WolfCop
Director: Lowell Dean
Screenwriter: Lowell Dean
Cast: Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry, Sarah Lind, Jesse Moss, Corinne Conley, Aidan Devine, James Whittingham
CineCoup
Not Rated | 80 Minutes
Release Date: June 6, 2014

First there was RoboCop. Then Maniac Cop, Samurai Cop, Lady Battle Cop, Vampire Cop, and Scanner Cop. In the grand tradition of absurd genre mash-ups with “Cop” in the title comes WolfCop, a Canadian horror-comedy that features Satanic rituals, shapeshifters, werewolves, and the fuzz.

Directed by Lowell Dean, WolfCop follows the exploits of Lou Garou (Leo Farard), a lazy, alcoholic policeman in the small town of Woodhaven. One fateful night, a drunken Lou stumbles upon a Satanic ritual in the woods (as you do) and gets captured by three hooded figures. The next morning, he awakens to find a pentagram carved into his chest (because, Satan). Of course, you can probably guess what happens next: Cursed by the Devil, the town drunk transforms into a werewolf crime-fighter!

The death of a mayoral candidate, and the cancellation of Woodhaven’s annual “Drink N’ Shoot” celebration, forces Lou to sober up and do some actual police work. He uncovers a dark secret about Woodhaven – that similar events have occurred in the past, roughly every thirty-two years, in conjunction with a lunar eclipse. With the help of his eccentric best friend Willie (Jonathan Cherry) and his partner Tina (Amy Matysio), Lou must get to the bottom of Woodhaven’s cult problem before it’s too late.

WolfCop toes the line between ’70s grindhouse exploitation and ’80s direct-to-VHS sleaze-cheese. It’s The Howling meets Hobo with a Shotgun – with a soundtrack (by doom metal band Shooting Guns) that sounds straight out of a John Carpenter flick. It’s the only werewolf movie I know of where the transformation focuses on the penis. That’s right, you read that right – instead of closeup of a human hand transforming into a hair-covered claw, we witness a human penis balloon and explode into a hairy were-dick. It’s fantastically absurd and a great example of how Lowell Dean approaches the ridiculous premise with irreverence and humor.

There’s a scene in this film where – as a werewolf – Lou and his buddy Willie take Lou’s police cruiser into a garage and – with lots of sparks and big ’70s guitar riffs – transform it into a bad-ass Wolfmobile. If that isn’t enough to excite you, there’s also a scene where a werewolf has sex with a hot bartender (Sarah Lind) in a jail cell. Did I mention she’s dressed like Little Red Riding Hood?

From Death Proof and Planet Terror to films like Machete, Father’s Day, Dear God No!, and Black Dynamite, the modern day grindhouse is alive and well. WolfCop is a welcome addition to this new generation of batshit crazy exploitation films – a funny, gory affair with impressive special effects that doesn’t take itself seriously.

My main criticism is that the film is far too clean and crisp (thanks to the high-definition digital cameras it was shot on) and would look infinitely better cooler if it were shot on video – or if the filmmakers used filters to reproduce the grain, discoloration, and scratches of a ’70s film print. That’s right, it looks too good folks.

Look, WolfCop isn’t going to win any BAFTAs, even though it’s infinitely better than The King’s Speech. It is, however, the perfect kind of gross-out gag-fest perfect for a night of drinking (and pizza – DON’T FORGET THE PIZZA!) with friends. If you’re a fan of horror-comedy, practical effects, and werewolf-on-human sex, then WolfCop is a no-brainer.

Trailer

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