GAME OF WEREWOLVES

One hundred years ago in Galicia, a gypsy curse is put on the family Mariño. One hundred years later, Thomas, a failed writer, but the only Mariño descendent – returns to his native village of Arga to collect a Freedom of the Village Award. In itself baffling, because Arga’s local colour is depressingly Dark, as in Ages. Things clarify when the award turns out to be a ruse to lure Tomas into a sacrificial ceremony that will liberate Arga from the curse – thus ending the Reign of the Werewolves. Thomas’s only allies are his intrepid, snooping dog and childhood friend Calisto, until a crooked Madrid editor, an erudite cop into Poe and Lovecraft and a zippy grandmother show up to help ward off a crimson-eyed pack of werewolves, gracefully leaping creatures that heap up many bodies.

Lobos updates the werewolf film, particularly known in Spain, into a faced-paced comedy based on ancient rural legends that still survive in parts of Europe today. Chills and laughter guaranteed in this visually striking film, with creature design and SFX make-up by Arturo Balseiro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Wolfman). Director Juan Martinez Moreno’s filmography includes: Dos Tipos Duros in 2003, followed by A Good Man in 2009.