It Be an Evil Moon

Trying to make ends meet, a scientist trying to conjure a cure for baldness finds success with a bizarre formula and begins to use the formula to his advantage, but when he discovers the lycanthropic side-effects of his creation tries to keep those he harmed from seeking revenge.

This was an intriguing if somewhat flawed genre effort. One of the things this one gets right is the highly original and somewhat creative means of integrating a new concept into a werewolf genre effort. Rather than go for the more traditional route of tying everything together with an encounter with the beast and finding themself changing into one due to having survived the situation, this one incorporates the kind of creative touch where it comes about as a means of a chemical poisoning while trying to come up with a cure for baldness. This is handled well enough with the idea of the change coming into pass through a lot of the same techniques usually featured in those other features in the increased confidence, assertiveness, and strength that helps to tie everything together, giving this a nice enough touch. With this build-up out of the way, there's a lot to like when it deals with the exploits of his turned self let loose and being much more of a traditional genre effort. The first encounter with the gangsters following the savage beatdown inflicted beforehand is a fun overall sequence throwing them around and offering the kind of brutal bashings that's quite fun. Later scenes of the creature stalking those in the woodland areas that take advantage of the forested surroundings and unusual design of the werewolf to great effect in the inadvertent triggers to his lycanthropic condition for some decent jokes as well as his unleashed attacks on the criminal seeking revenge for his earlier indiscretions. This is all cathartic enough to be worthwhile and enjoyable enough to have some positive aspects to it. The film does have some issues that bring it down. The main drawback to be had is the utterly lame and unfunny sense of humor this has where hardly anything that happens here is actually funny. This one tries to paint his down-on-his-luck persona, with the dead-end job, overbearing mother hounding him about everything, the timid demeanor, and propensity to daydream about a girl he likes as the type of gutbusting comedy we're supposed to cheer endlessly for. Instead, none of this really strikes any chord at all with most of it being rather irritating how often it's presented here so it all tends to feel tough to get through. As this is a prominent factor throughout the first half with not just the kind of situational but also slapstick physical humor, this part is a bit of a troublesome factor. As well, the other big issue with this one is the highly obvious low-budget limitations featured throughout here. This is mainly familiar within the kills on display which are rarely shown on screen at all, with the creature usually shown to tackle a victim to the point where they fall just out of camera range before dealing the killing blow. Other times, the kill is obscured by the angle chosen so everything is downplayed to the point of not having anything to showcase. The special effects are right on point with that and rarely feature anything here beyond the goofy look of the creature that's at least practical but still has a goofy look to everything featured here. This doesn't become a genuine downfall of the film due to it taking on a personal preference route to everything, but it still stands out as a factor here.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

I discovered It Be an Evil Moon by chance and just loved the concept. There is a definite Trauma Films vibe throughout with hints of the Toxic Avenger sprinkled in. The standout performance is by Rod Glenn who is stellar, and hilarious, in a dual role.

The cinematography in the daydreaming sequences are wonderful and adds to the somewhat surreal feel of the film.

The Indie roots and accompanying low budget is obvious, and the script feels a little undercooked and underdeveloped, but the actors give their best and obviously had a lot of fun on set.

There is a lot of fun to be had watching this film.

I don't normally do reviews but I had to make an exception for this one. The first time I watched this I gave up after the first ten minutes. A few weeks later I decided to give it another go and I was glad that I did.

The film focuses on Freddy Cambell, a mad scientist who discovers a cure for baldness... This ends badly as you might expect from a horror film... The comedy is bizarre to say the least, reminding me of Mel Brooks style in some areas. This combined with horror elements makes for a fun feel to the film. Towards the end, you really feel for the werewolf and is touching and sad at points.

This is clearly a low-budget film but somehow very enjoyable, especially towards the end when the film moves into the wilderness. If you are in the mood for something a bit different and enjoy indie features I can strongly recommend It Be An Evil Moon.

One extra star for the photography, which has some remarkable shots.

The rest is a truly horrific experience. The acting achieves the remarkable feat of being even worse than the plot. Even with so little story, the baffling screenplay has holes bigger than the sense of dread that gradually settles in as you realise the mistake you made in choosing this movie to watch.

The actor for the main role was probably cast for his shining skills in making all the other actors feel better about themselves. His most expressive shot is the last one, in which he is mercifully silent and his face is mostly covered...

I did appreciate how they tried to keep the violence off screen, as it saved us from seeing more of those special effects. On this note, some credit is due: the vape does look menacing.

One more positive note, it is a short movie. At least you won't be wasting 2 hours on it.

The last time I checked, this movie was rated 8.1 on IMDB. I watched it the other night on Prime based on this score and trust me when I say that the score is fixed. It is low budget and frankly ridiculous. The story makes hardly any sense at all and although there were one or two amusing moments I ended up being totally puzzled as to how a score of 8.1 was reached.

The acting is average and the narrative is terrible as certain things just aren't explained at all. If anything my score of four is generous but as I did find it funny a couple of times I thought it fair not to savage it too much. Having said that, give this one a miss.