Director – Phil Pattison (Human Cattle, Vs the Dead) and Cam Schwarz
Starring – Rob Gabriele (Terrifier 2, Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 1), Sweet Pepper Klopek, and Corey Paquette
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 4/5
I often catch shit from some of my social media friends because I don’t ejaculate over extreme horror like they do. I prefer to watch a movie with a wild story, just as wild effects, and characters that stand out. I absolutely hate a movie that lacks character and story but goes over-board with gore. I’d rather watch a behind the scenes documentary on the making of a classic horror film where we watch the effects come to life over an hour and a half of gore for no other purpose than to shock. Most folks interested in extreme horror had similar childhoods to my own. We grew up on rotten.com and bit torrent sites downloading any file titled Faces of Death.
However, where they let that shape their tastes, I was more influenced by stupid shit like Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and The Three Stooges. That would explain why I would go out of my way to watch a movie like Wolf Juice over something like August Underground or the dozens, if not hundreds, of faux snuff found footage flicks that feature “tough guys” is ski masks torturing people tied to chairs. I want to thank Cam Schwarz for sending Wolf Juice my way for review. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to revisit it with some friends and a few edibles.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a pair of security guards patrolling a compound that is frequented by undesirables looking for a dry place to get drunk and high. What makes this night stand out from other nights is one of them has found something different to get high, but this is no normal trip. He soon transforms into a bloodthirsty wolf and no one is safe. Wolf Juice is pure fun or as I like to call it, absurd entertainment. **Spoiler Alert**
It’s not meant to be taken seriously but the viewer can’t look away. It reminds me of the indie films that Troma distributes with much better practical effects. It’s a film that those with a stick up their ass may not appreciate but if you like movies like Psycho Ape and Spirit Animal then you will appreciate this short.
The acting in this one is a lot of fun. No one is winning any awards and that is part of the charm. The cast is not hamming it up trying to deliver an academy award performance. Instead, they get into character and have fun with it. The characters are all fun and I loved their energy.
The story for this one is short, simple, and fucking stupid in the best way possible. We have drug use, crazy drunk war stories, security guards/cops that get high on our tax dollars, and wolf juice. What more could you ask for? The fact that this is crammed into a 20-minute run time means we have no down time. With that being said, it could easily be a feature with a little more backstory.
Finally, we get some goofy effects like a plastic baby along with some seriously impressive practical effects. It does take a minute for the build up but the bloody conclusion to the film was a sight to be seen. Overall, Wolf Juice is a must see for fans of bat shit crazy horror films. Imagine Slime City meets that one scene in Beyond Re-Animator. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to check it out again.
My tits are itchy.