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.
Back in 1996 when Capcom and Playstation released “Resident Evil,” the horror and gamer world were awash with buzz and raves of a game that while lacking in voice acting department (seriously if you’ve ever seen the filmed intros to the American game, you’ll laugh non-stop), was an all around horrifying and inventive survival horror game that begged to be made in to a movie. It featured all of the tropes of the classic horror genre from a large spooky mansion, a bunch of mercenaries called out to investigate strange goings on all of which lead them to clash with undead dogs, birds, ravenous monsters and–worst of all–hordes of flesh eating zombies.
I honestly had no idea what to expect going in to “Red, White & Blue” mainly because Simon Rumley’s horror thriller is an animal that’s impossible to peg down. It’s a character study, a thriller, a romance, a drama, and a slasher movie all rolled in to one little package of pure excellence that takes a long time to really roll. I admittedly found myself impatient and restless while watching, but for horror fans expecting an all out balls to the wall gore fest, patience is your best friend. You’ll thank yourself later.