The Company of Wolves (1984)
Article 5561 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 7-14-2018
Directed by Neil Jordan
Featuring Sarah Patterson, Angela Lansbury, David Warner
Country: UK
What it is: Fairy tale/horror/art movie hodgepodge

A girl dreams of living in a medieval village where her grandmother warns her about werewolves.

That this movie has a cult following is no surprise. I’m also not surprised that it has a bit of a lukewarm reputation; though it’s sometimes fascinating to look at and is original, in the final analysis it’s not quite satisfying. It’s basically a variation on the Red Riding Hood story with something of a horror spin to the proceedings and a strong sexual atmosphere. At times it even feels a bit like an anthology movie, as it occasionally goes off on a tangent when it reenacts a werewolf tale one of the characters is telling. The performances are solid and the medieval world and the ominous-looking forest are very well-realized. Those expecting a more conventional horror movie will not be satisfied, but even those expecting something different may be a little put out by it; I emerged from the movie with the feeling that for all it’s trying to do, it’s still missing something.