Director – Lowell Dean (Dust Up)
Starring – Leo Fafard (Corner Gas: The Movie), Amy Matysio (Vampire Dog), and Sarah Lind (Smallville)
Release Date – 2014
Rating – 4.5/5
Tagline – “Dirty Harry…only harrier” and “Half man. Half wolf. All cop”
Every horror fan loves a good werewolf flick but the modern age of horror cinema has not seen fit to release enough of these films to make us werewolf fans happy. Sure, we do have a few popping up here and there but nothing like the current state of zombie and found footage supernatural flicks. Every few years we do get a great werewolf flick that sets itself apart from the rest but those are rare and far in between.
Last year social media was blowing up with the announcement of the horror comedy WolfCop. When the first set of promo material was released I was hooked on the film. I love horror comedies and I love werewolves so I had to see it. I tried several times to reach out to the people distributing the film and was not successful at securing a review copy before the film was released. However, after the film hit store shelves I hit up FYE and grabbed a copy where I put it up until I had time to check it out. I wish I would have checked this one out a lot sooner.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows drunk cop Lou Garou (Fafard) who is known as the town drunk and is barely able to perform his duties as an officer of the law. A friend of his, Willie Higgins (Jonathan Cherry), tells him that a bunch of kids have been messing around on his property doing dark and sinister things. Garou investigates and chalks it up to metal and horror fans acting a fool.
The next day Higgins calls him again and tells him they are back. Garou responds and finds himself in the middle of an occult ceremony and is knocked unconscious. He awakens and discovers a pentagram on his body and he has heightened senses. That night he goes to his normal bar for a few drinks and something strange happens. While pissing he starts to piss blood and then his skin starts to rip showing fur underneath. He then transforms into a werewolf. A few moments later a group of thugs enter the restroom wielding weapons and Garou, now WolfCop, dismembers them. The following day Higgins tells him he is a werewolf and Garou does not believe him until Higgins is able to prove him otherwise. He records him transforming and then the two go on their normal rounds with Garou using his new found wolf powers to help him bust a meth lab.
That night he is visited by the beautiful bartender from his favorite bar and he bangs her in a holding cell before a web of corruption and lies is revealed involving the mayor, police chief, the local drug lord, and his friend Higgins who are all reptilian shapeshifters who turn someone into a werewolf every eclipse to harvest their blood. However, they had never encountered a werewolf who was able to keep his rational mind after transforming.*Spoiler Alert**
Werewolf films seem to get a bad rap after so many have been released using horrible CGI resulting in a horrible looking creature. Very few modern werewolf films are able to make amazing looking werewolves like the classic films An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. Horror fans want an authentic looking werewolf that is terrifying and looks real not a CGI creature that looks like a dog with the mange. However, WolfCop knew what horror fans want and gave it to them.
The acting in this one is great which was something I was concerned about. I had watched the trailer several months ago and the acting in the trailer worried me. It looked weak with the cast but after finally watching the film I have to say it has an amazing cast. Leo Fafard does an amazing job portraying a drunk cop and then switches it up as WolfCop who has some great action scenes. It was also awesome seeing Jonathan Cherry in another horror flick. Most horror fans may recognize him from Final Destination 2 and House of the Dead. Cherry is an amazing actor and I would love to see him take on more horror roles. The remainder of the cast does a great job as well making the film very fun to watch.
The story for this one is a werewolf version of Robocop mixed with several other 80s action cop flicks. What sets this film apart from all these other cop films is how layered the film actually is. The film makes you think it is a werewolf flick that follows a drunk cop but then they make it just a little more complex by throwing in the shapeshifters and how just three control every aspect of the town and the story itself.
Finally, the film does have a couple kills scenes but they went the comical route instead of the one covered in blood and I have to say it worked for me. Making light of the kill scenes fit the film but hardcore horror fans will be pissed about the lack of real gore. Overall, WolfCop is a fucking blast. The story does have a few twists and turns and the title character is easily likable. I highly recommend this one!
