A man named Ted (Michael Pare) comes to stay with his protective older sis Janet (Mariel Hemingway) and her young son Brett (Mason Gamble). What they don't know is that good old Uncle Ted is in actuality the werewolf that has been savaging hikers and other people in the local wilderness. However, the family dog Thor, a handsome German Shepherd, is the one member of the household that can sense something odd about the visitor.
An adaptation of the Wayne Smith novel "Thor", scripted by director Eric Red ("Cohen & Tate", "Body Parts"), this is not a great story but it is an entertaining one. It may hit closest to home for the dog lovers in the audience, especially those people who know their beloved canines would go to any lengths to protect their masters. Primo, who plays Thor, is an exceptionally well trained and endearing pooch, and it's not hard to root for him.
Hunky co-star Pare also does a creditable job as our tragic antagonist, a man who tried every scientific / medical method possible of combating his disease, and thought that the love of family would be his salvation. Some people in the audience will be pleased with the amount of beefcake moments involving Pare.
The whole cast is good, although some viewers may grow impatient waiting for Janet and Brett to realize the severity of their situation. Reds' direction and sense of pace are fine (this only clocks in at around 80 minutes), there is a sufficient amount of gore, the werewolf effects are pretty good (transformations involve morphing), and Daniel Licht supplies a lovely score. Location shooting in the British Columbia woods also helps a lot.
The script is predictable, but ultimately Red does send you away with a warm feeling in your heart. The only question one has to ask is, "Why does the dog not get infected whenever it's bitten or scratched?".
Stunt co-ordinator Ken Kirzinger (Jason in "Freddy vs. Jason") plays the werewolf incarnation of Ted.
Seven out of 10.
An adaptation of the Wayne Smith novel "Thor", scripted by director Eric Red ("Cohen & Tate", "Body Parts"), this is not a great story but it is an entertaining one. It may hit closest to home for the dog lovers in the audience, especially those people who know their beloved canines would go to any lengths to protect their masters. Primo, who plays Thor, is an exceptionally well trained and endearing pooch, and it's not hard to root for him.
Hunky co-star Pare also does a creditable job as our tragic antagonist, a man who tried every scientific / medical method possible of combating his disease, and thought that the love of family would be his salvation. Some people in the audience will be pleased with the amount of beefcake moments involving Pare.
The whole cast is good, although some viewers may grow impatient waiting for Janet and Brett to realize the severity of their situation. Reds' direction and sense of pace are fine (this only clocks in at around 80 minutes), there is a sufficient amount of gore, the werewolf effects are pretty good (transformations involve morphing), and Daniel Licht supplies a lovely score. Location shooting in the British Columbia woods also helps a lot.
The script is predictable, but ultimately Red does send you away with a warm feeling in your heart. The only question one has to ask is, "Why does the dog not get infected whenever it's bitten or scratched?".
Stunt co-ordinator Ken Kirzinger (Jason in "Freddy vs. Jason") plays the werewolf incarnation of Ted.
Seven out of 10.