 Key to the success of Wolf Manor, is the factor common to all of Brunt's films, a heart that is brimming with a love for the horror genre. Shooting a vampire movie in an old abandoned house should have worked like a dream. However, with the full moon, the nightmare begins. The body count rises as the cast and crew encounter the mansion's resident werewolf. Director Dominic Brunt Writers Joel Ferrari Pete Wild Stars James Fleet John Henshaw Nicky Evans A Horror Movie Review by Jim Mcleod Like getting a bus back from the pub on a Friday night, you wait for an age for one, and then suddenly, loads all appear at once. It's been a while since we have had a werewolf movie, let alone a decent one, and looking at the lineup of horror movies for 2023, the werewolf aficionados are in for a great time this year. Leading the pack of this year's fangtastic films is Wolf Manor from director Dominic Brunt, the director of six previous horror movies, including my personal favourite and Top 20 horror movie of all time, Bait (Am I the first person in a review for this film not to mention what else Dominic is famous for? :-) ) While filming a vampire movie, the cast and crew find themselves faced with an all too real terror when a lone werewolf decides that they are the perfect midnight snack, who will survive, who end up being ripped to pieces by the werewolf, and will we get a showdown between the fake vampire and werewolf, is Wolf Manor more Dog Soldiers or more Abbot and Costello Meets the Wolfman? ( I know it's ...Meet Frankenstein, but that doesn't fit the review narrative)  In terms of tonality, Wolf Manor sits right in the middle of Dominic Brunt's film catalogue. Mixing horror with comedy, it never hits the sheer brutal nihilistic tones of Bait nor the overtly comic overtones of Attack of the Adult Babies, which might confound some viewers who are going in with preconceived ideas about this film. But don't be concerned, for despite this slight lack of tonal focus, there is still a lot to love about this movie. Think classic Hammer Horror with a few sight and snark gags thrown into the mix. The writer and the director of Wolf Manor never overegg the jokes, which thankfully prevents Wolf Manor from tipping into farce territory. There are still plenty of laughs, particularly about the hunt for a fake hand and the chaos associated with trying to film a low-budget horror movie. And like all great horror comedies, the humour never overshadows the horror on the screen. And for you gorehounds out there, Wolf Manor has plenty to whet your wolf whistle. The special effects on show here are top notch. Considering the budget, the filmmakers were obviously working with the team achieved a hell of a lot with them. The creature design is terrific, and apart from one scene where the wolf's ears appear to be just that little bit too much like a rabbit's floppy ears (which truthfully made me smile and love this film that little bit more for the charm of it), the werewolf stands up to close inspection and remains powerful and effective monster for the film. The cast, led by James Fleet, does an admiral job in maintaining the gothic Hammer Horror quality of the film. Fleet, in particular, excels at playing the washed-up actor. Still, the real star of "both movies" is Thaila Zucchi, who plays the massively put upon production assistant Fiona. Her strong performance anchors the movie perfectly, providing a tangible link between the movie's real and meta horror. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Morgan Rees-Davies as the werewolf. With a solid and confident performance, Davies ensures that the budget spent on the creature's costume is utilised thoroughly to provide not only a convincing monster but one that manages to elicit that primal fear in the viewer that is paramount to a successful creature feature. Viewers will also relish picking out all of the nods to other classic horror films while having a great time with this fun and heart filled indie horror movie. Wolf Manor is a strong if ever so slightly flawed, horror film. The pacing of the film's first half could have been tightened up slightly. Some of the jokes did fall flat, but overall I had a fantastic time with the movie, and I look forward with glee to Dominic Brunt's next film Soulless. If 2023 is indeed the year of the werewolf, then we are off to a wolf worthy start with Wolf Manor. Wolf Manor will be available on DVD & Digital Download from 9th January from Lightbulb Film Distribution THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR MOVIE REVIEW WEBSITES |
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