‘Blackout’ Movie Review [Fantasia 2023]: A Small-Town Werewolf Story That Lacks Bite
Photo from Fantasia International Film Festival
From Jeff Nelson
The werewolf movie sub-genre reaches as far back as 1913’s The Werewolf. Similar to the vampire, the titular creature underwent many twists on the lore, its physical appearance, and the mystical rules surrounding its existence. Larry Fessenden’s Blackout throws it back to a wolfman, rather than a gigantic wolf creature.
Charley (Alex Hurt) is a fine arts painter living in a small American town with a troubled past that led him into self-destruction. A series of gruesome, animalistic killings start appearing in the local area, leaving the terrified community to blame the innocent Miguel (Rigo Garay). However, Charley convinces himself that he’s a werewolf, who goes on killing sprees under the full moon, only to wake up the following morning in a daze.
Traditional werewolf stories are typically tragic ones that follow a wounded protagonist with the fate of killing innocent people around them, and Blackout is no exception. Charley dismisses his past traumas as “circumstantial,” although they continue to weigh on his soul, particularly as his guilt mounts over the local murders. Nevertheless, he still wishes to do right by his community and those he cares about most.
Fessenden’s screenplay introduces worthwhile stakes for Charley and the town, but they could use more room to breathe. His culpability in these deaths expresses itself through his artwork, although his interactions with other townsfolk, such as ex-girlfriend Sharon (Addison Timlin), only scratch the surface of what’s hidden beneath the surface.
Hurt provides Charley with empathy, making it easy to sympathize with his hardships and the cloud of death that looms above his head. Familiar faces, such as Barbara Crampton and Joe Swanberg make appearances in smaller roles, further giving life to this community. However, it’s a shame that the screenplay doesn’t provide greater immersion into this small town in mortal danger.
When the full moon emerges, Blackout doesn’t hold back on the werewolf carnage, employing practical effects that strike a nostalgic chord for monster features of the past. It isn’t necessarily scary, but the kills are adequately gory and well-shot.
Blackout is a throwback to a nostalgic period of werewolf movies, but its bite doesn’t break the skin. The transformation sequences lead to a few gnarly kills, although the drama and tension that surround them are too slight, giving little weight to its lead character sunken in tragedy.
Rating: 2.5/5
Blackout played at Fantasia 2023 on July 20th, 2023.
