Never Cry Werewolf (DVD)

To say that Never Cry Werewolf is an, er, homage to writer/director Tom Holland's 80s crowd-pleaser Fright Night, is an understatement. Though resurfaced a bit — swapping the vampires for werewolves, making the protagonist a female teen, and changing the washed up horror TV show host into a washed up hunting TV show host — this story is still inherently fun. …What would you do, if you were a kid and a creature of the night moved in next door to you? That question never gets old.

Don't get me wrong; it's not as well-written nor as handsomely produced as its classic closest counterpart, but Never Cry Werewolf is still one of the better offerings of its ilk to come out lately (personally, I enjoyed this girl-meets-werewolf take more than the overwrought Blood & Chocolate from a couple of years ago). Considering its straight-to-disc stigma, the acting is all up to par, the effects are predictably iffy but amusing, and the story moves along fairly briskly. But it's the presence of Kevin Sorbo in the "Roddy McDowall" role that cinches the deal (let's face it — his character may not be as goofily endearing, but he's much nicer to look at).

Actually, in my opinion Sorbo is also better-looking than the actor who plays the alluring werewolf-man who moves in next-door to our young heroine, but the casting is right on: Peter Stebbings has an undeniable seductive and feral quality which adds a hair of magnitude to an otherwise unbelievable and unlikable character (and no, this flick isn't played for reality; it's mostly a wryly comedic action / adventure and doesn't aspire to anything more).

Stebbings plays Jared, a Harley-riding cool dude who's new in Anywhere, USA and is not-so-secretly stalking a fresh plate of victims. Entrenched next door is the Hansett family, whose kids consist of teenaged siblings Loren (Nina Dobrev) and Kyle (Spencer Van Wyck). Loren is older and curvier, while Kyle is younger and more gullible. It's he who first falls for the neighbor's magnetism, and while Loren is also attracted to the angular man (for entirely different reasons, I presume), her cooler head prevails and she quickly uncovers Jared's dirty lycanthrope lifestyle.

In order to rescue her loved ones and herself from an existence of never-ending lunar lunacy (or worse!), she teams up with her favorite brave and brash TV star Redd Tucker to defeat the evil… only to discover that her hero is not what she thought.

It's difficult to say exactly who Never Cry Werewolf is intended for. It's a bit too profane for younger kids, but isn't really sexy or violent enough for a more mature audience. If you're looking for horror fare with real bite, you'll be out of luck. However, it's a decent time-waster if you're willing to check your fangs at the door and settle for some lightweight werewolf fare.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson