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"BAD MOON"
(1996) (Michael Pare, Mariel Hemingway) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Minor Extreme Mild Heavy Moderate
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild Mild Heavy None Moderate
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy Minor Minor Minor Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Horror: A man, afflicted with a werewolf curse, stays with his sister hoping that "family love" will cure him.
PLOT:
Ted (MICHAEL PARE) is a photojournalist who's been attacked by a wild creature while off in the jungle. It turns out to have been a werewolf, and once back home, Ted gets the curse and starts killing people. After his sister Janet (MARIEL HEMINGWAY), and her ten-year-old son, Brett (MASON GAMBLE), visit him he decides to go and stay with them hoping that their "family love" will cure him. It doesn't and he continues his killing spree while the only one who's figured out what's going on is the family's german shepard, Thor. Janet finally figures it out as well, and must decide what to do next.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're into werewolf or horror movies, they will. Otherwise, they'll probably pass on this film.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For horror violence and gore, brief language and a scene of sexuality.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS: R
  • MICHAEL PARE plays the man/werewolf who at the beginning seems troubled by his affliction, but then turns nasty as the plot wears on.
  • MARIEL HEMINGWAY plays a lawyer who's never practicing law and who's also rather slow to pick up on what's going on around her. She's not that well developed of a character, but has no discernible bad traits.
  • MASON GAMBLE plays a typical ten-year-old kid with no bad traits.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    OUR TAKE: 1 out of 10
    In yet another take on the traditional werewolf story, this one pulls no surprises and offers nothing new to the genre. The acting's on par with this type of film (ie. Rather bad) and the werewolf effects, including the obligatory transformation scene, are rather disappointing and cheap looking (in today's age of eye popping special effects). Early on there's a great deal of attention placed on seeing the world through the dog's eyes (low to the ground, fish eye lens effects), but later this strange shooting style is abandoned and nothing at all comes of it. There's some quite funny continuity problems (such as Ted's trailer appearing in TV news footage at a lake while it's been sitting in Janet's backyard, and Brett telling Thor the dog, "C'mon, girl" when it's rather obvious the dog is a boy). And of course there's the obligatory watching of an old, classic werewolf movie on TV by the current werewolf. If you're into this genre you'll probably think this is an okay movie, but don't expect anything as good as "An American Werewolf in London." For everyone else, this one will raise the hair on your body just by thinking that you wasted an hour and a half watching it. We give this howler a 1 out of 10.
    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Young kids probably shouldn't see this, as there are enough shots of the menacing and scary looking werewolf to give them nightmares. There are plenty of scary scenes with the creature hunting down its prey and many others that are filled with graphically bloody and gory footage. Sex is limited to one rather long scene at the beginning where Ted and a woman are having sex with some nudity and sexual movement (and sounds) observed. Profanity is rather limited (2 "f" words are the worst) and all of the violence falls into the hands (actually paws) of the beast. If your kids still want to see this one, we suggest you read through the category listings before allowing them to do so.

    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Ted and Janet may drink beer in one scene, but it's uncertain if that's for sure.
  • Ted drinks beer with dinner.
  • BLOOD/ GORE
  • A werewolf attacks Ted and his girlfriend. He gets clawed and his chest is bloody, while she's mauled by the creature and is extremely bloody. Ted finally blasts the werewolf's head off with a shotgun blast and there's a big bloody explosion as he does so.
  • The mauled remains of a naturalist are seen up in a tree. A leg and a pretty ripped up torso are seen as are his bloody clothes.
  • Thor is slightly bloody after fighting the creature for the first time.
  • Janet finds a photo of a very bloody body (evidently of Ted's dead girlfriend) from the very first attack in the jungle.
  • The werewolf attacks a man and swipes its paw across his hand and throat. Blood comes pouring out of his neck and mouth as a result.
  • Thor attacks and bites Ted (as a human) on his arm and consequently his arm is rather bloody.
  • Thor and the beast fight and blood is sprayed onto the walls and ceiling as Thor bites into the beast's neck. As the fight progresses, Thor gets more and more bloody.
  • Ted is seen in the woods, extremely bloody and very torn up (after the above fight).
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • A traveling salesman/con artist baits Thor into attacking him so that he can then sue Janet for damages.
  • Ted gets more and more of a bad attitude toward Janet and Brett as the story progresses and even calls her "stupid bitch" as he changes into the beast.
  • FRIGHTENING/TENSE SCENES
  • There are many scenes that many viewers (especially young kids) will find scary and/or tense, including shots of the menacing looking werewolf itself. See "Violence" for scenes not listed here.
  • A werewolf approaches a jungle camp site and attacks several people including Ted and his girlfriend who screams in terror as she's mauled by the creature.
  • A naturalist is chased through the woods at night by the werewolf (never seen) and is finally chomped on the head.
  • The creature is roaming about outside while Janet explores her brother's trailer and finds a diary that nearly explains everything (of what's happening to him).
  • Thor attacks Ted (as a human) and bites and holds onto his arm. Kids who are afraid of dogs won't like this scene.
  • Janet goes walking through the woods at night in search of Ted, knowing full well that he's the werewolf (and we know that he's going to be making that change) and soon he chases her through the house and tries to kill her and Brett.
  • Ted's transformation into the werewolf will be scary to younger viewers (as his voice deepens, his teeth grow and he "morphs" into the beast).
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Shotgun: Used by Ted to blow the head off a werewolf that's killed his girlfriend.
  • While visiting Ted in his lake side trailer, Brett asks if he can fire his rifle. Brett says that they'll have to think about that.
  • Handgun: Used by Janet to shoot the werewolf while it's coming after her and when it's attacking Brett.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Creep" "Piss off," "Stupid bitch," and "Putz."
  • Ted urinates on Thor's dog house after the dog has earlier done the same to Ted's trailer.
  • Brett jumps from the roof top of the house's second story as he sneaks out of home to bust Thor out of the animal control facilities.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • Thor is surprised as a bird flutters out right in front of his canine nose (the sudden music will also make you jump).
  • Thor turns into a werewolf creature and scares Janet in a nightmare she has.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • There is a heavy amount of scary and suspenseful music in this film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • 2 "f" words, 1 "s" word, 3 hells, and 2 uses of "Oh my God" and 1 use of "God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • Ted and a woman have sex in a jungle tent. There's sexual movement and moaning sounds are heard as she sits on top of him and moves up and down. Later, her bare breasts and butt are seen as the couple moves from one sexual position to another.
  • Ted, torn up and very bloody, stands naked in the woods, but his hand covers his genitals, so in reality, nothing is really seen.
  • SMOKING
  • Janet smokes a cigarette and passes it to Ted who then smokes it.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Just Janet having to deal with the fact that her brother is now a werewolf.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Werewolves and whether they really exist.
  • VIOLENCE
  • A werewolf pulls Ted's girlfriend off from on top of him and mauls her. Ted tries to help her, but a swipe of its paw sends him reeling backwards with bloody claw marks on this chest. The creature then slowly kills her.
  • A naturalist is killed in the woods by a werewolf chomping on his head.
  • Thor attacks the creature outside the house and they battle for a bit, before it runs off into the woods, leaving the slightly bloody Thor the victor.
  • The traveling salesman/con artist returns to kill Thor with a meat cleaver, but instead encounters the werewolf and is killed.
  • Thor attacks Ted (as a human) and bites and holds onto his arm.
  • The werewolf breaks through a window and chases Janet upstairs in her house. It then claws through the door and almost gets her but Thor comes to the rescue. The two of them battle it out until the beast gets the upper hand on the canine and then grabs Brett, who's run into the room, by the throat. Janet shoots the werewolf with a handgun and Thor finally comes around and knocks the creature out the second story window.



  • Reviewed November 1, 1996

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