As a die-hard fan of werewolf movies—especially the action-packed, humor-laced, blood-drenched ones—Werewolves had an immediate Pavlovian effect on me the moment I heard that Stephen C. Miller (The Aggression Scale, Silent Night) was teaming up with Frank Grillo. Miller’s proven ability to inject his genre films with kinetic, visceral energy, combined with Grillo’s vast experience in hybrid action-genre outings like The Purge franchise and Beyond Skyline (not to mention his countless collaborations with genre-blending maestro Joe Carnahan), made them the perfect pair to breathe new life into the well-worn werewolf mythos and create a film that would truly stand apart from the pack.
Before watching Werewolves, my two all-time favorite werewolf films were An American Werewolf in London and Dog Soldiers. I can now confidently say I have three top werewolf films to recommend. While those two were groundbreaking in their own right, Miller’s contribution to the genre is just as radically innovative as they were at the time of their release. I’m not typically one to compare films, but if I had to give you a rough idea of Werewolves’ vibe, I’d describe it as the mongrel offspring of Aliens, The Purge, and Dog Soldiers—with a dash of The Aggression Scale for good measure. Yet despite these influences, the film feels completely fresh, unpredictable, and utterly unique every second of the way.
Directed by Miller from a script by Matthew Kennedy (Inheritance, Canary Black), Werewolves offers a bone-crushing, blood-spurting blend of practical effects and wild action, centering around a harrowing supermoon event that triggers a dormant genetic mutation in every human being. Anyone who steps into the moonlight during that fateful night is transformed into a savage werewolf, driven by primal instincts. Their feral howls pierce the darkness as the once-human creatures wreak havoc, causing the deaths of nearly a billion people before the sunrise reverses the transformation.
One year on, as the dreaded supermoon returns, the remaining survivors brace themselves and fortify their defenses in preparation for the inevitable return of the werewolves and the devastating carnage they will bring with them.
While I wouldn’t dream of spoiling the ingenious new twists on werewolf lore, I will say that this film introduces several unprecedented ideas that are as clever as they are hilarious—in the best possible sense. What truly sets this movie apart from anything I’ve ever seen, though, is the sheer number and variety of werewolves on display. Each wolf is uniquely designed, retaining distinct traces of their former human selves in both appearance and behavior—a rarity in the werewolf genre. This raises the stakes a thousandfold, as these are not simply mindless monsters, but tormented individuals who can still regain their human forms and reunite with loved ones at dawn. This nuanced portrayal complicates the split-second decisions the protagonists must make about whether to kill the werewolves, especially after the audience has had time to empathize with certain characters before their transformation. It’s a fresh, unexpected approach that adds much deeper layers to the usual lycanthrope carnage.
Another crucial element of any werewolf film is the effectiveness of the transformation scenes and the werewolf suits. In Werewolves, the special effects team of Amalgamated Dynamics Inc.’s Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. has truly outdone itself, delivering some of the most stunning and convincing werewolf transformations ever put to film. Drawing on their impressive pedigree in creature effects for iconic franchises like Alien and Predator, Gillis and Woodruff have crafted werewolf suits and prosthetics that allow the actors to seamlessly and organically shift into their unabashedly hairy second selves, all while maintaining the essence of their core characters—a vital player in preserving the brilliant concept of having the werewolves retain a semblance of their former selves.
The transformation scenes, particularly those set in the harsh, clinical lighting of a laboratory environment, are nothing short of jaw-dropping in their level of meticulous detail. We witness every agonizing crack of the bones, every bulge and distension of the muscles, and every sprouting of fur as the human form grotesquely mutates into the lupine.
Credit must also go to Grillo’s supporting cast, particularly the three main female characters (played by Katrina Law, Ilfenesh Hadera and Kamdynn Gary) who step up and fight tooth-and-claw against the werewolves. It’s a welcome change from the typical male-centric action horror films of the ’80s, where the women were often sidelined. These actresses hold their own, bringing both strength and depth to their roles.
Miller’s latest horror-actioner, brimming with extremely welcome well-timed humor and signature action movie one-liners, sets the stage for what I hope will become a promising new genre franchise. This fresh take on werewolf narratives blows the door wide open to endless possibilities, and I have my claws crossed, hoping we’ll see a myriad of just as inventive sequels, prequels, and spin-offs in the supermoons to come.
VERDICT:
Werewolves is unleashed exclusively in theaters on December 6th, 2025.
