfen (1981)
5/10
Cool Visuals, But Horror Story Ruined
18 September 2006
I loved the visuals and couldn't stand the voodoo-type theology, which was so typical of movies since the early 1970s. Here, the explanation of this whole story is just that: some secular Indian superstitious baloney that is given total credence. Well, we've seen that a number of times on films in recent decades, being part of the PC culture.

The unique cinematography, seeing as the wolf sees, with psychedelic-like negative images as he prowls the streets of New York City, is very cool. It's also very suspenseful, especially with the creepy sound-effects at times.

The first half hour of this film is very bloody and has a ton of verbal blasphemes. Acting-wise, Edward James Olmos' role was a confusing one, a tough character to figure out. Gregory Hines, with his big Afro haircut, looked straight out of the '70s. A young Diane Venora looked good and lot less hard-looking than she did a decade later on film.

In summary, this could have been a great horror movie had they stuck to horror and not inserted all the "theology."
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