I have to admit that I was rather surprised to watch Sheldon Wilson’s television movie “Red: Werewolf Hunter” and realize mid-way that it’s not what I originally assumed it to be. What I thought would be a low budget retooling of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a ginger haired beauty learning she’s destined to be a werewolf hunter is actually not what it purports to be. In actuality heroine Red is well aware of her destiny in the opening of the film and engages in a routine werewolf hunt with her brothers and grandmother throughout most of the story.
Geek goddess supreme Felicia Day is ravishing as fierce heroine Red who is sharp on the battlefield and possesses an interesting battle knowledge against her ancient foes, the werewolves. To make it perfectly abundantly clear this story has to do with Red Riding Hood, there is a brief prologue/ dream sequence involving a violent take on Red Riding Hood where she witnessed her grandmother mauled to death by a mediocre computer animated werewolf, thus setting the stages for the legend of this family who takes to hunting a gang of werewolves trying to dominate the land. Most of the action is witnessed through Red’s soon to be husband Nathan, a secret service agent who has a run in with a werewolf and is brought along on the hunting trips with Red and her family, watching their secret mission to stop all of the shape shifters in their home with an abundance of shock and awe.
While the CGI is on par with what you’d usually find on America’s Syfy channel, “Red: Werewolf Hunter” is not a bad action horror film. And that’s mainly due to the entertaining concept of a group of Red Riding Hood descendents and of course Felicia Day who is absolutely gorgeous in every single frame she is in. The more we venture in to the film though the more we learn about the master werewolves and their ultimate plan as well as hubby Nathan who is taking more and more to the werewolf hunting and seems to know more about detecting werewolves than he is letting on. Wilson’s film is a hefty mix of action and horror and while it’s no masterpiece, it is definitely a fun take on the Red Riding Hood tale which I assume is all just the blue prints for a potential television series with Ms. Day.
“Red” isn’t really all too complex or three dimensional, it’s primarily a stalk and hunt film where Red and her brothers fight to bring down the master wolf Gabriel (Stephen McHattie is decent as baddie Gabriel) who plans to breed with his horde of wolves, and Red is forced to face him down in a rather exciting climax that allows Ms. Day to invoke her inner-Amazon, shooting off cannons, going one on one with lupines, and engaging in some sharp hand to hand combat, all of which ends in a question mark final scene obviously setting the stage for the sequel or spin-off. “Red” is by no means a work of A class entertainment, but for what it promises it makes good on action and decent monster effects, and is a great showcase for the vivacious Day. While not re-inventing the wheel, “Red: Werewolf Hunter” is a wickedly entertaining and clever action horror film spotlighting underrated nerd goddess Felicia Day as an ass kicking werewolf killer and allowing for an interesting twist to the classic fairytale.