Le Poil de la Bete aka The Hair of the Beast movie review (2010)

Le Poil de la Bete

a.k.a.

The Hair of the Beast (2010)

Brief review: This Canadian period-piece werewolf flick takes place in 1665 in New France. Our protagonist, Joseph Cote, escapes from prison to avoid death by hanging. As colonial soldiers chase him, Joseph takes on the identity of a Jesuit and hides in Beaufort, where he soon discovers werewolves are terrorizing the village. "Le Poil de la Bete"'s biggest problem is not the lack of originality, but the lack of actual thrills and chills - there's not a single truly intense or scary scene in the entire movie.. and not even a funny one. It's doesn't even fall into the 'so bad it's good' category. In fact, this completely plot-less Canadian werewolf flick is so sterile and unsubstantial, it makes "The Wolfman" seem like a masterpiece. The visuals are the only area where the film really succeeds. The production design is excellent, and represents the era accurately and quite beautifully, and the fantastically gloomy cinematography fits the tone of the movie really well. Having said that, the practical effects are cheesy at best, as the the werewolves themselves look quite unpolished, and more ridiculous rather than scary. The acting is sub-par from everyone involved, without any particular standout performances, or at least a decent one.

Overall summary: Nicely-shot and visually-atmospheric, yet completely pointless and overstuffed with werewolf clichés, "The Hair of the Beast" is a classic example of 'style over substance'.