Dire Wolf (2009)

One of my all time favorites.

As Good As It Gets

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

RELEASED IN 2009 and directed by Fred Olen Ray, "Dire Wolf" (also known as "Dinowolf") chronicles events in rural Southern California when a genetically modified creature that's half-dire wolf and half-human escapes a government-funded research facility and goes on a gory rampage. The local Sheriff (Maxwell Caulfield) & game warden (Blake Cooper Griffin) team up with two federal agents (Kristen Howe & John L. Curtis) and one of the researchers (Dawn Ann Billings) to track it down. Gil Gerard has a small part as the commanding officer in charge of the dubious project.This is an entertaining TV-budget werewolf flick (while some might nitpick that it's not truly a werewolf movie, it is at heart). The movie has a humorous edge, mostly with the quirky "Rainman" Sheriff, but it's largely serious (with a wink) and even has some moving parts, like when a certain character bites the dust and shares his last words with someone close to him.It's nothing great, but it's entertaining and well-rounded Grade B horror with a likable cast and some seriously gory parts, not to mention a classy score here and there. On top of this, there are several worthwhile women, including several cuties, such as Kimberly Horner (Amber), Summer Harlow (the blonde researcher), Gina Scoles (the bikini girl) and Laura Niles (Kelly at the restaurant)."Dire Wolf" was made in the mold of seminal TV-horror flicks, like 1972's "Gargoyles." If you like that movie you'll definitely appreciate this one. In some ways it's even better (although I give the better rating to "Gargoyles" due to its originality and place in history). The filmmakers, cast and crew of "Dire Wolf" knew they were making a low budget horror flick, but they gave it their all to make sure it was entertaining, amusing, moving and even a little classy.THE FILM RUNS 87 minutes and was shot in Southern California. WRITERS: Dan Golden and Patrick Moran.GRADE: B

First of all, I wonder how this movie ended up released on DVD under the title "Dino Wolf", as the movie had absolutely nothing to do with dinosaurs in any way.The storyline in "Dire Wolf" is a very straight forward one, albeit very generic and stereotypical for the horror genre. A mutant creature birthed in a laboratory at human hands escapes captivity and unleash a brutal murderous rampage. And it is up to a small group of people to stop the marauding beast.The creature was just unfathomably lame. It was so obviously-in-your-face just a guy in a bodysuit, and a bad bodysuit at that. The face of the creature was almost unmovable and was just stuck in a perpetual snarl. This was just too fake, and would be something you would expect from a 1980's horror movie.It should be said that "Dire Wolf" has a surprisingly amount of blood and gore, which ultimately lifts the movie up from being rubbish to a below average level.As for the acting, well, it was adequate, and people were doing well enough jobs with their roles and characters, given the restrictions of the storyline."Dire Wolf" offers absolutely nothing new to the horror genre or creature features for that matter, and there are far better movies in this genre out there.

A vicious genetically modified creature that's half human and half dire wolf escapes from a research facility and embarks on a grisly murderous spree in a quiet rural community. It's up to the easygoing Sheriff Parker (a solid and likable performance by Maxwell Caulfield), eager game warden Jim (amiable Blake Griffin), and a couple of government agents to stop the beast before things get too out of hand.Director Fred Olen Ray, who also co-wrote the familiar, yet still serviceable script with Dan Golden and Patrick Moran, keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a brisk pace, brings a refreshingly straightforward and unpretentious sensibility to the effective formula premise, and delivers oodles of explicit splashy gore (the attack scenes are quite gruesome and ferocious). Moreover, Olen Ray warrants extra praise for going with an old school practical guy-in-a-funky-suit monster instead of cheap'n'cruddy CGI ala the SyFy network. The above average acting from the competent cast rates as another plus, with nice work from Kristen Howe as the tough Agent Read, John L. Curtis as her bumbling partner Connors, Dawn Ann Billings as helpful lab assistant Tina, Gil Gerard as the shady Col. Hendry, Kimberly Horner as the spunky Amber, Ian Patrick Williams as obsessed scientist Dr. Renault, and Summer Harlow as perky deputy Sherry. Theo Angel's crisp cinematography boasts plenty of cool monster on the prowl POV shots. Chuck Cirino's spirited score hits the stirring spot. A fun little Grade B flick.

Dire Wolf is a genuine thinkpiece exploring the animalistic nature of humanity at its core, as evidenced with the Warden's line "you must have nine lives, Amber". Perhaps the dire wolf in the movie is what lies at the center of all of us?Though the film had a small budget, Fred Olen Ray truly makes the best of it in Dire Wolf. Though some may see Olen Ray's patented eye-level- throughout-the-whole-movie camera technique as laziness and lacking any creative camera use, the beauty of the movie lies in the simplistic camera angles to establish a constant familiarity throughout the film. This avant garde approach to filmography is nothing short of great artistic expression on Olen Ray's behalf.Another controversial, yet triumphant, move in the film is the unveiling of the wolf in the first ten minutes. With bold candor, the filmmakers sought to cast aside the conventions of suspense and action greats such as Predator, Tremors, and Signs. Who wants to wait for the creature-of- the-feature to be revealed in a suspenseful matter when you can see it clearly in broad daylight as soon as you can sit down?A must see movie- I would recommend this to anyone. If this movie does not catapult the careers of its actor, there is no justice in Hollywood. Fred Olen Ray's magnum opus should not go unnoticed.