Well, with all the Star Wars build-up, I actually managed to get chance to see another film, called Dog Soldiers This is a low budget British horror film, but the trailers didn't really do the film justice - the film is just a good laugh from start to finish!
The story concerns a group of soldiers on a training exercise in the Scottish Highlands, whilst England are playing Germany (this will mean more to UK viewers when watching it)Suddenly, they are being attacked by werewolves and taking refuge in an empty farmhouse, whose occupants are mysteriously missing (wonder where they are ?
). The werewolves surround the house, and its up to the soldiers to try and keep them out whilst they figure out how the hell they are going to get out of this.
And that's it. What the film lacks in plot, and occasionally hammy acting (and some cheesy dialogue - "they think its all over - it is now"), it more than makes up for with tension, inventive use of effects on a limited budget (most of the shots of the werewolves are in silhouette, or in lots of shadow, which is very effective), and humour. Sean Pertwee, who I have never really liked in most films he is been in, is a highlight of the film, and the way the soldiers keep the wolves at bay as they run out of ammunition adds to the tension (and often the humour). The film is also extremely gory (I am surprised the BBFC didn't cut it), but this is often used for humour as well as horror (witness one of the characters trying to put his intestines back in after being slashed by a wolf - it is funny, honestly ).
This is just a great horror film, and I felt it more than lived up to other great werewolf films. I recently saw An American Werewolf in London for the first time recently, which I really enjoyed, and I would say this is just as good. By the way, there is also a transformation scene in Dog Soldiers, but they don't try and match or better the similar scene in American Werewolf (they probably didn't have the budget for it, and it wasn't necessary to try anyway).
The story concerns a group of soldiers on a training exercise in the Scottish Highlands, whilst England are playing Germany (this will mean more to UK viewers when watching it)Suddenly, they are being attacked by werewolves and taking refuge in an empty farmhouse, whose occupants are mysteriously missing (wonder where they are ?
). The werewolves surround the house, and its up to the soldiers to try and keep them out whilst they figure out how the hell they are going to get out of this.And that's it. What the film lacks in plot, and occasionally hammy acting (and some cheesy dialogue - "they think its all over - it is now"), it more than makes up for with tension, inventive use of effects on a limited budget (most of the shots of the werewolves are in silhouette, or in lots of shadow, which is very effective), and humour. Sean Pertwee, who I have never really liked in most films he is been in, is a highlight of the film, and the way the soldiers keep the wolves at bay as they run out of ammunition adds to the tension (and often the humour). The film is also extremely gory (I am surprised the BBFC didn't cut it), but this is often used for humour as well as horror (witness one of the characters trying to put his intestines back in after being slashed by a wolf - it is funny, honestly ).
This is just a great horror film, and I felt it more than lived up to other great werewolf films. I recently saw An American Werewolf in London for the first time recently, which I really enjoyed, and I would say this is just as good. By the way, there is also a transformation scene in Dog Soldiers, but they don't try and match or better the similar scene in American Werewolf (they probably didn't have the budget for it, and it wasn't necessary to try anyway).
