"Big Bad Wolf" (2006) opens with a group of college students heading to a remote cabin for a party. The majority of the characters are unpleasant fraternity members, and the movie embraces extreme gore, nudity, and suggestive content as a werewolf begins its attacks. There's also a somewhat silly quality that stops you from being truly frightened; it’s exciting, but not particularly scary. The initial setting in the cabin is resolved fairly early on, by the end of the first act. A standard horror movie might have stretched this out for the entire story, like “Evil Dead” did. I kept wondering where the plot would go from there. Despite these drawbacks and the noticeably artificial computer-generated imagery during the transformation scene, the film ultimately delivers a really good werewolf movie. It all clicks into place if you give it a chance. Sam, who is portrayed as a mechanic, initially seems abrasive, which isn't appealing, but then it becomes clear that she’s simply able to see through the superficiality of the fraternity boys and refuses to play along with them. Derek emerges as the relatable central character; he’s hesitant, but steps up when needed. I became invested in these two characters and their potential relationship as the story unfolded. While "Big Bad Wolf" has elements in common with “Fright Night” (1985), “Never Cry Werewolf” (2008) seems to borrow heavily from it, simply swapping a werewolf for a vampire—though “Never Cry Werewolf” is still a worthwhile werewolf film. What stood out about "Fright Night" was the villain’s monstrousness and wickedness; "Big Bad Wolf" achieves something similar with its werewolf, but takes it even further. The creature retains much of the man's intelligence, which is an interesting twist on werewolf mythology, though I’m sure it’s been done before. Furthermore, they give depth to the person who becomes afflicted by the werewolf curse. Strong writing and careful attention to detail elevate "Big Bad Wolf" to a top-tier werewolf movie. The soundtrack is great, with a particularly memorable song, "Shelter" by Green Vinyl Dream, playing during the end credits. This is an R-rated film containing some very crude moments, largely because the werewolf is thoroughly malevolent and some of the young people are stereotypical frat boys; however, if you can look past its rough edges, it has a good core. The movie was filmed in Semi Valley and Los Angeles, California, and runs for 95 minutes. GRADE: A-

Source on TMDB