THE STORY:
The robbery of a stagecoach takes a turn for the downright bizarre when all involved quickly realise that they are being hunted by a creature that appears only under the Blood Moon.
They’ve been all over them werewolves, haven’t they? They’ve been On Wheels (1971). They’ve gone from London (1981) to Paris (1997). One even fought crime as a Cop (2014). And on several particularly sad occasions they featured in a series of very badly written romance “novels”. But now they’ve gone Western. I guess it had to happen sometime, right? Cue tumbleweed… Surprisingly enough, however, they have resisted the temptation of using a film title stuffed and dripping with melted uber cheesiness. Commendable restraint indeed, even if the resulting alternative ‘Blood Moon’ is about as original as a hit single from Steps.
Despite excellent special effects and some competent acting, the editing is frequently clunky and clumsy and the cinematography, though seasoned, at times just doesn’t gel with what is being captured. The costumes are certainly interesting and just about everybody with a pistol sounds like they are putting down their best impression of Dean Winchester from The CW’s Supernatural series.
That said, when it comes to the setting of scenes that signal the imminent arrival of the werewolf, the atmosphere is absolutely on point; from the framing to the sound, to the eerie combination of darkness and moonlight. Unfortunately I couldn’t help thinking that if Blood Moon had been set in modern times I would have found these creepy sequences much more chilling, as they certainly don’t waste the ever-effective use of shadows.
LAST WORDS:
Werewolves and Westerns… They don’t quite go together, do they? Though it may have been the makers’ concept, it very nearly could have been their complete and utter downfall. Sometimes it can be a blight to rely upon the techniques used by the classics and the golden oldies, but in this case I believe it to be their saving grace.
The robbery of a stagecoach takes a turn for the downright bizarre when all involved quickly realise that they are being hunted by a creature that appears only under the Blood Moon.
They’ve been all over them werewolves, haven’t they? They’ve been On Wheels (1971). They’ve gone from London (1981) to Paris (1997). One even fought crime as a Cop (2014). And on several particularly sad occasions they featured in a series of very badly written romance “novels”. But now they’ve gone Western. I guess it had to happen sometime, right? Cue tumbleweed… Surprisingly enough, however, they have resisted the temptation of using a film title stuffed and dripping with melted uber cheesiness. Commendable restraint indeed, even if the resulting alternative ‘Blood Moon’ is about as original as a hit single from Steps.
Despite excellent special effects and some competent acting, the editing is frequently clunky and clumsy and the cinematography, though seasoned, at times just doesn’t gel with what is being captured. The costumes are certainly interesting and just about everybody with a pistol sounds like they are putting down their best impression of Dean Winchester from The CW’s Supernatural series.
That said, when it comes to the setting of scenes that signal the imminent arrival of the werewolf, the atmosphere is absolutely on point; from the framing to the sound, to the eerie combination of darkness and moonlight. Unfortunately I couldn’t help thinking that if Blood Moon had been set in modern times I would have found these creepy sequences much more chilling, as they certainly don’t waste the ever-effective use of shadows.
LAST WORDS:
Werewolves and Westerns… They don’t quite go together, do they? Though it may have been the makers’ concept, it very nearly could have been their complete and utter downfall. Sometimes it can be a blight to rely upon the techniques used by the classics and the golden oldies, but in this case I believe it to be their saving grace.
RSS Feed
