Lycanthrope (2021) 💀💀

Lycanthrope offers a cautionary tale in indie filmmaking, a project with glimpses of genuine creativity ultimately hamstrung by its creator's overextension. What could have been an atmospheric creature feature instead becomes a study in missed opportunities and fundamental storytelling missteps, though one that reflects the genuine effort of its self-taught creator.  

The film opens with nicely shot mountain B-roll, quickly undermined by the appearance of a person in a cheap fur suit and rubber mask. It is always important for filmmakers to remember, if one doesn't have the budget for a showstopping monster, it is often best to show it sparingly. Letting tension build while a monster is hinted at, or shown in fleeting glances, can make or break an indie creature feature. Writer/director Joseph Alexander's choice to reveal his limited resources so early works against the film's potential, though it speaks to the challenges of ultra-low-budget production. What follows is jarring: sinister strings play over mundane shots with no apparent purpose, some logically following Michael's emergence from the woods, others (like a sunny cemetery scene) disconnected entirely. This scattershot approach suggests a filmmaker still discovering how to build genuine atmosphere through cohesive storytelling.  

A mere two minutes into the film, a title card reading "a month later" renders the opening sequence effectively pointless. This tired trope, done to allow for the return of the titular lycanthrope under the next full moon, damages viewer immersion without delivering any payoff. The following scene continues this pattern. Striking photography and solid sound design are immediately undermined by a newspaper headline featuring the same cheap werewolf suit from the opening minute, while a stilted radio conversation about werewolves plays in the background. It is not helped that the radio guest is quite obviously reading from a script, epitomizing the wasted potential throughout.  

Despite the fumbling start, Lycanthrope has a few exceptional moments. The sequences of strange visions have a genuine nightmarish quality to them, the visuals all building on one another as they are juxtaposed with mundane activities. These moments finally give viewers something substantial to engage with, and include a transformation sequence which wisely abandons the earlier rubber mask (proving that sometimes cheap CGI outperforms cheap practical effects). These glimpses of creativity suggest Alexander's potential as a visual storyteller.  

The film's structure continues to strain credibility, with half the runtime dedicated to footage of one man walking and another breathing heavily. When werewolf and werewolf hunter finally meet (through random chance) the potential tension is immediately undercut by limited acting experience and melodramatic string music. Title cards keep popping up, simply serving to annoy. "A month later", "8 pm", "The Stranger", "3 am", the cards go from informational (although why it specifically being 8 pm or 3am is so important isn't made clear during the difficult day-for-night shots) to including a chapter heading that further fragments an already challenging narrative.  

The performances throughout reflect the film's amateur origins. Joseph Alexander's Doc, appears to draw upon past fan film experience - inspired by Christian Bale's Batman and relying on an overly-affected gravelly voice to compensate for limited acting experience. He is further hampered by a hideous wig and sideburns combination reminiscent of those found in Explorer from Another World. Alexander's triple role as writer/director/actor proves overambitious, with each aspect showing the strain of divided attention.  

Brief moments of promise surface occasionally. Michael's description of his werewolf experiences represents perhaps the film's strongest scene, and the fleeting gore effects in the opening (shown a second time in Doc's flashback) show real creative potential. That these elements receive mere seconds of screen time while lingering shots of the werewolf mask dominate feels like a missed opportunity. The complete replacement of the festival version's soundtrack with incongruous strings and the on-the-nose "Bad Moon Rising" further demonstrates a filmmaker still finding his voice.  

A much better film struggles to escape from Lycanthrope's plodding script and overly long runtime but a werewolf story consisting primarily of aimless walking and heavy breathing simply fails to engage. That said, Alexander shows promise in moments. As a director, he has demonstrated an understanding of visual storytelling that doesn't hinge on dialogue (his older short film, Outsmarted gives a much better idea of what he is capable of). Genre references to Rick Baker and "Benicio Talbot" show Alexander to be a passionate horror fan, suggesting potential for growth.  

Lycanthrope stands as a victim of creative overreach, a reminder that passion alone cannot overcome the fundamental challenges of indie filmmaking. While Alexander clearly loves the genre, here his attempt to serve as a one-man production house ultimately proves too ambitious. Still, as a director, Alexander understands his limitations. As a self-taught filmmaker, working with a limited number of friends and family members, and using a cheap camera, he manages to accomplish what he set out to do. That is more than most. One can only hope that future projects will benefit from the hard lessons learned here and live up to his potential.  

2021 ✶ 17m ✶ Color ✶ US ✶ Director: Joseph Alexander ✶ Screenplay: Joseph Alexander ✶ Starring: Joseph Alexander (Doc), Matthew Medina (Michael), Joshua Melendrew (Doc's Friend) ✶ YouTube.