dir. Dominic Brunt

In a manor house a production crew struggle to finish shooting their schlocky vampire flick: with a luvvie lead, and a rag tag crew, is it any wonder they’ve gone over schedule?  But, as we soon learn, the firm deadline for their departure has less to do with being fully booked and more to do with the impending full moon. For with the lunar rise a bloodbath begins and soon the crew are picked off one by one by the resident werewolf, a howling menace that stalks the grounds and taps at the glass, just waiting to get inside.

As the sleazy producer says “blood and gore will always sell” and there’s no shortage of gruesome fun here. Gallons of fake blood, severed limbs and slashed cheeks abound and it’s a delight to witness. What’s more the tone is calibrated to a campy wit that understands exactly where it came from, paying loving homage to the creature features of yesteryear with enough references to genre icons to demonstrate its pedigree and wry, winking humour. 

Director Dominic Brunt previously made divisive FrightFest film Attack of the Adult Babies (2017), but with Wolf Manor he delivers a direct hit, a silver bullet of gory glee. It’s clear that everyone involved is a lover of lycanthropy and this commitment shines through. Add it to the canon alongside the greats as an example of what true talent can do with a low budget, solid premise, great casting and in-depth knowledge of its subject. Fangtastic.

© Megan Kenny

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