On his first night in his new home, blind Vietnam Vet Ambrose (Nick Damici) and his dog Shadow are attacked. On the same night his elderly neighbor is also brutally murdered. The cops say it was an animal attack, there have been a lot of them lately. Ambrose did not see who it was, but he has an idea what it was. When the full moon comes again, he’ll be ready. In the mean time, he is determined to put the pieces together of who could be killing members of the community and the creature that killed his beloved Shadow.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good werewolf movie, ‘Late Phases’ was just what I needed. This movie is not the usual, nonstop, action packed, gore filled werewolf movie, it takes the time to build a real story. You actually become invested in the characters and you really want justice for Shadow’s murder, damn it. Scriptwriter Eric Stolze created a truly enjoyable story. The cast did a great job, but Nick Damici’s (Stake Land) portrail of Ambrose really stands out, it makes this movie and he pulls of his role perfectly. Ethan Embry (Brotherhood, Can’t Hardly Wait) plays the role of Ambrose’s son Will and he plays a very convincing portrayal of a confused, self-absorbed, distant son. It’s always nice to see Tom Noonan (Hell on Wheels) in a role. Lance Guest did well as a mild mannered villian. The effects were nicely done and made incredible use of practical effects. I really enjoyed the full transformation scenes, which heavily reminded me of the famous transformation in ‘An American Werewolf in London’. Director Adrian Gargia Bogliano did a fantastic job of creating a werewolf movie with a story. ‘Late Phases’ will go down on my top ten list of favorite werewolf movies in the last decade.
Honestly, I really like this movie. If you haven’t seen ‘Late Phases’ you should! It’s now out on DVD and is currently on Netflix (Streaming).
