Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Werewolf Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 2, 2014

With a title like “Werewolf Woman,” a certain viewing experience is promised. However, this is no monster movie, despite an opening that’s exactly a monster movie. Instead of obvious thrills with a she-beast, director Rino Di Silvestro takes a turn into the dark recesses of physical and mental trauma, with abuse, rape, and deceit forming the feral aspects of the lead character. “Werewolf Woman” holds to certain grindhouse cinema highlights, but it’s a deeper picture about troublesome issues, in dire need of a filmmaker who could take it all seriously.

Di Silvestro orders up hysteria with “Werewolf Woman,” almost afraid to be patient with its psychological fractures and study the characters closely as they fight to make sense of the world. Star Annik Borel certainly commits to the part, writhing and raging in the titular role, which also requires almost constant nudity to fulfill the helmer’s vision for vulnerability and oneness with nature. Borel’s all made up as a werewolf for the opening nightmare sequence (complete with two-inch-long nipples), but the rest is purely her, delivering a quaking performance that exhausts itself long before the picture is over.

Werewolf Woman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The VC-1 encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation fights for stability, with judder a common occurrence during the viewing experience. Filtering is also present, removing some texture from the image, but fine detail remains to a lesser degree, finding close-ups capturing facial particulars, and transformation make-up is certainly pauseable. Colors are satisfactory, with heavy reds on costuming and bloodshed, while skintones are natural. Some speckling is present and pockets of noise are detectable. Blacks solidify when explored in full.

Werewolf Woman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM mix is expectedly on the sludgy side, with heavy dubbing contributing to more of a blunt edge on dialogue exchanges, with periodic surges into shrillness. Emotions read as intended, finding hysterics common. Synth-based scoring efforts hold their electro origin, offering a secure sound that brings mood to the movie, supporting the on-screen antics. Atmospherics with gathered crowds and interior creep are adequate.

Werewolf Woman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (six pages) contains an essay by Chris Alexander.

• Interview (19:23, SD) with director Di Silvestro is quite the viewing experience. Sharing practically nothing about the creation of "Werewolf Woman" outside of Borel's casting, Di Silvestro instead monologues about the material's psychological and physiological realism with the theatricality of a late-night horror movie host. He's quite the character.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:57, HD) in both English and Italian is included.

Werewolf Woman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Werewolf Woman" has the idea but never the execution, taking a potentially provocative understanding of gender and sexual fear into areas where ugliness is encouraged, not reflection. Di Silvestro wants to cause a ruckus and transform the work into a think piece on the nature of suffering, but he also wants his camera to linger on shots of pubic hair, rape, and gore. It's difficult to have it both ways, and while "Werewolf Woman" is about duality, it's doesn't necessarily achieve a sense of understanding with either argument.