BLACKOUT and the Sad Werewolf

BLACKOUT (Blu-ray)

2023 / 103 min

FROM DARK SKY FILMS

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

As classic movie monsters go, werewolves haven’t been terrifying in decades. Perhaps writer/director Larry Fessenden is aware of this, opting to make Blackout more of a tragedy than a horror film. However, it's not very interesting as a tragedy either.

Charley Barrett (Alex Hurt) is a depressed alcoholic artist who's been transforming into a werewolf on full moon nights and killing some of the small town locals. This is an ongoing crisis as the film begins and Charley already knows he's the monster. However, most of the town suspects Hispanic construction worker Miguel (Rigo Garay), a rumor perpetuated by greedy, racist resort developer Jack Hammond (Marshall Bell). 

Since he’s aware that the only solution to his - and the town’s - problem is to die, Charley is getting his affairs in order. This includes making peace with ex-girlfriend Sharon (Addison Timlin) and arranging for his buddy, Earl (Motell Gyn Foster), to shoot him with silver bullets. Meanwhile, the local sheriff (Joseph Castillo-Midyett) is stymied by the killings while trying to keep the locals from taking the law into their own hands with Miguel.

"Believe it or not, I found silver bullets on Amazon."

Fessenden’s attempts to work themes of racism, environmental issues and corporate greed into his story are admirable (and unfortunately timely). Considering what looks like a limited budget, the death scenes and make-up effects are fairly impressive. However, in between are long, rambling passages of characters engaging in dull banter, much of which sounds like the actors are improvising. And despite a few earnest performances, none of these characters are particularly engaging, including Charley. It's hard to sympathize with a protagonist's plight if you don't really care about him to begin with.

From a technical standpoint, Blackout is well made and sometimes delivers the gore goods. And I suppose Fessenden should be lauded for adhering to horror conventions first established by Universal’s The Wolf Man (this film’s most obvious inspiration). That he manages to accomplish it with such limited resources is commendable. However, the erratic pace, bland characters and drab dialogue undermine his good intentions.

EXTRA KIBBLES

BLACKOUT BEHIND THE SCENES - This is an excellent 75 minutes documentary with an introduction by writer/director Larry Fessenden. Features extensive behind-the-scenes footage and plenty of interviews.

FEATURETTES - Larry Fessenden’s Monsterverse (a montage of clips from three of the director’s horror films); Monster Mash Photoshoot Timelapse.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer/director Larry Fessenden.

BLACKOUT AUDIO DRAMA

TRAILERS

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