Le poil de la bête (2010)

Takes place in 1665 in New France at a time when a part of Canada was colonialized by France. Joseph Côté escapes from a prison in order to avoid death by hanging. Moreover, while some ... See full summary »

Director:

Philippe Gagnon

Writers:

Stéphane J. Bureau, Pierre Daudelin

Stars:

Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Viviane Audet, Gilles Renaud

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge	...	Joseph Côté / Père Brind'amour
Viviane Audet	...	Marie Labotte
Gilles Renaud	...	Seigneur de Beauport
Patrice Robitaille	...	Dutrisac
Antoine Bertrand	...	Vandeboncoeur
Marc Beaupré	...	La Framboise
Marie-Chantal Perron	...	Émérentienne
Sébastien Huberdeau	...	Jean-Baptiste
Mirianne Brulé	...	Sophie Labotte
Pierre-Luc Lafontaine	...	Pierre-Armand
Martin Dubreuil	...	Légaré
Marie-Thérèse Fortin	...	Soeur Margot
Patrick Drolet	...	Duchesneau
Benoît McGinnis	...	La Trémouille
Michel Barrette	...	Aurélien

Storyline

Takes place in 1665 in New France at a time when a part of Canada was colonialized by France. Joseph Côté escapes from a prison in order to avoid death by hanging. Moreover, while some colonial soldiers are chasing him, Joseph takes the identity of a Jesuit and hides in the seigneury of Beaufort where most men are waiting for "daughters of the king." (French women who were sent to Canada in order to find a husband.) At night, Joseph finds out that there are werewolves that terrorize the village. Besides, things get complicated when he falls in love with Marie Labotte, a "daughter of the king" that no one wants to marry. All in all, by simply trying to protect his life and Marie's, Joseph will end up fighting against the werewolves.

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Plot Keywords:

king | prison escape | werewolf | 17th century

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Genres:

Adventure | Horror

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site (French)

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Release Date:

1 October 2010 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Die Nacht der Wölfe

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 4,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film du Boulevard

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Not the film of the year, but a refreshing werewolf movie nonetheless

Joseph Côté is your typical "courreur des bois" (or wood runner), a scallywag who lives outside the boundaries of the law, the church, and social rules. We are introduced to him as he is about to get executed for innumerable petty crimes. Joseph escapes and manages to disguise himself by donning the garb of a dead Jesuit priest found in a ditch. Unknowingly, he has usurped the identity of Père Brindamour, a famous werewolf slayer. As he arrives in a village with the original intent of simply getting food and rest, he starts realizing that he's not the only visitor in the area as a werewolf kills one of his new acquaintances. People quickly look up to him, the unfortunate impostor, to rid the area of the beast (or beasts!).

Believe it or not, I've quite enjoyed this movie over the remake of the Wolfman (2010). Sure, the effects are not as good (the werewolf will sometimes look like it's stuck in a cross-over between a video-game and a movie- but is still quite effective in any scene where he isn't seen in harsh light). This movie had at least one good jump scene that got most of the audience scream in surprise. And most of all, it's another wonderful blend of humor and horror put together.

Those familiar with French-Canadian lore will notice the filmmakers tried to stay away from the religious explanation for the werewolf being (tradition has it that if someone hasn't gone to mass in 7 years, he becomes a werewolf), but they also did a nice job of steering away from the traditional Hollywood explanation too (though you might raise an eyebrow...)

The acting is good, the atmosphere is creepy, the jokes work- the jumps as well. It's obviously not Oscar material, but it's still a fun romp in a new genre of movie never seen in Quebec before, a period-piece horror film. All in all, this movie should make it in the top ten of anybody's favourite werewolf movies.