After the history of the Howling franchise I expected a movie that wasn't only bad and completely uninteresting but cheap and schlocky. The only surprise was that it was actually a competent and professional enough production considering the budget and work that looks like was put into it.

Like most werewolf movies however, it didn't have much to do with werewolves and they could have been swapped out with any other monster – it had the same embracing-your-animal side that's been done everywhere from far superior movies like Mike Nichols' Wolf or Ginger Snaps.

It's also another teenager not fitting in parable (he doesn't because he's a werewolf). Will (Landon Liboiron) lives with his father after his mother died during an attack while she was giving birth to him. Now about to graduate high school, he can't wait to get away from everything except from the sexy Eliana (Lindsey Shaw).

But a strange, svelte woman shows up claiming to be his mother and – together with a gang of the tough guys at school who've always picked on him – she encourages Will to let go of his inhibitions and give in to his dark side, even if it means killing the girl he loves.

Werewolves only show up in the last ten minutes on any notable scale, and at least they're in-camera make-up effects instead of the tiresome CGI that's dogged the genre. Shaw is actually very vibrant as the love interest – much better than anybody else on screen – and while it's not going to go anywhere near the (tiny) canon of great werewolf movies, it's distracting enough to keep you watching for the entire length.