Only in the movies can a prostitute look like Tori Black. Only in the movies can a prostitute look as clean and polished as Tori Black. Nonetheless, I think any hope of "Half Moon" being Tori Black's breakout role in to the horror movie verse is dashed by the rather amateur and often terrible production qualities behind this pretty tame werewolf film that ponders on what happens when a hooker becomes an unholy beast of the moon. Porn star Tori Black plays Rose, a prostitute with a heart of gold who is sick of the life she's been dealt. Armed with a ghetto fabulous twang, and stilted dialogue, she fills in for her best friend meeting up with a client. After a stern warning from her pimp to keep in range of his cell phone signal, due to the rash of animal attacks around the city, Rose ventures out anyway to meet with the mysterious Jacob. Jason Toler has an admirable premise behind this film, but most of the camera work is often so noticeably shoddy, it's tough to become entrenched in to the forced drama and character conflict.

Director Toler spends so much time cutting to the full moon overlooking the city as if to hint that there is something immense coming our way, but it never does. The entire film revolves around Rose getting to know Jacob, and the inevitable exposition based on Jacob on how he became a werewolf. The keyword there is exposition because there is an abundance of it here. There is so much the only time we ever actually come close to a werewolf is in the constant needless computer generated full moon Toler cuts to repeatedly throughout the story. Around the hour mark it became clear to me that Toler had enough budget for only a small moment of werewolf carnage, as the entire eighty minutes watches more like a low budget character study about a lowly hooker and her European client, rather than an actual horror film.

And it drones on and on with Jacob's life, Rose's life, Jacob's affliction, Rose's insistence she's a streetwise player, and the intrusion of her pimp in the final twenty minutes. It's almost as if Toler said to himself "Just keep them talking, and no one will notice there's not an actual werewolf." When the werewolf element finally comes in to play, it's laughable, abrupt, and so fleeting, it will leave many an audience absolutely steamed. But hey, at least director Toler gets to squeeze in a sex scene with star Black, right? The final scene is intended as a "gotcha!" to audiences, but not in the way that Toler probably intended it. Director Toler probably pat himself on the back with the whole open ended twist where the newly lycanthropic Rose enters in to the wilderness, and audiences will leave the film wondering when Black's new porno will be arriving in stores.

Not since "Wolves of Wall Street" have I seen a werewolf movie take such precautions in not showing any kind of werewolf action whatsoever. "Half Moon" plays out like a low rent off off Broadway play with Tori Black doing her damndest to turn in a halfway decent performance, and failing. If you're in the market for some good throat ripping, gut munching, howling werewolf terror, you'd be better off looking elsewhere for your fix.