Fact 1: over the years, there have been a number of reported sightings of a strange creature seen along Bray Road near Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Fact 2: in spite of the claim that this movie is "based on actual events" nothing in this movie (except that it's set on Bray Road near Elkhorn, Wisconsin) is even remotely similar to any of the sightings. Based on the reports of those sightings (which are intriguing in a fun sort of way) the most this creature is reported to have done is chase a couple of cars and maybe killed some cattle. The producers of this movie used those reported sightings as the opportunity to produce a gore-fest with a smattering of topless women thrown in for good measure. If you like heads being ripped off, and bodies being torn open (and topless women!) then you'll like this. If you prefer the sort of horror movie that leaves that stuff to the imagination then you probably won't. I like horror movies - but more for the atmosphere than the violence. This one failed on that count, and on several other counts as well. Let's point a few failings out.
(1) I figured out about halfway through the movie who they were going to identify as the werewolf, even though it made absolutely no sense because the person (who shall remain nameless in this review for fear of spoiling the "suspense" for others) did seem otherwise occupied during several of the attacks. (2) Where did the grizzly bear that was shot and killed come from? There ain't no grizzlies anywhere near Wisconsin! (OK, yes, even the characters in the movie were confused about that.) (3) The cryptozoologist becomes convinced that this is a werewolf (and that it would take silver bullets to kill the thing) on the evidence of one piece of video? True, the video was pretty clear, but surely a real scientist (even a cryptozoologist) would have been more skeptical than to use the old Sherlock Holmes line "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever's left ... etc. etc." Surely they hadn't reached a point where a supposed scientist would conclude that a werewolf was the only possibility. (4) Why didn't the werewolf attack the woman in the house after finishing off her husband? That was never explained. (5) At the end of the movie, as we're set up for the sequel (say it ain't so!) the cryptozoologist says that there's another full moon in 15 days. OK. The werewolf is linked to the full moon, as often is the case. Well, the werewolf has been out and about up to this point, so there must have been a full moon. And now there's going to be another full moon in 15 days? Has the moon's rotation around the earth become faster? (6) Finally - I mean, there are more, but I'll stop with this one - the folks of rural Wisconsin aren't portrayed in a very positive light - thus the closing "dedicated to the great state of Wisconsin" seems a bit ironic.
Did I like anything here? Actually, I thought the werewolf makeup and overall film quality was not bad, and the acting from a little known group of actors was overall pretty decent with a couple of exceptions. Still - 3/10
(1) I figured out about halfway through the movie who they were going to identify as the werewolf, even though it made absolutely no sense because the person (who shall remain nameless in this review for fear of spoiling the "suspense" for others) did seem otherwise occupied during several of the attacks. (2) Where did the grizzly bear that was shot and killed come from? There ain't no grizzlies anywhere near Wisconsin! (OK, yes, even the characters in the movie were confused about that.) (3) The cryptozoologist becomes convinced that this is a werewolf (and that it would take silver bullets to kill the thing) on the evidence of one piece of video? True, the video was pretty clear, but surely a real scientist (even a cryptozoologist) would have been more skeptical than to use the old Sherlock Holmes line "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever's left ... etc. etc." Surely they hadn't reached a point where a supposed scientist would conclude that a werewolf was the only possibility. (4) Why didn't the werewolf attack the woman in the house after finishing off her husband? That was never explained. (5) At the end of the movie, as we're set up for the sequel (say it ain't so!) the cryptozoologist says that there's another full moon in 15 days. OK. The werewolf is linked to the full moon, as often is the case. Well, the werewolf has been out and about up to this point, so there must have been a full moon. And now there's going to be another full moon in 15 days? Has the moon's rotation around the earth become faster? (6) Finally - I mean, there are more, but I'll stop with this one - the folks of rural Wisconsin aren't portrayed in a very positive light - thus the closing "dedicated to the great state of Wisconsin" seems a bit ironic.
Did I like anything here? Actually, I thought the werewolf makeup and overall film quality was not bad, and the acting from a little known group of actors was overall pretty decent with a couple of exceptions. Still - 3/10