Game of Werewolves

Tomas (played by Gorka Otxoa) is a writer that hasn't found many success in Madrid, so in order to get some inspiration, he decides to spend some days back to the village where did grow up, Arga, a very small town in Galicia. When he arrives there, everything seems to be peaceful and calm like it always was. However, Tomas didn't know about an old curse that haunts his family, but he will find it out on the worst way…

It's a horror comedy about werewolves set in Galicia (northwest of Spain) and it's really funny, hilarious at parts. As the director (Juan Martinez Moreno) said in FANTASPORTO (film festival in Oporto) it doesn't pretend to be a satire or a parody to this kind of horror films but an homage to this cinema, especially done in the 80's. Some of the jokes are really great. Technically this movie is also well done, as it has very "decent" special effects. The plot is simple but captivating and the acting is good too. I easily score it 7/10.

This Spanish horror/comedy Game of Werewolves has been heralded as as "A Spanish Shaun of the Dead, only with Werewolves¨. "Attack of the Werewolves¨ or ¨Lobos De Arga¨ is a Spanish language film and an entertaining one at that . ¨1910, in a remote village, a terrible curse has fallen on the evil Marchioness of Marino and her son transforming him into a bloodthirsty werewolf who preys on the residents of the village¨. One hundred years on , the only male descendant of the Marino family , returns his village . After 15 years, Tomas (Gorka Otxoa) , a not very successful writer, comes back to the village in Galicia where his family comes from , Arga , apparently to get an award . He returns home to a warm welcome from the villagers but things aren't quite what they seem. After a century of being terrorized by the vicious werewolf, they plan to break the curse by sacrificing him 100 years to the day when the original curse fell . But he doesn't know the real reason why he is there, to end with an old curse that is been haunting the village for the last hundred years . At the village he meets an old friend (Carlos Areces) , his editor (Secun de la Rosa) , the priest (Manuel Manquiña) and a bit later on appears his grandmother (Mabel Rivera) . The village of Arga has been cursed and it is up to Tomás to remove this affliction . The townsfolk need his blood and his sacrifice in order to remove the curse .

This title blends horror elements with comedy , tongue-in-cheek and action ; so, the tone of the film is light-hearted . Lobos De Arga knows many forms, this film has also been called Game of Werewolves and Attack of the Werewolves which is the United Kingdom title ; if one directly translates the Spanish title into English, then it becomes the much simpler Werewolves of Arga . It's a veritable buffet of the cream of recent Spanish horror plenty of action , laughs , and werewolves attacks . Likable acting by Gorka Otxoa as Thomas , an unsuccessful writer lured out to a remote rural village who must defeat the villagers and pit his wits against a violent beast in . Enjoyable main cast and agreeable support actors deliver one of the most engaging, hysterical, action packed and wonderfully shot werewolf movies in years . Intriguing and thrilling musical score by Sergio Moure who has demonstrated his particular talent on dark atmospheres such as ¨The Body¨, ¨Thesis on a homicide¨ and ¨Kidnapped¨ . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Carlos Ferro , showing splendidly Galician sets . This Spanish horror-comedy Attack of the Werewolves was much praised by critics as well as public during its European festival run . The motion picture was originally made by director/writer Juan Martínez Moreno who formerly directed "A Good Man" and "Two Tough Guys" . He clearly demonstrates sound knowledge of the genre he deconstructs with heartfelt accuracy . Rating : Good , above average . Well worth watching .

I guess the normal title wasn't fancy enough, so they decided to spice it up for the international market. Unfortunately the movie didn't make enough money in Spain (as the director told the audience in attendance at the Festival I watched the movie). So a Sequel/Prequel is not very likely. Still if you like horror comedies, you will enjoy this one too, for exactly those things.

It's not a movie with a lot of weight or a lot to say, it's just entertaining and a nice way to pass the time. The characters are good and the story moves along quite nicely too. Some jokes might have more meaning in Spanish, but you will get quite a lot with the subtitles too. I'm sure this director has a few other funny things up his sleeve for the future.

First of all, I'd like to say that I appreciate someone trying to return some manner of bestial ferocity to mythological creatures. For those of us tired of melodramatic art movements, like Gothic Romanticism, it's a breath of fresh air to see a monster who, for once, isn't sexy and erotic.

On the other hand, this is still an ode to Gothic horror -- it just has all the soap opera parts ripped out and replaced with black humor. So, if you're expecting a radically different approach, then I think you'll be a bit disappointed.

The plot is straight out of a Lovecraft or Poe tale, and, indeed, it name-drops both authors halfway through the story. The setup is pretty standard for Gothic horror: a small, rural village; a cursed bloodline; a horrible secret; and, of course, a large mansion. Still, the tropes are used well, making for an engaging and frequently funny story. The humor is very black -- think more like Re-Animator than Evil Dead. Unlike An American Werewolf in London, the comedy part dominates the movie, with little time actually given to gore, horror, or special effects. Of course, this is understandable, given the small budget, but it would have been nice to see more horror, at least.

Newly released horror movies like "Game of Werewolves" boost up my confidence, hope and enthusiasm that the genre isn't – contrary to popular belief – dead and buried just yet! Even allegedly exhausted and old-fashioned themes, like for example werewolves, can still result in refreshingly original and terrific films; it all just depends on dedicated cast and crew members that demonstrate an obvious respect and worship towards the genre. Heck, "Game of Werewolves" even proves that it's very well possible to make a horror effort that is scary and gross but simultaneously funny and light-headed. Writer/director Juan Martínez Moreno, together with his excellent ensemble cast and crew, clearly has the right attitude towards the horror genre and obviously knows his classics. When he was present at the Brussels Festival of Fantastic Films to introduce the movie to the audience, he stated that he was fed up – like all the rest of us or at least me – with the nowadays portrayal of werewolves and intended to make them iconic monsters again. "Game of Werewolves" is first and foremost an ode to the legendary classic Universal horror movies, in terms of storytelling and atmosphere, and the immortal lycanthrope hits of the 1980's in terms of special effect and transformation make-up ("American Werewolf in London" and "The Howling" of course). I'm usually very skeptic when directors claim they want to revive traditional horror values, but Moreno is one of the first directors who actually deliver their promise! Straight from the moodily narrated opening sequences, you just know the film will be a genuine treat! The narration, guided by neat drawings, tells us about a malignant Duchess who lived in a small Galician town around the year 1900. She desperately wanted to have a child, but her husband couldn't give it to her, so she kidnapped and male-raped a handsome gypsy male that traveled through the region. After she was impregnated, the Duchess ordered the villagers to slaughter the father as well as his entire gypsy community to eliminate any link with the boy's father. Just before dying, one of the gypsy women cursed the Duchess and foretold that her son would turn into a werewolf at the age of 10 and he would terrorize the village for all eternity. The only way for the curse to break would be the sacrifice of a direct descendant of the Duchess. More than a century later, Tomas – a debuting author with a severe case of writer's block – retires to the area to work about a new novel. Little does he know that his great-aunt was the evil Duchess and that he will serve as werewolf bait to lift up the curse. This short description actually just illustrates a very brief part of the film. The story is much more convoluted and elaborated, but it's too much of a joy to discover yourself. Just know that the screenplay is very well-structured, coherent and waterproof. All the main characters are extremely likable, which is also a rare quality to encounter in horror movies, and there's a masterful interchange of sequences that are downright hilarious (the finger!) and sequences that are good old-fashioned scary and tense (the unfolding of the subsequent curse). The finale is grotesque and outrageous without becoming ridiculous and the unpretentiousness of it all is a great added value. The filming locations and scenery are perfect and hallelujah for the special effects. Damn all them films like "Twilight", "Underworld" and whatever else to hell… "Game of Werewolves" is the real stuff!