When I was four years old, my oldest sister had a wonderful way of making me scream in fear and afraid of the dark for some time. See, in 1983, Michael Jackson‘s Thriller video aired on MTV and, due to popularity, would play it over and over and over again. Although it intrigued me as a child, I refused to watch the metamorphosis of Mr. Jackson turning into a werewolf (the eyes at the end also haunted me). This left me vulnerable and my sister would use this opportunity to invite her friends over, hold me down and watch the video every single time. Now, this is just the result of being the youngest kid in the family, but it did stay with me and although, I did grow up to enjoy horror films a good bit, I wouldn’t watch 1981’s An American Werewolf in London until I was in my 20s and had lifted my personal ban on werewolf films. And, it’s a good thing too because Spanish director Adrian Garcia Bogliano‘s 2014 film Late Phases has got to be one of the most refreshing takes on the wolf genre I’ve seen in a very long time.
Our story begins by introducing us to Ambrose McKinley played by the wonderfully versatile Nick Damici (Stake Land, We Are What We Are). Ambrose has lived a bit of a hard life and being a war veteran (as well as blind), has made him cranky to say the least. His son Will (Ethan Embry, Cheap Thrills) has decided to move away with his wife to be closer to her family and the only recourse is to move his father and his seeing eye dog Shadow into a retirement community. As an able man who can take care of himself, this does not sit well with him, but life isn’t about easy life phases. Settled in a quaint area surrounded by forestation (and very secluded area) in upstate New York, the Crescent Bay retirement community seems very peaceful. However, there have been recent horrific attacks that have left several dead, to which cops are chalking up to animal attacks. On Ambrose’s first night there, he experiences one of these “animal” attacks and, once he sees what he’s dealing with, spends the next month training, preparing, and questioning the towns people to figure out who is the animal attacking everyone. Instead of utilizing a walking cane, Ambrose carries a shovel to guide him. He even uses the shovel to train with like a professional martial arts master. Yeah, this man may be blind, but he is a badass who is not going down without a fight.
Watching this film brought me back to the terrific story-telling horror films we had back in the 1980s. Although there are bouts of fear and nail-biting moments, there is such an incredible father-son narrative that screenwriter Eric Stolze (Under the Bed) brings to the screen and, towards the end of the film, brought a tear to my eye. He brings the tense relationship up when the viewer needs it the most, making us truly care about the outcome for our protagonist. With the end battle splashes red onto the screen (which Ambrose has been waiting for), it’s everything we could hope for. When you add in the fact that there is barely any CGI in this film and that the werewolves are the amazing creation of creature effects superstar Robert Kurtzman (Army of Darkness, From Dusk Till Dawn), the film brings to the screen some of the best effects I have seen in recent years.
All in all, Late Phases brings everything that a filmgoer would want to see when they sit down in the darkened theater with their popcorn. A fantastically well paced film, an emotional back story which is solidly sold by Mr. Damici and Mr. Embry, scares around every other corner, and terrific special effects that should leave audiences raving as they leave the theater. And owning a dog named Shadow. And carrying a shovel around with them.
RATING: When you combine the horror, the heart, and the thrills, Late Phases is truly a film that brings everything moviegoers love and fear and wraps it into one big masterpiece (8/10)
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