Cub

That's an advice anyone participating in a horror movie should follow. But if they did, we wouldn't have a movie, would we? So if you like a good slasher/horror/backwoods movie, you will "enjoy" this. It won't redefine the genre, but it knows its rules and where to go without losing the audience.

A European horror movie that has the template down, the acting is OK, the effects are really good too. It's not too explicit (only from time to time there's a violence spike), but when it is, you get to see quite a bit of violence. The ending might confuse a few people, but I liked the way it prepared us for what was about to happen ...

Cub was a captivating movie, filled with building but nicely crafted suspense. I felt at times that the plot was somewhat predictable, but I still enjoyed myself throughout the movie. The movie itself remains true to the horror genre, whilst mildly delving into the themes of puberty and social acceptance. The movie also packs a satisfying amount of gore, and doesn't blow all of it's atmosphere on pointless jump scares.

The movie does, however, follow some trends and themes set by other movies (which removes from it's originality in my opinion). Most of the characters are also very easy to dislike.

Overall, I would say that this movie is enjoyable and worth a watch, and I applaud it for it's independence and how refreshing it is compared to some of the current horror films around.

To the director and those involved you have no compassion and we all know that scene wasnt necessary.

"Welp" generated quite a hype here in our lovely little country of Belgium because it allegedly is the very first horror movie to emerge from here; - or at least from the geographical Dutch speaking part named Flanders. That just isn't true since we previously had horror (and cult) classics such as "Devils of Darkness", "Lucker", "Parts of the Family", "Afterman" and "Engine Trouble". It's even debatable that this is the first horror film to be spoken entirely in Flemish because there exists also "Linkeroever", "Alias", "De Potloodmoorden" and an obscure little dud called "The Antwerp Killer". But, seriously, who cares if it isn't the first? It also isn't the most inventive horror movie and it certainly isn't the greatest horror movie ever made, but what counts most is that "Welp" is inarguably a highly entertaining Belgian horror outing with a tense & gripping atmosphere, strong acting performances and a bit of nasty gore footage. The protagonists in "Welp" are all junior boy scouts, which was a terrific idea of writer/director Jonas Govaerts, as this is a typically Belgian phenomenon. Practically everyone in this country joined some kind of scout federation in their youth. Yours truly didn't, and I can assure you that I was quite the outcast in school because of this. On Wednesday afternoons all my classmates went to the woods to play scout games, while I went home to my couch and watch horror movies that I wasn't allowed to watch yet. Ah, memories…

One of the boy scouts, Sam, is a bit of an outcast as well. On their way to the Southern Belgian backwoods (called "The Ardennes") for their annual survival camp, Sam spots a mysterious shape and secret hideout place between the trees, but nobody believes him. Little Sam is right of course, as the forestry area soon turns out to be the turf of a vicious serial killer and his bewildered infant sidekick. The other cubs constantly humiliate Sam and the scout leaders are too busy with making out and being arrogant, but they won't be able to ignore the deadly booby-traps that are placed all around the woods. "Welp" features a large number of clichés and stereotypes, but I suppose that is almost inevitable when you're making a slasher throwback movie. The parts that are similar to "Friday the 13th" and other classics could also easily be referred to as homages, for that matter. More important is that director Jonas Govaerts perfectly knows the true meaning of the term "horror" and he isn't afraid to break through taboos or insert shocking plot twists. For example, there are a couple of disturbing death sequences involving young children and even a scene where a dog is used as a piñata! Furthermore is the atmosphere of the film continuously macabre and unsettling, with an almost complete lack of humor in the script, but a strong presence of tenebrous camera-work and frightening music. The acting performances are terrific, too. The young actor Maurice Luijten impresses the most, but also Titus De Voogdt and the lovely Evelien Bosmans are very good as the scout leaders. Stef Aerts gives the best grown-up performance as the arrogant and self-centered scout leader Baloo. His behavior might seem exaggerated, but according to several former cub friends of mine, idiotic leaders like him apparently do exist.

This movie will not give you something new. It is typical not many scares, but it keeps you interested till the end.

People go into the woods and they try in a way, to come out alive. Although it is a typical slasher movie as many said, it has a nice angle, not a lot of blood or nudity and sex. It focuses on the characters mostly and the story. This helps you get more involved with the movie and sympathize with the characters.

The cinematography and the directing is descent and the script keeps you till the end. But don't expect a lot of blood and scares. It has a kind of old time flavor horror movies; it gives you the thrills not much gore. If you want to see a lot of gore and blood watch another movie. Also the music is eerie.

The ending is very interesting and the psychological aspects of it, will make you wonder for a bit.