Cinema Macabre, Volume 3: Dog Soldiers

Welcome to the third volume of Cinema Macabre. This month, rather than just pick an interesting title to the table, it was decided to bring a theme to the table. The theme for this edition was werewolves. My movie of choice was between Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers, the latter won out in the end. The project is headed up by Blogcritics own Ian Woolstencroft, who, each month, steers us towards bringing these horror films to the masses, famous and not alike, reminding us of the classics and welcoming in lesser known titles. In addition to my offering, we also have reviews of The Wolf Man, Silver Bullet, Bad Moon, and Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt. Below you can read my entry, but be sure to read the full collection of reviews:
Cinema Macabre Issue 3: Hair-raising Scares With The Wolf Man, Dog Soldiers and Much More.

In 2006, director Neil Marshall made his debut on the big screen in the US with the supremely scary The Descent. Now, if you have not seen that film, do yourself a favor, go rent it, buy it, whatever, just treat yourself to a horror film that has guine scares and chills. Neil Marshall's story does not begin there, it actually goes back a few years, 2002, to be exact, he made his American debut in a rather inauspicious manner when Dog Soldiers premiered as a Sci-Fi Original Movie on the Sci-Fi Channel. If you watch any of those movies, you will know that quality is not always their primary concern, however, every once in awhile a gem will slip through and prove to be well worth seeking out. Dog Soldiers, edited for content premiere was October 15, 2002.

This is a movie that combines the survival horror and splatter elements from sources like the Evil Dead series (and actually naming a character Bruce Campbell), as well as more suspenseful horror from the likes of Jaws, and the action driven suspense of Aliens. It combines all of that in a werewolf movie that reinvigorates the lycanthrope genre. Marshall emerged here as a smart new voice on the horror landscape.

The film opens with a couple camping in the woods, just as they are to get intimate, the tent zipper starts to open and the young woman is dragged out in a shower of blood. Fast forward a few weeks, and a regiment of British soldiers are in the same woods on maneuvers. They are split into two groups and sent out into the tangle of trees. It is not long before they are surprised by a gutted cow dropped into their midst. They set out to investigate, not liking what they find. They soon find themselves being chased through the dark by an unseen enemy. Eventually, the fast dwindling group find themselves holed up in an empty farmhouse. It is here where they make their stand against the foes that have surrounded them and have no intention of allowing them to leave.

Dog Soldiers is a movie that is firing on all cylinders, deftly blending horror, comedy, and action in a cohesive film that thrills all the way through. Aside from references to other films, Marshall stages some very impressive action scenes, from the initial chase through the woods, to the multiple sieges on the home. The action is cut very quickly, but perspective is never lost, and we see a good variety of weapons used in the attack, from the standard issue guns, to a sword, to a truck, to homemade flamethrowers.

Overall, this is a film that helped reignite my interest in werewolves, and also showed that Sci-Fi Originals need not always be dreck, though I do recommend seeking the DVD release, which is uncut. If you want blood, guts, bullets, laughs, a few surprises, and a spiffy werewolf design, this is definitely one for the books.

Marshall even gets in a Matrix quote, something I didn't realize until I rewatched the film recently. Another piece of notable trivia is that Jason Statham was originally set for the lead only to leave for John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, while Simon Pegg was offered a small part, but was talked out of it by Edgar Wright who wanted Pegg's first horror role to be in Shawn of the Dead.