Hot off the heels of a great werewolf flick, comes another review dealing with the wolfman sub-genre. In general, I try to stay away from films that have overly silly titles or plots, but occasionally, depending on my mood, will give one a shot. I’m glad I did this time around because Lowell Dean’s widely talked about WolfCop is a great watch all around!
Alcoholic sheriff Lou Garou is turned into a werewolf during a kidnapping and subsequent ancient ritual. After accepting the fact that he is now indeed a werewolf, he does some research at the town’s local library, discovering that during the solar eclipse, he will be used in yet another ritual, this time serving as the source of power for the town’s secret group of shapeshifters.
The plot that I’ve laid out about all sounds like quite serious business and it certainly is at times, but the amount of over-the-top gore and silly antics are enough to lighten the mood plenty. Although this is a film that knows to not take itself seriously, it is still executed beautifully. No corners were cut and everything from the acting to the special effects are superb, making for the perfect horror comedy hybrid.
The special effects team, lead by Emersen Ziffle, did an amazing job bringing the WolfCop to life. Like our other recent review, Late Phases, the transformation scenes in WolfCop were amazingly executed. If you ever wondered what happens to the male genitalia when changing from man to wolf, you will now find out! As shocking as that sounds… it is! I hate including spoilers in my review, but I just had to include the fact that Lou’s first transformation takes place in a bar bathroom while he is urinating. The first thing that transforms on him, of course, is his penis. It’s brutal to watch, but because of the awesome work done by Ziffle and his team, you definitely can’t turn away.
On top of the brilliant wolf design and transformation work, there is also tons more gore to see throughout the film. From ripped off faces to severed limbs, there is plenty of blood to go around.
Everybody in WolfCop did a great job as their prospective characters, but the best performances were from Leo Fafard and Jonathan Cherry (Final Destination 2), as Lou/WolfCop and Willie Higgins, respectively. Most, if not, all of the laughs from this film came from when this pair was on-screen together. I chuckled out loud multiple times from some of the one liners that Cherry uttered, and Fafard as the drunken Lou and powerful WolfCop was a hoot the entire time.
There are very few films out there that can really pull off the combination of horror and comedy successfully. If you enjoy flicks like Shaun of the Dead or Grabbers, you will most likely really enjoy WolfCop. I highly recommend it and advise you to purchase a copy today. It is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital today from Image Entertainment.
I give this film 4 Wolf-mobiles out of 5.
