AMERICAN WEREWOLVES (2022)

 SMALL TOWN MONSTERS HOWLS AGAIN.

  I've been a fan of Small Town Monsters and their documentaries for several years now:  a series of documentaries directed by Seth Breedlove focusing on various Cryptids (from Bigfoot and the Mothman to the Boggy Creek Monster and the Bray Road Beast) as well as docs on the Bell Witch and UFO's.  This time around we have a documentary featuring the ever-popular 'Dogman' which is basically a more modern term for something that is identical to the werewolf of old.  This is something of a companion film to last year's SKINWALKER:  HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU (2021) also directed by Breedlove and focusing on our skinwalking wolfy friends (or is that fiends). 

Breedlove has changed his tack this time around, though, by making a documentary which is almost entirely made up of eyewitness testimony.  I've seen some talk of dissatisfaction that the film does not contain more 'documentary research' scenes like historical newspaper articles etc. which most of the other Small Town Monsters docs utilize.  Well, that's obviously not the type of film Breedlove wanted to make here.  Another case of judging a film for what it's not supposed to be instead of what it actually is.  What AMERICAN WEREWOLVES is, in fact, is a documentary consisting of several eyewitness accounts of encounters with these dogman.  But where Breedlove changes things up is by having lengthy accounts by said eyewitnesses instead of soundbytes or clips of accounts.  These are more like sitting down by the fire while somebody spins you a tale and that makes the film kinda spellbinding and totally engrossing.  To me, it doesn't matter if we're shown police reports, TV news items or historical accounts (though all of those are fantastic and feature in the other Small Town Monsters documentaries) because I don't necessarily believe any of the subjects of these documentaries actually exist anyway.  I don't disbelieve and I don't believe.  That's not why I watch these docs.  I watch them because they are cool, entertaining, informative and spooky.  And this movie (as well as the earlier SKINWALKERS:  HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU) deliver all this in spades.  On hand are Small Town Monsters' patented monster recreations (here someone inside a rather terrific wolfman suit that looks like something from THE HOWLING) and, in fact, there are a few newspaper headlines here and there. 

But the best part of the whole movie is the eyewitnesses telling their stories.  They come across, without exception, as totally believable and earnest besides which their stories are spellbinding and actually had me leaning forward in my chair a few times.  This is just such a great, absorbing watch especially in October.  And as usual, Breedlove totally respects his eyewitnesses and presents everything in straight-forward reportage.  There is no tongue-in-cheek here.  Now, I don't get a penny from the Small Town Monsters company nor do I received free movies or screeners but I can honestly say I love what they're doing and encourage everyone interested in spooky stuff to go to their website and pick up some of their dvds/blu rays because they're very reasonable priced and quite well-done.