Full Moon Fever

There are filmmakers who are famous for being so inept people watch their movies with a mixture of astonishment and amusement since the movies these floppers make wind up being so unintentionally entertaining by being so completely awful!

Added to the list of goofball filmmakers that includes Ed Wood, Uwe Boll, Tommy Wiseau and James Nguyen is David L. Madison who may not only be the worst of the bunch but also the one with the biggest ego.

Madison's previous entry was an indie horror movie shot on digital called "Mister Hush" that somehow got limited theatrical showings. The reviews from critics and audiences were scathing. The Fandango page for the movie is filled with furious reviewers who thought they bought tickets for a horror film, but instead saw a horrible film. One reviewer took to You Tube screaming in rage, ending his review with a frantic warning to "stay away!"

Unfortunately, Mr. Madison hasn't learned from his mistake and went and made another movie.

And this time he stars in it.

For every classic werewolf movie like "An American Werewolf in London" there are terrible ones like "The Werewolf of Washington" but the makers of that stinker are now officially off the hook. Madison has most likely made the world's worst werewolf movie.

The plot of this thing is a mishmash of every werewolf story you've ever seen. Madison plays the main character Hunter (get it?) who gets the mark of the beast in the usual fashion and then proceeds to become irritable with all those around him and proceeds to have unintentionally hilarious hallucinations while whining about his fate and seeking answers to what happened.

Madison's performance makes Tommy Wiseau seem like Kenneth Branaugh. He tries in vain to look like a leading man but has a voice that sounds like Kermit the Frog. David Naughton in "An American Werewolf in London" was cast because he was a dancer in great shape. David Madison doesn't move well and looks pallid, almost like he's matching the pale of the moon.

The actual werewolf effects look like they were bought from a Halloween store in a lonely strip mall.

This is the sort of movie ready made for a comedy group like Riff Trax to perform against, mocking it at every incompetent turn. Without the riffs, this feels like a very long eighty minutes or so to sit through.

David Madison shares many of the same traits as a werewolf in that they unintentionally turn the people around them into victims. In this case, the victims are everybody that worked on "Full Moon Fever".

I'll start by saying this is my favorite of Madison's films. It's very difficult to carve a path as an independent filmmaker, yet David Madison doesn't let that stop him. With nothing but family, good friends, and a passion for film, he is able to bring his stories to life on the big screen.

I saw this in theaters today, and thoroughly enjoyed the event. Full Moon Fever has moments that make you jump, make you laugh, and make you think deeply.

There was excellent use of locations in the writer/director's hometown to give a large scope to the environment within the film.

Madison plays the main character, Hunter, with great emotion. Although short lived, Scott Schiaffo and Marianne Hagan's performances were excellent to say the least. Amanda Madison, who plays the daughter of Hunter, Jackie, made me believe she was scared, executing her role perfectly.

Full Moon Fever was all together a great feel-good film for the spooky season!

David Lee Madison's FULL MOON FEVER is a beautifully dark werewolf movie that is about so much more than the monster. This is a story about love, family and impossible choices people sometimes need to make.

Typically a werewolf is used as a metaphor for transformation but in Full Moon Fever, the monster seems to be used as a ticking time bomb. The main character must search himself to make the right choice before the beast within takes over. And its a choice with multipul solutions and none of them seem right.

The story drips with so much humanity and its painted against the most scenic backgrounds. Its filmed in the hills of the lower Hudson Valley among autumn's falling leaves. The metaphors of the changing of the seasons as old making way for new. Nature slowly dying around us, making way for life anew adds a perfect layer of visual storytelling to the script.

Writer/Direct David Madison does a stellar job in the lead role of Hunter Dunne, conveying a father's struggle with genuine emotion. Amada Madison is fearless in the role of Jackie, Hunter Dunne's daughter. The supporting cast of Marianne Hagan, Scott Shiaffo and Jim Krut all add depth to Madison's performance. And let's not forget to mention Emmet Garnham's stellar performance as the ass-kicking comic book shop owner.

I highly recommend checking out Full Movie Fever. Its a film with the guts and spirit of an independent film but looks and works as well as a big budget studio release.

(Also, I would be remiss not to mention my favorite characters in the movie were the two pumpkin stumps. I honestly believe David Madison's next movie should be about them! They have a story to tell too!)

Reading these reviews, Clearly people went into this thinking this was going to on the same level as a big budget blockbuster horror film. Instead they should be taking it for what it actually was which is a low budget campy solo production. As I can see i have an unpopular opinion but this was great. A bit slow on some areas and at some points a bit cheesy (something I actually enjoy most watching these) but the cinematography was absolutely incredible, as well as the filming locations. Honestly it was better than a lot of big budget films I have seen recently. The transformation scene was done beautifully. My suggestion for those of you going into watching it thinking it was meant to be more than what it was...find the humor in this film and actually enjoy it for what it is and the genre it's in. You will be much happier when you watch this. Learn to appreciate what was achieved by this one person and not an entire crew of people with millions of dollars instead of just hating on something for the sake of it.

This is a slow building film that becomes more and more fun as it goes. It's light film and was made during covid so it's a fun little film. The scenery is really beautiful and the colors of fall are gorgeous. You really feel the season and crisp air. Covid was a very lonely time for most and you can feel that with the character of Hunter. It feels isolated ,as it was during that time when it felt like everything was moving in a kind of slow motion. It has some very fun moments which will make you laugh. I mean absurd moments which are great. All in all this is a fun watch and will make you look forward to Halloween.