Greetins from Lithuania.

"Howl" (2015) is a very effective were werewolf movie. It's bloody, simple story yet effectively told. Sure, story is very simple but who cares if it works, and this movie gave exactly what i wanted from it - a pretty good and scary werewolf movie.

Overall, while writing does not shine in this movie and there are some pretty bad lines, "Howl" is one effective and creepy monster horror movie. Seeing very low 5.2 score at IMDb i expected a trashy movie, but this one surprised me. As there aren't many new movies to say the least about these creatures, this one does it's job, just don't expect much and you will be surprised of how cool this flick is. Recommended for those who loves this genre.

Every carriage is a buffet car for a pack of werewolves when a red-eye train from Waterloo comes to a sudden halt on the track, having hit a stag. Down on his luck guard Joe (Ed Speleers) tries to keep his passengers calm while the driver (Sean Pertwee) inspects the damage, but finds his job more stressful than usual when the lycanthropes lurking in the woods launch an attack.

There are several moments in Howl where one cannot help but roll their eyes, far-fetched elements including the barricading of a carriage using some handy dandy tools, an engineering student who knows how to operate and repair a train, and one dumb sap who wanders off into his fog shrouded surroundings because he hears a plaintive cry for help (needless to say, he doesn't make it back alive).

In its favour, however, are a well-drawn cast of characters, plenty of tense action and atmosphere, a reasonable amount of blood and gore, and some of the most impressive looking cinematic werewolves since Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers: ugly buggers with glowing eyes, massive maws full of razor sharp teeth, manky skin and matted fur, realised by an effective mix of practical makeup and CGI. So while the script might not rewrite the rules, Howl still has lots to recommend it.

I'm a big fan of werewolf films and I make it my business to check out any new releases. This one's a low budget British effort along the same lines as the recent LAST PASSENGER (a story about a group of characters trapped on a speeding train with a crazed driver) except with werewolves as the villaisn.

It starts off promisingly enough, with some good characterisation and the beginning of various character arcs. There are some genuinely spooky moments along the way. Sadly, the script gets worse and worse as the running time progresses, giving characters dumb things to say and do, and by the end you couldn't really give a fig about any of them, they're that unlikeable. Having the characters running around screaming for half an hour does not make good cinema.

HOWL really is a mixed bag of a film. The cinematography isn't bad but the determination to shoot everything in the dark is a bit trying (and hard on the eyes). The cast isn't as good as it should be; particularly average is Ed Speleers (ERAGON) playing the leading man. He's supposed to be undergoing this heroic character arc but instead he just seems a little whiny and weedy with little reason for the viewer to root for him. When the only recognisable face is old-timer Duncan Preston (from EMMERDALE) you know you're in trouble. Sean Pertwee appears in a cameo but most people will miss him because his face only appears in profile in the dark - what's the point of that?

Really, the only thing that HOWL has going for it are the werewolves. They look FANTASTIC - among the best I've seen. They're muscular, feral, frightening, with glowing eyes that look really creepy. Whenever they're on screen the film really works, but as soon as they're off it just sort of amblesagain. The set-piece train attack is the film's highlight as it plays against type by having the group fight back, but after this promising moment it all descends into the usual again, which is a real pity because HOWL could have - and should have - been something special. It's the best British werewolf film since DOG SOLDIERS, but that's not saying too much given the lack of competition.