Bad Moon

I first saw "Bad Moon" thanks to a Netflix rental that came with a shoddy presentation in a full-frame transfer. Remembering that I gave the werewolf film one star on the Netflix website, I had very low expectations that I would enjoy Shout Factory's Blu-ray presentation of the 1996 thriller.

Watching "Bad Moon" in high-definition is an entirely different experience, one that heightens the action and the none too shoddy special effects. Of course, the acting hasn't improved much, but the actors are likable enough that you'll forget you're watching a passable man vs. beast story.

"Bad Moon" is based on a novel called "Thor," a story seen through the eyes of a telepathic dog. Director Eric Red wisely eschews that point-of-view and instead opts for a straight-ahead horror flick in his film version.

Stoic and handsome actor Michael Pare plays Ted, an adventurous man who was attacked and bitten by a werewolf a few months back. When he goes to live with his sister (Mariel Hemingway) and nephew (Mason Gamble), they, along with Thor the dog, discover that something's just not right with Ted. And just why does he go for a jog at the same time every night? Meanwhile, campers are being attacked and mutilated by a beast in the woods.

This simple plot gets presented in a sort of Disney-like way and without the werewolf attack scenes, "Bad Moon" would've been a PG-rated film. Writer/director Eric Red talks about this and a few other tidbits in "Nature of the Beast: Making Bad Moon." Actors Pare and Gamble also appear in the 35-minute making-of featurette. Missing from the discussion is actress Hemingway. Apparently, director Red was unhappy with her performance.

Three unnecessary storyboard sequences become part of Scream Factory's Blu-ray. But there's a wholly enjoyable unrated alternate opening sequence that garnered "Bad Moon" an NC-17 rating originally. Shown here in its only source (from VHS, no less), the scene is hardly explicit enough to garner the dreaded NC-17 and shows actor Pare in his usual B-movie, unclothed self.

"Bad Moon"
Blu-ray
$27.99
www.shoutfactory.com