high moon movie review

High Moon review: Western and horror mix you didn’t know you need

By adrienne tyler | apr 25, 2019.

High Moon offers a combination of various elements that might seem odd but are very well-balanced.

If you heard “gunslinger from the Old West who comes back from the grave to stop a gang of werewolves in the present day,” you’d probably think it sounds too weird. If we add “motorcycles” to the mix, you would think there are too many things in one package. And it’s true; but that doesn’t mean it’s bad or saturated. That said, meet High Moon , a western/horror movie that has all those elements and a bit more.

High Moon , written and directed by Josh Ridgway, follows a mysterious gunslinger named Colt (played by Chad Michael Collins) with a mission to kill every living werewolf (or “howler”) after a gang of lycans killed his wife. Now, all that happened centuries ago, in the mid-1800s. Things take a major twist when Colt and the werewolves come back from the grave, creating chaos in a small town.

When clichés don’t matter much

Listen, I’m going to be honest with you: High Moon is packed with clichés — and that’s OK.

Stay with me, OK? You have a mysterious cowboy, a skeptical sheriff, a girl who is dragged into the situation and who doesn’t know what’s happening but still actively participates, a corrupt mayor, a magical object and a mysterious character with magic/mystical powers.

These are elements you can find on many genres, and while it sounds like it’s too much to have in one movie, turns out it works well on this one. More so because, all in all (and without spoiling anything), the #1 cliché that you could expect doesn’t happen and that actually makes it quite refreshing, even if it has all those other elements we see everywhere.

It’s really that simple.

Not your regular werewolves

Every story involving werewolves will have its own interpretation and imagery, and that’s the beauty of it. We are used to having werewolves that, once they transform, they completely lose their humanity.

Well, not here and not today. The werewolves in High Moon are more of a human/beast blend, as they don’t get the body of an animal and can still talk and walk like any other human. And it works, because, honestly, what would be the point on seeing a cowboy slaying a bunch of wild dogs? Come on.

When the trailer was released , I mentioned that these creatures were, essentially, zombie werewolves as they came back from the dead. I’m proud to announce that I was wrong. These werewolves didn’t rot and their consciousness is better than ever (and so is Colt’s so, it’s fair), so they don’t really fit the “zombie” category —  sigh of relief to those who thought there was yet another element to add to the mix.

High Moon (2019) – courtesy of Distribution Solutions

Blood, practical effects, and… a western Van Helsing?

As much as I appreciate and respect CGI, there’s nothing like practical effects in horror movies. One of the things that surprised me the most about High Moon was the use of practical effects (or at least they look like they are, which is also great). There’s a certain charm on crafting a scene where a werewolf pulls a man’s heart out of his chest that you just can’t have when computers and technology are involved.

That said, the movie has a fair amount of blood, but nothing major. After all, it’s not gore we’re talking about, but there is one scene that has some gory vibes, which I’m sure many horror fans will appreciate.

And then, there’s our main character, Colt. I got some major Van Helsing vibes, not only in the outfit (yes, here I am referring to Gabriel Van Helsing and not Abraham) but also in the weapons and the mission. Let’s say Colt is our B-movie werewolf-hunting Van Helsing.

The good, the bad, and the best

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Let’s start with the bad that isn’t too bad.

The movie’s title card is still Howlers , the original title, which honestly made me giggle (maybe they will change it, maybe not), there are some bad cuts here and there but nothing too critical or that could break the flow, and the acting from some characters could have been better.

That’s it. That’s the bad.

The good: Chad Michael Collins. Again, we’re talking about a cowboy that kills werewolves. A character that could have easily been either exaggerated or super plain, but Collins gave it the perfect balance. It’s not cheesy, it’s not overly dramatic, and it isn’t annoying. Thank you, Mr. Collins.

The best: as mentioned above, there are a lot of things in this mix, but Ridgway and company found the way to balance it all, and the result is a fun movie that flows smoothly. If given the chance, it could become a cult classic. That said, it’s absolutely worth the time and you should give it a watch (or two or more).

Next. Five werewolf movies from the '70s. dark

High Moon will be released on VOD/Digital on May 14 and it’s already available for preorder on Amazon and iTunes .

Movie Review: HIGH MOON (2019)

• May 14, 2019 May 14, 2019
• Kellie Haulotte

Werewolves, Old West Gunslingers, Motorcycles, Oh My!

HIGH MOON is directed by Josh Ridgway and stars Sean Patrick Flanery , Chelsea Edmundson, Chad Michael Collins, and Matthew Tompkins.

Let’s start off the bat by saying HIGH MOON isn’t the best werewolf film out there, but it’s probably one of the funniest to watch. It’s super over the top, which gives it a certain kind of charm.

The film mixes three different genres: Western, Horror, and Action. Basically, there is a gunslinger from the 19th Century named Colt who rises from the grave and into the modern world. He finds out that the werewolves that murdered his wife are still around (with motorcycles, no less). So not only does Colt have to contend with the modern era, but he has to finish his revenge, though he does get help from a few of the locals.

I will say that the film’s premise is different than most other werewolf films. This isn’t Underworld or American Werewolf in London. It’s more over-the-top like Wolf Cop.

The acting is totally B-film quality, but it’s not overly terrible either. I’ve always been a fan of Sean Patrick Flanery and his role as the corrupt Mayor was fun! Chad Michael Collins , who played the main character Colt, wasn’t too bad either. He seemed to take his role quite seriously.

I will give HIGH MOON credit because the Western genre and Horror genre actually go great together. My overall advice is don’t take HIGH MOON too seriously and just enjoy the ride!

The film is now available on VOD/Digital!

https://vimeo.com/310236133

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‘High Moon’ Review

Stars:  Chad Michael Collins, Chelsea Edmundson, Matthew Thompkins, Sean Patrick Flanery | Written and Directed by Josh Ridgway

Colt (Chad Michael Collins)—a gunslinging werewolf slayer from the old west—mysteriously rises from the grave, only to find that the band of werewolves that brutally murdered his wife are still running rampant generations later. Aided by a beautiful widow (Chelsea Edmundson), a skeptical town sheriff (Matthew Thompkins) and a corrupt Mayor (Sean Patrick Flanery), Colt must face off with the bloodthirsty creatures once again to save a sleepy southern town from destruction.

Let’s face it, horror westerns are VERY difficult to get right. On one side there’s dross like Gallowalkers, then on the other there’s brilliant films like 2014’a Blood Moon . Though, honestly, the bad often outweighs the good in this particular genre, which is probably why High Moon decides to forgoe its Western origins and sets most of its film in the present. Which in itself is a risky move as not only do you have to deal with both the horror and western elements (for even set in present day this still features character tropes from old cowboy movies) but on top of that you have a fish-out-of-water story to deal with. Oh… and there’s werewolves in the mix too!

Thankfully writer/director Josh Ridgway doesn’t play any aspect of his film for laughs – which is a route he could easily have taken given how much of a blend of genres this film is. Playing up the comedic aspect of each genre would not necessarily have made for a bad film and might have been an easier film to write but sticking to a more serious tone, and only using the fish-out-of-water part of the story to alleviate the mood, means that High Moon reminded me very much of the 1987 TV movie Timestalkers, which used the same man out of time conceit to a similar great effect.

And whilst werewolves and the undead in general would usually denote sheer terror, here both are used as a plot device in a film that actually plays out in a more action-orientated fashion in much the same way that the Blade movies did; and High Moon is all the better for it. Especially when you consider that this film, at least according to the end screen of the film, this is the first in an apparent franchise – a franchise featuring an undead gunslinger hunting down his own undead kind, in this case the undead just happen to be ressurected werewolves. See, told you this was like Blade . Perhaps moving forward out hero Colt will take on other undead foes? Vampires, zombies, who knows where this story could go?

Writer/director Josh Ridgway seems to be creating a real mythos for this series, with a magical sceptre and mysterious ninja-like figure leading Colt from the shadows. Thankfully the mythos isn’t forced down the audiences throat in High Moon , instead – like all great origin tales – its sprinkled throughout the film with just enough information to keep you intrigued and scant enough information to keep you hooked till the next time to find out just what, if anything, is really going on.

Definitely not what I expected, in fact honestly BETTER than I expected, High Moon is ultimately a fantastic action-horror that not only gives audiences a new hero in Chad Michael Collins’ gunslinger Colt, but a possible new genre franchise to look forward to in the future.

High Moon is out on DVD and Digital now from High Fliers Films.

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A gunfighter from the old west returns from the grave to stop a blood thirsty werewolf motorcycle gang from terrorizing a small town. A gunfighter from the old west returns from the grave to stop a blood thirsty werewolf motorcycle gang from terrorizing a small town. A gunfighter from the old west returns from the grave to stop a blood thirsty werewolf motorcycle gang from terrorizing a small town.

• Josh Ridgway
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• 24 User reviews
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• Trivia The final scene was shot in Maypearl, Tx. A small town south of Dallas.
• Goofs In the final fight with the main antagonist, he turns back into a complete werewolf during the day. Werewolves only become werewolves at night during the full moon.

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Rebel moon - part one: director's cut.

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Worthwhile director's cut has violence..

The film has violence, including people being beaten, slashed, stabbed, shot, and ripped apart, all with copious splatters of blood and gore. One scene depicts women being stripped fully nude (sight of breasts and pubic hair) and then branded with a hot iron. There is sexual content, including a sex scene featuring thrusting, moaning, and bare breasts (lasts about a minute and a half), and a man engaging in presumed sexual activities with a tentacled creature (sight of the tentacles sucking on parts of his body and going down his throat, sight of his bare butt). There is language, including frequent use of "fuck" and "shit", and brief use of "cunt". Overall: 15+ for strong gory sci-fi violence throughout, some disturbing images, sexuality/nudity, and pervasive language.

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Directed by Josh Ridgway

A soldier turned gunfighter rises from the grave only to find himself in a modern time where the same werewolf outlaw gang that brutally murdered his wife are running rampant. Aided by a beautiful widow, a broken down sheriff, and a corrupt Mayor, Colt must face the blood thirsty creatures once again to save a small sleepy southern town.

Chad Michael Collins Chelsea Edmundson Sean Patrick Flanery Tom Zembrod Matthew Tompkins April Hartman Grace Montie Ted Ferguson Richard Jackson Mike Lobo Daniel Kim Foster James Wlcek Kamryn Poole Joe Carpenter Jenin Gonzalez Pete O. Partida Mark Hanson Declan Joyce Tywaun Tornes

Director Director

Josh Ridgway

Writer Writer

Cinematography cinematography.

Ron McPherson

Art Direction Art Direction

David Jeter

Releases by Date

14 may 2019, 02 jul 2019, releases by country.

• Physical DVD

93 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Demdike ★★★ 1

A low budget horror / western / action hybrid about an old west gunslinger (Chad Michael Collins) resurrected in the modern day to kill an outlaw gang of werewolves.

We are definitely in Werewolves on Wheels (1971) territory here rather than say, Dog Soldiers, but there's much to enjoy. There's a lot of humour and the 'fish out of water' stuff is well written. In fact the whole script works well and the likes of Sean Patrick Flannery (as a gun-running mayor) and the gorgeous Chelsea Edmundson are clearly having a blast.

Although the action sequences are a little hampered by budgetary restraints (i've seen a lot worse) on the whole i found High Moon to be a lot of fun.

Review by Wes Edwards ★★

You'd think a movie with werewolves from the Old West that turn into a modern-day biker gang would be fun.

It is, just not nearly as much as it should be with a premise like that. The movie stops cold everytime it gives lugubrious back stories for the characters. The mayor and the sheriff's wife have a thing? What? Not really necessary, but at least Sean Patrick Flanery knows how to play this. He's over-the-top enjoyable as the seedy small-town mayor, hissing his lines through a drunken haze.

The story, as you can imagine, makes no sense. We come to the low-rent shelf for the action scenes, not the story lines. High Moon has a lot of those, but their…

Review by Warren Gilbert ★★½

A man from the past returns from the grave in modern times where he continues to hunt down the werewolf gang that murdered his family. High Moon mixes some fish out of water comedy, western, and werewolf elements together to middling results. While it's cool to see several different werewolves in one movie it's at the cost of a lack of transformations and while it starts out decently enough it eventually hits a wall about an hour in as it goes from scene to scene of drama. It's a problem that happens far too often in these modern low budget horror films where the writer thinks he's writing Oscar worthy dialogue and story when it's all really pretty monotonous. It eventually reaches its big finale, but it's never quite able to overcome that wall of drama that preceded it. Overall High Moon certainly isn't terrible, but it's not really something worth seeking out either.

Review by PUNQ ★

I sort of liked the monsters in this, but there were some bad acting going on in this modern western-flavored werewolf slaughter. Just another random horror gimmick without much to offer.

Review by Milo Andotis ★★★

Ok but I actually unironically enjoyed this? Like yeah sure, it looks cheap and some of the acting is very bad, but I feel for what they had this was great! Some really good action choreography can be seen here, sure it's simple, but a good close quarters fistfight between a dude dressed as Van Helsing and the lesser known werewolf member of the village people is what I needed to end the night after a truly awful into the dark.

Dont expect much, just have fun, also may I add, High Moon is an excellent name for this movie.

Review by HombreGato ★

A time traveling cowboy versus werewolves story churned out for the DVD and cable TV market. High Moon, or “Howlers” depending on where and when one comes across it, suffers most by treating multiple characters as protagonist. In a better movie, that might simply come across as ensemble, but editing and writing choices treat each member of Team Human as if he or she is individually the throughline.

The lone entertaining corner of this movie is, as such, its only clear supporting role. Sean Patrick Flanery is used in limited supply as a foolish mayor out for his own skin, and that’s all. No crumbling marriage while trying to keep peace in a town under assault, no Sarah Conner style…

Review by WhoGoesTherePod ★★★½

I honestly loved this piece of shit. It feels like a really fun sci-fi movie, but better. You know, it's cheesy, but doesn't feel overly low budget? It's definitely a B movie, but it's fun, it's bloody, and it's about a fuckin werewolf biker gang. This is what happens when I allow myself to watch silly ass movies.

Review by Wilson Gill ★★

Should've stayed with the wild west setting. The make up is laughable even though the plot started out strong as soon as it hit modern times, it lost its momentum

Review by devdevdev ★★

High Moon (or HOWLERS) is about a werewolf hunter cowboy, who was trained in kung fu by a chinese warlord, as well as trained by an interdimensional magic ninja called "The Keeper" in what looked to be "Batman Studies", to be a double axe wielding all-black cowboy superwarrior. That's already a lot to take in. He then kills an evil outlaw gang of werewolves, buries them with a sceptre that brings the dead back to life (?????????), then is himself killed by his magic ninja warrior friend who buries him with them. Now, we jump to the present day where all of them are resurrected, this happens because of what is termed by the protagonist "A change in the world,…

Review by Keith Christen ★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

"A gunfighter from the old west returns from the grave to stop a blood thirsty werewolf motorcycle gang from terrorizing the small town in which they inhabited all those years ago." That's the small synopsis from Prime. Sums it up rather well, I'd say.

The title "High Moon" was what caught my eye originally. A play on the term "high noon" of course, where old cowboys would settle their differences at mid day. Usually resulted in a duel, a gun fight. So take that western terminology and add a little bit of Werewolf in the mix, and it at the very least intrigued me. Pretty clever. I'm always looking for new lycanthrope flicks.

Something I didn't understand though about these…

Review by Teddy Brown ★★★½

A fun werewolf movie..it's cheesy...but enjoyable

Review by Dustin Baker ★★½

Competent for what it is, with decent choreography and production values to make for a cheesy schlock flick that doesn't make you feel stupid for watching it. But other than a few particulars, there's nothing really unique here. It plays it all straightforward without an ounce of winking back or taking the piss out of itself, something movies like this really need. It's just too serious as it passes off lame "twists" that are recycled ad nauseum for decades now.

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Book Review: Moon Unit Zappa memoir rides messy legacy of father’s genius on journey to self-love

This cover image released by Dey Street shows “Earth to Moon” by Moon Unit Zappa. (Dey Street via AP)

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Moon Unit Zappa got the question a lot, particularly during the “Valley Girl” years: “What was it like growing up with Frank Zappa for a dad?”

The eldest daughter of the quirky and unconventional musical visionary, who died at 52 in 1993, gives the world an extended, nuanced, often funny, many times painful answer to that question in her new memoir, “Earth to Moon,” to be released Tuesday.

The book’s title carries the power of her life’s journey. Her mother, Frank’s second wife Gail, often used the phrase to scold her as a child — “Earth to Moon, the earth doesn’t revolve around you” — but as Moon, now 56, matures, it comes to symbolize the grounding energy of appreciating her place on the planet. She punctuates her book with clever, space-themed sections, photos and old journal entries.

“Love yourself, love yourself, love yourself” is one of her “big takeaways.”

Moon Unit’s hurts are many. She describes a childhood wrought with confusion and disappointment, in which she acted to nurture and protect her younger siblings — Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva — even as her own big life questions remained largely unaddressed by her preoccupied father and volatile mother.

Take sex. She was regularly exposed to her father’s scantily clad groupies, nudity around the house and being able to hear her parents’ love-making (and arguing) through the walls, yet had no clue how to use a tampon. It was the same with money. Although Moon accrued a nest egg from her and her father’s Grammy-nominated 1982 hit “Valley Girl” large enough to buy her own house (“Like, omigod!”), she never had “normal” childhood experiences like allowance and chores and struggled to hold a steady job.

Growing up in 1970s Hollywood meant hanging with plenty of fellow celebrities, though. Actors Justine and Jason Bateman are friends, they know Michael J. Fox as “Mike,” her brother Dweezil dates Molly Ringwald (and later VJs on MTV), and, in one hilarious scene, she chases her heartthrob, Jon Bon Jovi, to a fundraiser only to discover they’re star-crossed. Moon also relieves her stress by attending live comedy shows with the likes of newcomers Chris Rock and Janeane Garofalo.

In his 1989 “The Real Frank Zappa Book,” Frank admits he’s grumpy, has a bad attitude toward “typical familyism,” has no “friends,” and no time for “social activities.” (Quote marks, his.) “I do, however, have a wonderful wife and four totally unbelievable children, and that, folks, is way better,” he writes. Frank Zappa explains that he chooses to treat his children like people — as in, like adults — and believes, “Whatever they’re going to do in life, they’s going to do regardless of home instruction.”

Moon Unit describes those traits left her with a yearning — for more of his time, his attention, his validation. She and her mother frequently clash as they navigate Frank’s long absences, affairs, and occasional bomb drops (say, a possible run for president, or “Moon, I have cancer.”)

In one poignant episode, Moon describes being a child and being overcome with a fear of death. She dares to venture to Frank’s basement lair to seek her father’s comfort and he rebuffs her, telling her just not to think about it. Back in her room, she imagines what it would be like to be her dad and just not be afraid. She listens to his music and pretends he’s telling her a story.

“I listen to the notes of his song-story and my breathing slows down. My body feels heavy now,” she writes. “My eyes close to the night and the dark. I keep listening and let my daddy’s music wrap around me like tangled seaweed, and the music and my steady heartbeat intertwine until sleep pulls me under.”

Perhaps her biggest disappointment is her mother’s now well-publicized decision to make Ahmet and Diva “the sole and exclusive managers of all business” related to Frank after her death. She and Dweezil were given no rights to decisions about the family home, their father or their last name, which prompted deep soul-searching.

Moon says she remains estranged from her two youngest siblings, and for different reasons from Dweezil, but she writes that she is finding her way to healing. She is a mother, a writer, an actor, a comic, an artist, a podcaster and a “tea baroness.”

Among the things that she’s learned is that growing up doesn’t end when you become an adult. She writes, “The way out is through. Make peace with what hurts and head toward joy.”

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There’s something radical about the old-fashioned approach of “My Penguin Friend.” It’s an earnest, crowd-pleasing family film – nothing snarky or self-referential, no on-the-nose needle drops - just a sweet, beautifully made movie that earns the emotion it’ll surely draw from its viewers. 

Director David Schurmann tells the true story of the unlikely bond between a penguin and a fisherman, which lasted over several years and thousands of miles. The penguin would migrate every June from Patagonia at the tip of Argentina, along the Eastern edge of South America, to Ilha Grande off the coast of Brazil. It’s like “Same Time, Next Year,” with a flightless bird in place of Ellen Burstyn . 

In the script from Kristen Lazarian and Paulina Lagudi Ulrich, the fisherman, João, has suffered a devastating loss at the beginning of the film, making the surprising arrival of the penguin that much more poignant.  Jean Reno gives a vulnerable, moving performance as João, a simple man broken by tragedy transformed by the thrill of this unexpected connection. He shows great range here, from sorrow to joy to an impish sense of playfulness, and his openness is captivating. And as João’s wife, Maria, Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza is a sturdy anchor, a steady source of calm no matter the highs and lows. She’s also not too thrilled at first about having a penguin pitter-patter around the kitchen of her modest, beachfront bungalow. 

But DinDim is too darn cute. That’s the name a little girl in the village gives the penguin, and it sticks. And part of what’s amazing about the film is that it features actual penguins rather than animatronics or CGI creations. The press notes inform us that we see live penguins 80 percent of the time, with some wire-controlled dummies and digital effects. The result is a hugely compelling feeling of intimacy and authenticity. Working with the great cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle , Danny Boyle ’s frequent collaborator, Schurmann shoots much of the film at low angles and from the penguin's point of view. This gives the movie an exuberant feeling of childlike wonder, especially as DinDim gets into mischief. 

That’s a great example of how “My Penguin Friend” works on multiple levels for various viewers. Kids will love the silly energy while adults can appreciate the craftsmanship behind the chaos. From vibrant sunsets to endless ocean vistas to quiet moments in the family’s kitchen, Dod Mantle repeatedly offers wondrous images that buoy the film along.  

This is why it’s such a letdown whenever “My Penguin Friend” cuts away from this heartwarming story and returns to Patagonia to see what the researchers there are doing.  Alexia Moyano , Nicolás Francella , and Rocio Hernández play the scientists who study these cuddly creatures, taking notes on their migration patterns as well as their activities in Argentina. DinDim stands out for his friendliness and curiosity, although Francella’s one-note character is a consistent naysayer who doesn’t think this particular penguin is anything special.  

Once a viral video emerges of DinDim being adorable with João and his fellow villagers, and it dawns on the researchers that he might be one of theirs, the back-and-forth of tracking him down becomes especially tedious. Given the international nature of the cast and the production, everyone speaks English to make things easier. Still, the dialogue and delivery in the Patagonia sections feel dull and stilted, particularly in contrast with the warmth of the rest of the movie. 

Still, the bond between João and DinDim ultimately prevails. A climactic rescue toward the end that mirrors the tragedy at the film’s start might feel like a bit too obvious of a parallel, but it provides a necessary moment of redemption and closure. The camerawork is so immersive here and Reno’s moist-eyed tenderness is so touching that it’s hard not to feel swept up in the emotion. You might not think you need “My Penguin Friend” in your life, either, but you do. 

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

My Penguin Friend (2024)

Jean Reno as Joao

Adriana Barraza as Maria

Nicolás Francella as Carlos

Alexia Moyano as Adriana

Rocío Hernández as Stephanie

• David Schurmann
• Kristen Lazarian
• Paulina Lagudi

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'The Soul Eater' Review: This Horror Procedural Is Sparing Yet Devastating | Fantasia 2024

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The Big Picture

• Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury step away from their horror-first roots.
• Achieves a sustainable level of procedural thrills.
• Lacks a bit of narrative tightness, but still succeeds as a suspenseful mystery.

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury have driven cinematic daggers into our hearts for over a decade . Whether you point at Inside , Livid , Among the Living , etcetera, the duo conceptualizes from a well of prolific darkness. Their latest feature, The Soul Eater , doesn’t lack any of that signature gut-shredding terribleness. It’s the least horror-forward of their catalog thus far, yet even so, blends unsettling folkloric imagery into a procedural thriller that’s not quite Longlegs or Megalomaniac , but will still leave your soul wounded and rotten by the time the credits roll.

The Soul Eater (2024)

What is 'the soul eater' about.

Two out-of-town investigators find themselves unlikely partners in the remote French mountain town of Roquenoir . Commander Elizabeth Guardiano ( Virginie Ledoyen ) and Captain of the Gendarmerie Franck De Rolan ( Paul Hamy ) butt heads early, creating a minor rivalry as they chase their own instincts. As Roquenoir’s sleepy facade gives way to more sinister discoveries, Guardiano and De Rolan realize that cooperation will get them much further. Townsfolk speak of an old urban legend about “The Soul Eater,” shrouding the case in supernatural mystery. Could a horned woodland entity be targeting Roquenoir’s youth?

Bustillo and Maury are at their most straightforward with The Soul Eater , closest to, but still lightyears away from the fable-like Livid . Presentations are something like The Snowman (but better) or The Treatment (but worse), maybe a little Kill List , where “horror” is played fast and loose. This is Bustillo and Maury at their most grounded, feeding off the frightening deviance of everyday society. It’s a more routine exploration of inhumane atrocities than I’d expect from the New French Extremity pillars, but maybe that’s by design. Bustillo and Maury work outside their usual morbid imaginations to prove they can deliver competent genre chills without a gore-slathered bag of tricks.

However, that’s not to discredit the impactful violence that finds its way onto the screen. Guardiano and De Rolan assess crime scenes smeared with blood on every wall. Corpses are slashed, bitten, and punctured into oblivion . Bustillo and Maury use their dismal portrayals of violence to expose the severity of Roquenoir’s on-the-loose maniac, because if this is what they’re doing to adult victims, we don’t want to think about what’s become of the missing children. The Soul Eater operates like Seven in how Guardiano and De Rolan expose audiences to unsightly mutilation on the job, juxtaposed against Roquenoir’s silent-but-deadly presence. It’s when Bustillo and Maury feel at their most comfortable.

'The Soul Eater' Can Get a Little Lost

Alas, The Soul Eater loses itself in a tangled web of wooden totems and devilish imagery . Early glimpses of the “Soul Eater” can be a symptomatic hallucination to shock, meant to remain unclear. Background information means we distrust Guardiano and De Rolan at points, but it interferes ever-so-slightly with procedural momentum. There’s a religious undertone as Roquenoir locals continue to lash out in abhorrently ruthless ways, and while the third act’s triumphant reveal is the stuff of nightmares, conspiratorial circumstances play with coincidental weightlessness. Cinematography and other technical elements are all cleanly polished, but Annelyse Batrel and Ludovic Lefebvre ’s screenplay — based on Alexis Laipsker ’s novel The Soul Eater (aka Le mangeur d'âmes) — gets momentarily lost in its suspense-first storytelling. The look and feel of everything capture malevolence in a bottle, even if getting there through harrowing performances wraps things up too neatly.

The Soul Eater is by no means an offense to horror procedurals . Bustillo and Maury are clearly directing someone else’s script (derogatory), but they still smuggle their signature dread-shellacked brand in wherever possible. Virginie Ledoyen and Paul Hamy anchor a revolting string of murders in a ho-hum town that’s descended into insurmountable tragedy, pushing forward an investigation that never sabotages icky tension. It’s not what I was expecting from Bustillo and Maury, yet proves their talents outside prior comfort zones. Not to say there’s anything comfortable about stealing babies from wombs and vampire ballerinas — “normalcy” is a strange look on the dynamic collaborators.

The Soul Eater doesn’t push the limits of the horror procedural subgenre, but still succeeds as a folkloric French whodunit with a dash of hellacious imagery.

• Bustillo and Maury know how to devastate us.
• Strong core performances.
• Horror visuals are used sparingly, but impactfully.
• The third act spirals a bit out of control.
• Feels too pedestrian at times for the material.
• Never surpasses expectations.

The Soul Eater had its North American Premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

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‘fly me to the moon’ debuts on digital streaming.

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"Fly Me To The Moon" stars Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson.

Fly Me to The Moon —Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum’s new romantic comedy—debuts this week on digital streaming.

The movie, which opened in theaters on July 12, is set amid NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

The logline for the film reads, “Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as backup and the countdown truly begins…”

Fly Me to the Moon will debut on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, although Prime Video made the film available to purchase or rent on Monday at 9 p.m. PDT/Tuesday 12 a.m. EDT. Viewers can also purchase or rent the movie on such digital platforms as AppleTV+ and VUDU .

Fly Me to the Moon is available for purchase on PVOD for $24.99. The price to rent the movie is $19.99. Rentals are good for a 48-hour period once a viewer starts watching the movie.

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Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, how was ‘fly me to the moon’ received by audiences and critics.

Fly Me to the Moon missed the mark with audiences, per The Numbers , earning $20.3 million domestically and $17.7 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $38 million.

The box office tracker reported that Fly Me to the Moon had a production budget of $100 million before prints and advertising.

Rotten Tomatoes critics gave Fly Me to the Moon a 65% “fresh” rating based on 221 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus for the movie reads, “Sustained by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum's screwball chemistry even when its plotting strains credulity, this throwback romance is a pleasant enough trip to the moon and back.”

RT users, meanwhile, gave Fly Me to the Moon a 91% “fresh” Audience Score based on 1,000-plus verified user ratings.

Even though the film was distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment subsidiary Columbia Pictures, it will make its first streaming video on demand stop on Apple TV+ since it is an Apple Films production.

Directed by Greg Berlanti, Fly Me to the Moon also stars Woody Harrelson and Ray Romano.

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