Frank Grillo hypes up the violence in his new horror movieWerewolves.Werewolvesis a creature-based horror film about a duo of scientists who are working to stop a mutation that transforms people into werewolves a full year after they encounter a super-moon. The film is directed by Steven C. Miller and written by Matthew Kennedy. It features a leading cast including Grillo, Katrina Law, Ilfenesh Hadera, James Michael Cummings, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kamdynn Gary, Lydia Styslinger, and James Kyson.Werewolvesis set for releasethis Friday, December 6.
In an exclusive interview withScreen Rant,Grillo reveals whyWerewolveshad to be dialed back from its original version. Upon reading the script, Grillo recalls calling the director and saying that the film was like “The Purge meets werewolves.” Because of the level of violence in the movie, theWerewolvesteam had to “kind of tone it down.” Check out the full quote from Grillo below:
Yeah, I keep saying it, I read the script, I immediately called him, and I was like, “Brother, this is The Purge meets werewolves.” I said, specifically, Anarchy, it feels like Anarchy meets werewolves. And we’ve said it a few times, we had to kind of tone it down. We had to tweak the script a bit so it wasn’t too much like Purge, but that’s how I described the film, because I know how many people love those Purge movies, specifically Anarchy and Election. If you like those movies, you’ll love this movie. It’s got all of that, plus werewolves, and that’s it. That’s what attracted me to it. I know this world, I know how to do this.
What This Means For Werewolves
The Purge Similiarities Could Be Good
Grillo’s involvement inThe Purgefranchise is particularly a reason why theWerewolvesteam may have needed to tweak the film’s screenplay.Grillo first entered the horrorfranchise in 2014when he played Sergeant inThe Purge: Anarchy. He was a fan-favorite in this film and has become a staple ofThe Purgefranchisesince then. Because of this experience, audiences would already be apt to compare Grillo’s work inThe Purgewith that ofWerewolves, justifying the need to differentiate the two movies.
Still, Grillo’s promise that audiences who enjoyThe Purge: AnarchyandElection Yearwill “love this movie [Werewolves]” is promising. Grillo’sPurgemoviescould ride the existing horror franchise name, capitalizing on repeat viewers for the new installments.Werewolveshopes to garner the interest of new audiences, which is a considerably harder task. If the film is similar enough toThe Purge, as the actor promises, it may be what horror fans need to be attracted to this new Grillo film.
Our Take On Grillo’s Werewolves Statement
The Premise Is Very Different From The Purge
It is interesting to hear Grillo make a comparison betweenWerewolvesandThe Purge, because on its face,the two films do not have similar premises.The Purgeis somewhat of a political fable in the packaging of a horror film, capturing a narrative of what could happen if the world fell into a government-sanctioned anarchist state. There is nothing inherently political about werewolves, leading to a film that is ostensibly distinct fromThe Purge. Still, it will be interesting to see what aspects of the film overlap, even ifWerewolveshad to “tone it down.”
Werewolves
Cast
Werewolves is a sci-fi thriller set a year after a supermoon triggers a genetic mutation in humans, turning them into werewolves and causing massive casualties. As the supermoon returns, two scientists race to prevent another outbreak while grappling with the impending threat and their personal connections.
