There’s a lot of gore but very little dramatic tension, partly because you see way too much of the werewolf. No mystery or suspense can survive close-up scenes of a monster that looks slightly ridiculous.
A far better film is American Werewolf in London (1981), in which director John Landis addresses similar subject matter with wit and imagination.
The plot interweaves the lives of several characters, told with extensive flashbacks. The mixed-up chronology can be challenging – it might have worked better in linear sequence – but the material is harrowing in any order. The relentlessly dark subject matter includes alcoholism, drug addiction, bereavement, born-again religion, relationship separation and terrible psychological anguish.
Del Toro, Penn and Watts are all excellent, tackling extremely difficult scenes. It’s searing, gut-wrenching storytelling that is quite painful to watch.
It’s visually striking, too. The colour and graininess of the film changes with the mood and tone of the events, but overall there’s very little lightness or hope offered.
