It had eluded me for ages. First, there was a double header in Vancouver…but the stupid day job prevented me from going. Then…there was nothing. Silence. Screenings were still being held…but in Alberta…and that was a bit too far to drive. On a fluke, I just happened to catch a Tweet: BoneBat film festival…Another Wolfcop…Seattle…April 14th. Scramble to look at work schedule…I WAS OFF! Scramble to get tickets…no…no waiting for idiot friend to make up his mind…this was WOLFCOP! WOLFCOP! Now…was I willing to pay $35 for a ticket to said festival, even though I was only really going to see WOLFCOP…and absolutely no schedule or agenda had been released telling when, throughout all 11 hours of said festival, the object of my lycanthropic need would be shown?

Fuck yeah. Of course!

Why such devotion? Well, sure, you can go back and read my review for the original Wolfcop here…but there’s something more, something that, so long as there is Wolfcop or so long as director Lowell Dean continues to make movies, I will always be a huge supporter. Way back then, it was near the start of the site. The audience was small [Still is. –Ed.] and Wolfcop was our first Impulse Buy Theater review. The folks at the Wolfcop Twitter feed actually gave us a spotlight and a shout out, liking our review. That alone meant a lot, but when another low budget horror movie, ‘Love in the Time of Monsters’, sent us a screener based on the little bit of shine we’d gotten from Wolfcop…well, it was the best thing a little site can hope for.

Sure, we didn’t get any traction out of it in the end, but hey…whatever…those guys are still the tops! And so, for those reasons alone, we’re totally Wolfcop’s bitches in a complete hetero-life-mate sort of way.

A quick plug for the folks that ran the BoneBat show: it was well done and well organized. Like I said above, my only problem was that it would’ve been nice to know when things were going to screen ahead of time. This gripe was exacerbated with the utterly crappy parking options around the theater, the Seattle International Film Festival Uptown location. It was because of this, yes dear reader, I missed the first few minutes of the movie. Thankfully, this was mostly pre-credits stuff, but come on, it was Wolfcop…and to miss any of it? Not cool, man, not cool.

Another Wolfcop opens a month after the events of the first film. Woodhaven has a new mayor in Buddy Rich (played to perfection by Kevin Smith, whom I was surprised to learn was really only on set for about 6 hours tops) and Tina has been promoted to Chief of Police although her relationship with the new mayor is…tenuous at best. Also, a handsome, eccentric millionaire is taking an interest in the town and looking into reopening the old Woodhaven Brewery as well as bringing in a minor league hockey team. All the while, our lycanthropic anti-hero, Lou Garou lies in wait to be called…or just gets sick of sitting around and steps out occasionally to add some teeth to the law and take a bite out of crime. [Ugh. Really? MacGruff the crime dog? This is what happens when you’re away for a while, you revert to puns…and friends don’t let friends pun. – Ed.] So…is this it? Is Woodhaven on the rebound? Is the threat of the lizard shape-shifters from the first film over?

Of course not, you idiot…otherwise, it wouldn’t be much of a movie, would it?

Now, obviously, I don’t want to give anything away because that risks taking away some of the fun of the movie…as the film opens with a chase scene that propels us into the story. (And, in case you miss it due to shitty parking options, you can still piece together what happens…just saying.) It’s a great way to dive headlong back into the twisted world created by writer/director Lowell Dean and ends with a surprise (and welcome) return of a character from the first movie. From here, the plot of the film is best summed up as follows:

Have you ever watched Strange Brew but thought it needed less Shakespeare and more ‘Aliens’? Oh, and werewolves?

If you answered ‘yes’ to those questions, buckle up buddy, you’re in for a heck of a ride. If you’re not sure how to answer, but you saw Wolfcop, the same response applies. [We were going to say ‘saw and loved Wolfcop’, but if you’re on this site and you DIDN’T love Wolfcop upon seeing it, you’re in the wrong place. – Ed.] On that note, if you read the above question and wondered “What’s Strange Brew?” then…how do the kids say it on the internet…GTFO. Hell, Another Wolfcop even manages to maintain the lofty standards for bestiality that the franchise established in the first film…all the while keeping it fresh. Make-up effects from Emersen Ziffle…both for the titular lycanthrope as well as the abundant gore…remain top notch and continue to show how in this day and age of ever-increasing digital effects that the best gore remains practical in nature. Now, there is one thing that you could nit-pick…and that’s the title. Sure, it’s better than Wolfcop 2…but it does imply something that…kinda sorta happens…but we’re going to rule against it on the grounds of a technicality. It does end up being a slight misnomer, but come on, if that takes away from your enjoyment of the film, then you take yourself and movies in general FAR too seriously.

One last thing: if the first Wolfcop was focused on the “F” word…Franchise…then Another Wolfcop should be tethered to the “M” word…Merchandising! A lot of what was shown on screen, I’d be more than happy to buy. Take the new local Woodhaven brew, Chicken Milk Stout and its slogan “Slam a cold cock!”…I’d totally buy that on a t-shirt. [THEY EXIST!!! – Ed.] What about that Woodhaven Darkstars hockey jersey? C’mon…given that I tracked down a Monroeville Zombies jersey from Zack and Miri…of course I’d buy that! [Close, but not exactly. – Ed.] But…and I know I’m gonna sound weird here…you know what I want to buy most that was briefly featured in the film? The Liquor Donuts exclusive Wolfcop-themed Toque-and-Gitch gift pack. [How about half of that combo? – Ed.] Wow. They actually seem to be pretty on the ball with this. Well played, Wolfcop…well played.

Another Wolfcop is a film that makes good on its promise: it’s bloody, it’s fun, it’s hilarious and it’s DEFINITELY Canadian (that’s a good thing!). Gore! Hockey! Beer! Werewolf! I mean, seriously, do I even have to say more? If you get the chance to see this in the theater, don’t hesitate to check it out. If you can’t though, don’t worry, you don’t have too long to wait…Another Wolfcop hits DVD and Blu-Ray on July 3rd. Has anyone thought to check it that’s a full moon?

And just like with the first film the credits end with a promise: Wolfcop will return…

We sure hope so.

#HypnoCat #movies