DINO WOLF (2009) **
I’m a sucker for a good werewolf movie. I’m even down for a genetically mutated werewolf movie (as long as they’re better than Project: Metalbeast that is). However, I think Dino Wolf is the first genetically mutated PREHISTORIC werewolf movie ever made. Because it was directed by the great Fred Olen Ray, I knew I just had to check it out.
A secret laboratory creates a genetically mutated prehistoric werewolf. It gets loose, slaughters a security guard, and escapes to the woods. While the town sheriff (Maxwell Caulfield) investigates the lab, his deputy (Blake Griffin) combs the woods to find his missing girlfriend. In the meantime, the Dino Wolf chows down on plenty of unsuspecting victims.
Dino Wolf is not the campy cheese-fest I was hoping for, but it’s not a total washout or anything. For starters, the werewolf suit looks pretty cool. Actually, it just looks like a cheap costume rented from Halloween City if I’m to be perfectly honest, but oh well. One thing is for certain, I’d rather see a cheesy practical werewolf in a low budget horror movie than a cheesy computer-generated werewolf any day. The gore is also pretty good as the Dino Wolf rips the guts out of lots and lots of people.
Then there’s the cast. I had fun seeing Maxwell Caulfield playing a southern sheriff with OCD and it was cool having Buck Rogers himself, Gil Gerard playing a devious colonel. They don’t exactly make or break the movie, but I’m glad they’re there.
The scenes that don’t revolve around the Dino Wolf killing folks are pretty tough going (and even the attack scenes themselves get a little repetitive eventually). The scenes of the shady government agents snooping around in particular drag the movie down, and things get awfully talky near the end too. Still, as far as these things go, it’s a lot better than Project: Metalbeast, so that’s a relief.
AKA: Dire Wolf.