Lobos de Arga

I watched this twice ~ when it was released and again, now after 9 years. Still laughed as loud as I did the first time round. The characters were a bunch of bumbling fools, but the type that you kept rooting for to survive. Some good scares and gore but in done in a good B-movie way. Great popcorn movie, and a nice way to enjoy the evening. Definitely worth the rental.

Tomas (played by Gorka Otxoa) is a writer that hasn't found many success in Madrid, so in order to get some inspiration, he decides to spend some days back to the village where did grow up, Arga, a very small town in Galicia. When he arrives there, everything seems to be peaceful and calm like it always was. However, Tomas didn't know about an old curse that haunts his family, but he will find it out on the worst way…

It's a horror comedy about werewolves set in Galicia (northwest of Spain) and it's really funny, hilarious at parts. As the director (Juan Martinez Moreno) said in FANTASPORTO (film festival in Oporto) it doesn't pretend to be a satire or a parody to this kind of horror films but an homage to this cinema, especially done in the 80's. Some of the jokes are really great. Technically this movie is also well done, as it has very "decent" special effects. The plot is simple but captivating and the acting is good too. I easily score it 7/10.

I guess the normal title wasn't fancy enough, so they decided to spice it up for the international market. Unfortunately the movie didn't make enough money in Spain (as the director told the audience in attendance at the Festival I watched the movie). So a Sequel/Prequel is not very likely. Still if you like horror comedies, you will enjoy this one too, for exactly those things.

It's not a movie with a lot of weight or a lot to say, it's just entertaining and a nice way to pass the time. The characters are good and the story moves along quite nicely too. Some jokes might have more meaning in Spanish, but you will get quite a lot with the subtitles too. I'm sure this director has a few other funny things up his sleeve for the future.

The death of Paul Naschy in 2009 marked the end of an era for fans of Spanish horror; no longer would legendary lycanthrope Waldemar Daninsky prowl the countryside terrorising simple villagers. Still, it would be just a mere two years before the Spanish hills were alive again with the sound of howling, director Juan Martínez Moreno's 2011 comedy/horror Attack of the Werewolves delivering not just one baying beast, but a whole slew of slavering hairy horrors ready to rip unwary Iberians to shreds.

Gorka Otxoa stars as writer Tomás Mariño, who is lured back to his childhood village of Arga by desperate locals hoping to break the 100-year-old curse that has seen them plagued by a ravenous werewolf. By sacrificing Tomas, a direct descendant of the woman who incited the curse, they hope to end the monster's reign of terror, but their plan backfires, resulting in an even worse curse befalling them.

With the balance tipped more in the favour of comedy than horror, this one might not be best suited to those seeking a truly terrifying time, especially considering the rather long wait before the first werewolf makes an appearance. Fortunately, there are just about enough decent laughs to keep matters trundling along until the werewolfery kicks in, after which the fun really begins, with a narrow escape from a tunnel via the use of a decaying corpse, a very amusing scene involving severed fingers and a hungry dog, and a great finale which features numerous leaping werewolves (these are extremely athletic monsters) and a smattering of gore.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

I saw this film as part of the Imagine film festival (SF/fantasy/horror) Amsterdam 2012. All classical ingredients for a horror movie were included: old buildings, isolated village, an ancient curse, main character related to cursed family, no outside help to be expected, and so on. Nevertheless, entertaining throughout, due to a perfect mix of humor and tension. This combination works out perfectly to fill up a feature film length (97 min).

Music was classical/symphonic with low bass strings on one hand, and non-classical parts on the other hand. Nice contrast working out very well at appropriate places.

Surprising twists throughout. In short: expect the unexpected at all times. Even when you think you can predict what follows, something else happens. This film ranked 10th for the audience award, with an average score of 8.08/10.