Hunter’s Moon

Hunter’s Moon

2020

Director- Michael Caissie

Cast- Katrina Bowden, Thomas Jane, Jay Mohr, Will Carlson, Spencer Daniels, India Ennenga, Amanda Wyss, Daniel R. Hill, Emmalee Parker, David Labrava, Lexi Atkins, Sean Patrick Flanery

            

     This film gives us a twist on the “home invasion” horror, mixing in a werewolf with the girls in peril motif. That’s not a spoiler, mind you, there is a werewolf on the box cover. The film starts with a murderer/ rapist (The Boondock Saints’ Sean Patrick Flanery) killing a girl in his home after giving her a roofy. While disposing of her body he meets his end at the hands (claws?) of a creature more predatory than him.

            

     Fast forward a few months and the Delany family are moving into the house. The parents are aware of the home’s grisly background but apparently are willing to risk it to get their girls out of the big city and into the safe confines of small town America.

           

     Their oldest daughter,Juliet (Katrina Bowden), is very vocal about her disapproval and seems intent on reminding her parents of her displeasure at every chance. As soon as she arrives in town she sets her eyes on the local bad boy, Billy. In addition to being a little bit of a sleaze bag, Billy runs with a crew of guys who are willing to stoop to pretty low levels to make a buck. They set their eyes on the Delany family and are planning to rob them (and perhaps have some other fun as well).

          

 

     The Delany parents are away for the weekend and leave Juliet in charge. Billy and his crew show up with the intention of breaking and entering, only to find Juliet waiting on them ready to party. Though caught off guard, the miscreants decide not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Juliet gets ready to get down while her youngest sister worries about this unexpected party. Meanwhile, one the miscreant lads, who seems to have a screw loose, may have his mind on some more violent fun.

            

     The local sheriff (Thomas Jane) shows up and the scream of Juliet’s sister tips them off that there is trouble. A werewolf is stalking them, but who is it? Is it Juliet? One of her sisters? One of the boys? Someone else? This is the mystery we must solve. I don’t want to tell you anymore because I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

            

     Hunter’s Moon reminded me a little of the old Peter Cushing movie, The Beast Must Die. That film also involved a werewolf and a group of trapped people and the werewolf’s identity was a mystery until the end of the film. The Beast Must Die, though, was a pretty cheesy film that dripped with camp 70s exploitation. Hunter’s Moon is a much more straight forward film played very seriously.

            

     For what (I assume) is a lower budget movie, it has a really good cast. Besides Sean Patrick Flannery, there is also Thomas Jane who is no stranger to horror having starred in the shark movie Deep Blue Sea and The Mist. Jane plays against type here. Rather than the rugged hero he plays a local yokel complete with accent. I have to imagine that Jane had some fun with the role.

            

     Long time horror fans will recognize Amanda Wyss as the mother of the girls. Amanda’s acting credits are as long as your arm but she will always be remembered as Tina from Nightmare on Elmstreet. The heavy lifting of the film is done by its main star, Katrina Bowden. Though she is in her early 30s, Katrina has that kind of impeccable sexiness that still allows her to pass for a much younger woman. She is no stranger to horror herself having starred in Tucker and Dave vs. Evil, The Nurse and Piranha 3D (all highly entertaining movies).

           

     I really only have one complaint about the film and that is that we don’t get to see enough of the werewolf! We don’t get a good look at it until the end of the film and it doesn’t look half bad. It’s not Howling quality mind you, but not bad. It’s about on par with the Eric Cord Werewolf TV show if you remember that. Well, I guess given the cast, most of the budget probably went to salaries and didn’t leave enough for lots of werewolf sightings. Coincidentally, in The Beast Must Die, we don’t get to see much of the werewolf there either, but its werewolf was just a creepy looking dog (remember I said that was a cheesy movie).

           

     If you are a fan of lycanthropic cinema, Hunter’s Moon provides an interesting take on an old genre.