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I'm always on the fence when it comes to the 90's horror underground/B list films. I always enjoy the one liners from 80s slasher classics, but for some reason the 90's always had those lines that seemed kinda forced in their cheesiness. They seemed to have a lot of political and current issues fueled behind them. Fortunately, there are only a couple of those lines in this movie and it only bothers me just a little.

This movie has a great opening scene and I like the movements and the aggressiveness of the werewolf. The family's German Shepherd is hands down the smartest character in the film and there is even a line towards the end that gives credit to this. Considering the supernatural take of the whole werewolf concept, this movie has a good bit of realism surrounding the nature of the beast. I won't say too much, but it briefly explores the psychological effect of the man plagued by this curse with a few select scenes. A few broken rules for the genre also help put a slight twist on what would otherwise be an average werewolf flick. My most memorable scenes include the power struggle between the two alphas. There is some great symbolism and well placed humor within this dynamic. Don't expect anything too mind blowing, but if you enjoy the finer threads of a movie check this one out!

Despite what you might think after reading my title, I quite liked Bad Moon. It's good for a werewolf movie even though I sometimes had the feeling I was watching an episode of "Lassie" rather than a movie about a werewolf.

A man and his girlfriend, both American scientists on an expedition somewhere in the jungle of India, were attacked by a werewolf. He manages to survive the attack and knows to kill the animal, but his girlfriend has already been ripped to pieces and died a horrible death. Even though he survived the werewolf wounded him badly and now he's a werewolf himself. Despite popular believe, the man doesn't only turn into a werewolf at full moon. He becomes one every night and there is no cure. His only hope is his sister and her son. He hopes that the love of his family will cure him from his "disease".

As I already said Bad Moon is an enjoyable movie. Especially the morphing technique (when you actually see him turn into a werewolf) is cool to watch. The story may not always be the very original, it still does the trick. The same for the acting. There is nothing spectacular about it, but it is very decent and believable. I give this movie a 6,5/10.

This is quite a unique movie because it's based on the book Thor which tells it's story from the perspective of a dog called Thor. The movie doesn't do this for the most part, but the dog Thor remains an important character in the story. So sometimes it feels almost like a horror movie interpretation of Lassie.

The cinematography, acting, directing is top notch for a 90s horror and I'd say those elements are actually superior to many newer, more recent, horror movies. One early birds eye view shot for example is just as good as the opening shot of the classic movie The Shining.

The monster, obviously a big werewolf, is at times quite menacing and horrific and not the predictable CGI that we often see in modern films but instead the old school animatronics/puppet type. I'm not sure how younger audiences will react to it since they're so accustomed to CGI these days. To me, CGI often looks fake and lacking substance, density and textural reality. But with a puppet of this nature, while you can easily tell it's fake, it just has more substance to it because it's made of real material, moving in real space, as opposed to CGI emptiness.

This movie is only let down by a slightly weak story. It starts off very well and carries on being fairly gripping up until the third act when certain plot holes and weaknesses in the script come into play. The final scenes unfortunately are probably the biggest let down and that's where this movie loses most of it's points for me. If it had a stronger third act and much better ending I think it would have possibly been regarded as an all-time horror classic instead of the cult classic that it still remains. But it's still very much worth watching for any horror movie fan and I'd definitely recommend it for some guaranteed horror movie fun.

Despite useless to say but somehow how I've really enjoy the Werewolf legendary tales, even it was been made recently, almost without any help from those graphic computers usually done on latest, this picture was saw in my early Cable TV experience and impact me deeply, mainly over such priceless sequence thru Dog's look, almost freeze, how it was done is quite insane, many hours shooting to catch a three seconds or something, what a gorgeous takes!!!

The storyline is another meaningful thing to expose, quite often has a romantic pair on the plot, in this it wasn't happened, Mariel Hemingway and Paré are brothers, offering a different plate to savour for a change, further the werewolf supply my taste in another point, as on golden days the Werewolf was made by animatronic process on the wolf's head, inside a stunts making all body moves, just in the mutation was used graphic computer, pretty bad by the way, but enough for me, this picture has just 5,7 from IMDB's users, very underrated !!!

Resume:

First watch: 1998 / How many: 2 / Source: Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5.

Honestly, I don't know what some people expect from werewolf movies these days. -They can't be as good as "The Howling" or "An American Werewolf In London" all of them, you know. This one at least tries to give us a decent werewolf film, and I think it (largely) succeeds. Some reviewers complain about there being too much CGI in this movie, but as far as I can tell, there is only a tiny bit. When the werewolf is seen full body, hey, that's not CGI it's real hairy make-up !. -Isn't that what we're all screaming we want back in movies ?. Sure it is, and here it is. As werewolf movies go this is a pretty good little movie. "Little" actually being the keyword there, because if there's a problem with this movie it's the running time. -I mean, 79 minutes, come on !. That's way too short. It doesn't look to me like it was cut down though, I fear they just didn't shoot anymore than what's on screen otherwise the DVD would've included outtakes, I'm sure. I wonder why it's so short, it doesn't make any sense, afterall you want beastly action in a creature feature like this. What this movie needs to be really great, are some more werewolf attack scenes, alas, we get only a couple when just a single one more kill would've done the trick. Oh well, it's still a good werewolf movie and there's even a clip on a TV-screen from Universal's "Werewolf Of London" (1935) with Henry Hull. The beast itself in "Bad Moon" is great looking, a bit like the creature in "Silver Bullet". All in all a fine flick, we should be happy they even make werewolf movies anymore. I guess it's true what they say; legends never die, no matter how oldfashioned the subject. -Just stay away from CGI; a guy in a suit will do nicely, thank you.

While researching in the jungle with his girlfriend Marjorie (Johanna Marlowe Lebovitz) and a group of natives, Ted (Michael Pare) and the group are attacked by a beast and only the wounded Ted survives. When his sister Janet (Mariel Hemingway) learns that Ted is back home, she invites him to bring his trailer to her real property and spend some time with his nephew Brett (Mason Gamble) and her. Ted accepts the invitation when the police find several corpses attacked by an animal nearby his trailer. Ted is welcomed by Janet and Brett but their dog Thor estranges him. Soon Janet suspects and finds evidences that Ted is a werewolf and her family is in danger.

"Bad Moon" is a decent werewolf film, with reasonable story. In this film, Ted turns into a werewolf every night, and not only in the full moon. He comes closer to his beloved sister and nephew expecting that the love of his family heals or at least help him to control the beast within as his last chance. The dog Thor (Primo) steals the movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Lua Negra" ("Black Moon")

You have a good life. Nice home, nice yard. But one day a relative comes to visit, and you know something's not right about him. You come to find out he's a werewolf. The only problem is, you're the only one who knows. And you're a dog.

Werewolves are one of those monsters that come and go in films. After a decade which saw the release of many good werewolf films (the 1980s), there just weren't many films about them in the 1990s. Bad Moon is one of the few good ones that were made during this period. Not an outstanding film by any stretch, but a fun film nonetheless. It features an excellent performance by a German Shepherd as the protagonist, Thor. Worth a look if you're a fan of the genre. Probably not very exciting if you're not.

Bad Moon is a sorely underrated werewolf film that is like hidden treasure for werewolf and horror movie enthusiasts.

I watched Bad Moon a few years back and did not expect it to become one of my favorite werewolf films - but it did. Maybe it helped because I like both Michael Paré (Eddie and the Cruisers) and Mariel Hemingway (Star 80) but maybe anyone could have acted out the parts and I would have still enjoyed Bad Moon anyway.

If you are looking for modern-day, high dollar movie with tons of CGI effects - then this movie may not be for you. Bad Moon uses "old school" special effects that I still love to this very day.

This is one of those movies I would enjoy watching again on a dark, rainy night with popcorn in hand.

9.5/10

Wildlife film-maker Ted (Michael Paré) and his tasty girlfriend Marjorie (Johanna Marlowe) are happily having it off in their jungle tent when they are rudely interrupted by a massive werewolf that proceeds to savage the naked woman with its massive jaws and slash at the poor bloke with its razor-sharp claws. Too late to save his lover, a wounded Ted grabs his shotgun and blows the creature's head off in a welter of gore.

Sexy, bloody, and with one hell of an impressive looking monster, writer/director Eric Red's opening scene to Bad Moon is a real corker, which makes it all the more frustrating when the film settles into a more mundane mode, Ted having a hairy time of it coming to terms with being a lycanthrope while putting those he loves most in mortal danger. Thankfully, a couple of cool kills by the gnarly werewolf keep the film ticking along until the fun finalé, in which loyal hound Thor (talented German Shepherd Primo, who puts in the best performance of the film) risks his life to protect Ted's sister Janet (Mariel Hemingway) and her son Brett (Mason Gamble) from being eaten alive by the beast.

There aren't a lot of horror movies, if any, with this children's premise of having an animal be the strong, sympathetic, main lead character. No joke too, the storyline was based around the pooch, the dog having the most screen time, a defiant personality and interaction with all the characters in the movie. Although the movie feels like a kid's movie at points, it's definitely not, having a graphic sex scene and some very gory kill shots. This odd fusion of genres is probably why Bad Moon hit theaters with such moderate success.

Bad Moon is also different for its incredibly short run-time of just being over eighty minutes long, it does go by quickly and scenes that are shown are meaningful. The introduction is great, starts to fall apart in the middle but eventually saves itself close to the end. What is absolutely disgusting about the film is the horrible transformation scene that is quite possibly the worst I have ever seen in a werewolf movie, it was really, really bad. Bad Moon is certainly original but by no means a great werewolf film, probably wise to skip it.

Bad Moon (1996)

*** (out of 4)

Highly entertaining film from writer-director Eric Red has Janet (Mariel Hemingway) allowing her brother Ted (Michael Pare) to move in with her and her young son Brett (Mason Gamble). Everyone is happy about the idea except for her German Shepard dog who seems to have something against Ted. What Janet doesn't realize is that her brother was attacked by a werewolf and is now one himself.

I didn't see BAD MOON when it was originally released even though I love werewolf movies. I finally caught up with it on DVD and really enjoyed the movie so I decided to revisit it yet again on Blu-ray and I think it has gotten even better. Is the movie flawless? Of course not but at the same time there's no question that it's an entertaining horror film.

What I enjoyed most about the film is that there's not a tremendous amount of dialogue as the main "action" takes place between the uncle and the dog. I really loved this aspect of the story and it was fascinating watching the dog and his reaction to the Uncle. I loved the way the dog could see the dnager that his owners were in and this aspect of the film brought an original touch to a genre that has had countless movies in it.

The werewolf effects were quite good and I'd consider them old-fashion, which certainly isn't a bad thing. Some of the violence is quite graphic for its time and there's no question that the three leads are a lot of fun and work well together. The real star has to be Primo the dog who plays THor. He is such a great dog actor and you can't help but say he's one of the best in the history of cinema. Yeah, that's high praise but he's really that great and his reactions to things going on around here was just flawless.

BAD MOON isn't going to win any major awards but there's no doubt that it's a very good and highly entertaining film.

Wow. How did this 1996 horror movie "Bad Moon" manage to elude me up until now late in 2021? That was just a grave mistake on my account, because I have really been missing out on a great movie here.

Oddly enough with my fascination and admiration of the horror genre, then I actually never have stumbled upon this movie from writer and director Eric Red before now in 2021, 25 years after the movie was initially released. And boy had I been missing out.

The storyline told in "Bad Moon" was good. It was a nicely composed story that felt wholesome, interesting and engaging. And I will actually say that "Bad Moon" is one of the better werewolf movies that I have seen in a long, long time. So if you enjoy werewolf movies, then you most certainly should sit down to watch "Bad Moon", if you haven't already.

The movie was nicely carried by the performance of lead actor Michael Paré (playing Ted) and actress Marial Hemingway (playing Janet). I have to say that I was really impressed with Michael Paré's performance in "Bad Moon". And also the dog Primo (playing Thor) in the movie was really putting on a spectacular performance. Talk about a very well-trained dog.

Now, for a movie from 1996, then the special effects in "Bad Moon" were still holding their ground here in 2021. I was really impressed with the special effects and the design of the werewolf and how it was made to look. Actually, this is how werewolf movies should be made.

I was more than genuinely entertained by "Bad Moon".

My rating of "Bad Moon" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

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.

The movie is awful from the first seen. But in only gets worse. Bad acting, bag dialogues, really bad and boring story. A 5 minute scene of a man having a stare off with a dog. And by far the worst thing is the wolf transformation. Do yourself a favor and don't watch this. It's not even a good bad flick. It's just bad.

The premise of a horror movie starring a dog is great, but the movie isn't. Still, its watchable and enjoyable most of the time.

The special effects are crappy compared to the great stuff around, but the trained dog actor is extremely cute and talented. He should get a little Dogscar (I know, it's lame, but dogs should also get prizes for acting!!!).

The drama in the movie is also nice, even though it seems to be going nowhere sometimes.

I hope that Primo, the German Shepherd who played Thor, fired his agent after this role. It's amazing how they can take such a great novel and make such a bad movie out of it. Not only was the dog the best actor, he had the best lines and best stunt double. If you like dogs, people, or just plain good movies, do not waste your time on this stinker. Even the beautiful scenery and Primo's best efforts can't save this one.

Eric Red wrote "The Hitcher" and "Near Dark" so, given the excellence of Wayne Smith's highly original source novel "Thor", there was some reason for optimism about Bad Moon. It also boasted a splendidly scary theatrical preview. What we actually get suggests Red should stay away from adapting novels. In "Thor" Smith tells the story primarily from the eponymous dog's perspective. Although the author himself disagrees, I don't think this would have been impossible to do on the screen and given the wonderful way Smith used it to create a sense of dimly understood dread in the book, it was well worth a try. Red either didn't have the nerve or couldn't sell the idea to the suits and so we lose all the queasy references to Thor's mounting and uncommunicable anxiety about "the bad thing" lurking inside Uncle Ted. Ted (Pare) returns from a trip abroad minus his girlfriend and increasingly reclusive and withdrawn. His sister (Hemmingway, for some reason converted to a single mother in the film) wants to help him. She lets Ted move in to a trailer behind her house but he continues to act strangely and Hemmingway's dog, Thor, starts to develop a very uneasy relationship with him. Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write; "Michael Pare is excellent in this movie". He's very good at being subtly evil and canine. His problem is the script doesn't know if Ted's a tormented victim or raging psychopath so ultimately the character makes no sense. Mason Gamble is perfectly fine as Hemmingway's brave young son and as for Mariel herself, well, she has nice legs. No other character rises above the level of plot device. The werewolf looks good here. The integration of CGI and animatronic/man-in-suit shots is more than competent and, to Red's credit, he actually has someone do the unheard-of and run away from it when it's transforming instead of just standing there. I think I might have applauded when I saw that. On the other side of the ledger is a truly gratuitous early scene where a naked woman is dragged out of a tent and ripped apart. It's a cheap and sleazy moment that belongs (for want of a better word) only in straight-to-video junk. It's particularly bad when compared to a similar but vastly more tasteful scene (at basically the exact same point in the film) in "Dog Soldiers". The ending of "Bad Moon" is essentially ludicrous even without the weird afterthought of a dream sequence. It all feels very rushed, which isn't that surprising as the whole film only runs eighty minutes. The novel itself is only two hundred and thirty two pages but it's a much better use of your time.

I was positively impressed with just how well done the transformation into the werewolf was done. I am very familiar with werewolf movies from the ones done by Lon Chaney Jr. to the present day and this one was pretty effective.

The plot was standard, but just how much can one change the werewolf saga? A good man is against his will unfortunately transformed into a murderous creature of the night, and even though he tries his best to control his urges, it is all to no avail, and in the end someone close to him has to end his bloody reign of terror.

The acting by the principles was reasonable, and yes the German Shepherd, Thor, did steal the show, but again, so what? I would even enjoy watching it again!

The movie is very entertaining and has the look shared by Thor the dog (Primo) and uncle Ted played by Michael Pare. Good action, very good opening and better ending.

The movie itself is the story of a man by day, wolf at night and the consequences that this cause. It is not new, was done before but is entertaining, short and has a scene of sex.

The dog is far the best of the film. Good performances delivered Pare, Mariel Hemingway and Mason Gamble (Janet the mother and Brett the son). 7/10.

Andres.

There really isn't much to say about this movie. It's sickeningly boring and it doesn't make much sense! It even makes "Howling II" look good. And that IS saying a lot. The mother was an insult to women everywhere as she fluttered through this one like a butterfly. The boy was so gut-wrenchingly despicable that you almost want to cry. Twenty minutes into this one, I was asleep. When I woke up, I was wishing that Stirba and her "gang" would "pop out" somewhere. Once again, this film is garbage!