Unnatural

Of course I had not heard about the 2024 horror Western titled "Unnatural" prior to sitting down and watching it here in 2025.

Initially I must admit that the movie's synopsis sounded interesting enough, and since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to give the movie a fair chance.

However, writers Don Perrin and Whit Whitman, with the latter also directing the movie, failed to concoct a particularly entertaining or enjoyable script and storyline. The narrative was sluggish and uneventful, and the majority of the movie was essentially just boring dialogue. And that hardly made for a properly entertaining movie in my opinion, and I found it quite a struggle to sit through 103 minutes of this boring ordeal.

The acting performances in the movie were fair enough. I mean, there wasn't anything particularly outstanding or memorable, but I've seen far worse in other movies.

The movie did have one thing working for it, though, and that was the wardrobe and sets. It looked adequate enough for a Western movie, but a bit too polished and clean. You would assume that things would be grittier and dirtier back in the day.

The special effects in the movie were bland. The werewolves had the mandatory inarticulate latex masks, that many werewolf horror movies tend to have. It just doesn't look passable or realistic. So yeah, I wasn't impressed with the special effects in the movie.

I gave up on the ordeal, having literally suffered through 45 minutes of absolute boredom. And believe you me, I am not returning to attempt finish watching this boring movie.

My rating of director Whit Whitman's 2024 movie "Unnatural" lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

No. I am kidding. It really could not have been any worse. The acting or lack thereof, the slow pace of the movie, did I say the acting, the plot, just everything about this movie was awful.

The high point in the movie for me wrre the credits at the end of the movie. I got so emotional when they finally rolled. I felt relief and gratitude, I wept uncontrollably.

I lost an evening I can never get back. I am not certain what the actors in this movie do for daytime jobs, but please, I beg you, encourage them to flip those burgers, or drive that truck, or whatever, just don't let them quit that day job.

Other than all that, I guess it was better than watching a Kamalala rally.

Honestly, this is hilariously bad. You have Steven Seagal, Vampire hunter.

Some kids. Terrible acting. So bad it's funny. The wardrobe is cool. The bad guys feel like good guys and the "good guys" feel like douchebags. The one good actor goes hard, schooling the heck out of everyone else.... and he looks like the real life version of the brunette dude from Road to Eldorado. So you'll know who I mean.

If you love to laugh the Seagal films, get drunk and watch this. You'll get slow waddling. Too cool for school main character vibes. Self insert over powered fan fiction end fights. Seriously, watch it.

Living on a remote ranch, several children are the only survivors and are saved by their grandfather who turns out to be a monster hunter sent to stop the vampire controlling a small town nearby which puts them in the middle of a feud for power over control of the town forcing them to intervene.

This was a rather troubling and problematic genre effort. Among its brighter spots is the central setup that allows for a greater use of its period setting than expected. The idea of the Old West being aware of the supernatural creatures of the night and how to deal with them while also managing to include enough reasoning for what's going on as not only is there the initial hunter going around taking his grandchildren with him but there's also the team of hunters looking through the town for the other creatures said to be in the area. The bits of folklore here involve how everyone knows of the creatures, even having a deal in place to protect them from the creatures, and the way it plays out offers up a thrilling Western vibe about a town being taken over by a ruthless gang holding terror over everyone and a ruthless gunslinger determined to stop him. This all comes together here to make for a solid enough time. There are some big issues with this one. The main drawback present here is the highly underwhelming pace that takes place where everything is far more drawn-out than it really should be. The idea of what's going on in the town is solid enough and has a premise worth getting invested in, but it takes way too long with plenty of unnecessary moments or storylines that manage to make it far longer than it should be. Taking the kids along for the ride provides some humorous interactions but also stretches out the running time significantly, as well as the scenes of him meeting up with the others in the town who keep trying to steer him away but just grow repetitive without anything that warrants him leaving with how cryptically everything comes off, leaving this to feel like the same thing over and over again. This holds up the action to the point of barely getting any of it until the ending with the pacing as it is. The other flaw here is the entirety of the deal with the vampire sheriff that the town agrees to and seems to be the whole purpose of the film. The concept makes no sense with only one individual fighting off the town as their law-enforcer to continually stay in there under his rule for as long as they do, making them come off as completely illogical. The dynamic makes little sense in how it came together and just reeks of being included simply for the sake of having the villain do something since there's nothing else going on that warrants him being there as there's nothing else he does worthwhile throughout here. Combined with the general lack of blood or gore for the kills presented here, these hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

While "Unnatural" offers suspense and gore, it also raises ethical questions about scientific limits. Snow delivers a solid performance, and the visuals effectively create an eerie atmosphere.

I personally love a good conceptual film, with an underlying theme. It gives me the opportunity to not only enjoy a film, but also receive a message. This film had you thinking from the moment it started, Al Snow from the WWE was a cool sight to see. All in all, the film delivered on entertainment, and had plenty of action scenes. If you're looking to discover a relatively unknown film that packs a lot of cool effects, this is one to watch on a Friday night!