The Werewolf Cult Chronicles: Vietnam 1969 (2005) (V)

Director:

Ola Paulakoski

Writer:

Jesper Pingo Lindström (writer)

Genre:

Short | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | War

Plot:

Vietnam 1969. Three soldiers are on a secret mission in Skull Bay, north of Laos. Sergeant Jones, Private...

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Werewolf | Vietnam | Helicopter | Bunker

Cast

Alexander Lindman	...	Private Maddox
Johannes Söderqvist	...	Private Turner
Per Eklund	...	Colonel Stone
Sandra Gustavsson	...	Hiep Thi Lee
Erich Silva	...	(voice)
Yohanna Idha	...	(voice)
Johan Vennerström	...	Gasmaskboy
Daniel Persson	...	Gasmaskboy
Klas Mostad	...	Sergeant Jones
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pär Eklund	...	Agent Stone
Carl Engh	...	Fake shemp
Ola Paulakoski	...	Fake shemp
Johannes Söderquist	...	Private Turner

Also Known As:

The Werewolf Cult Chronicles, Part 3: Vietnam 1969 (USA) (series title)

Runtime:

Sweden:21 min | Sweden:22 min | Sweden:20 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Filming Locations:

Karlstad, Värmlands län, Sweden

Company:

Film i Värmland

Trivia:

Sandra Gustvassons' character Hiep Thi Le was named after real Vietnamese actress with the same name; (Hiep Thi Le). The characters Maddox and Turner are named after the two patrol boats that were attacked early in the war, and, according to some sources, was the reason for Americas involvement in the war. Colonel Stone is named after (Oliver Stone) who also made Heaven and Earth with Hiep Thi Le.

Movie Connections:

References The Howling (1981)

Inspired non-budget lunacy

It's the forests of Sweden in 2003... er, I mean the jungles of Vietnam in 1969 and some dubbed actors have to battle a computer-rendered werewolf.

While technically a step up from the previous film "Chimera", this installment suffers from perhaps taking itself a bit too seriously while hindered by some severe budget restrictions. The acting is overall decent though lacks punch of flair. At barely over 20 minutes, there's not much time to really get to know the characters. The costumes are minimal (some ammo belts, backpacks, canteens, buzz-cuts, and maybe an M-60 would have been nice) and worst of all there is almost no effort to make the men look and behave like real soldiers (much like CHIMERA, but that was supposed to be some strange alternate vaguely post-apocalyptic future, not a period film which is much tougher to simulate).

However, there are some excellent gore effects here and there and some striking sets of ruined cities which I wish they would have made more use of. Also, the CGI has some wild unevenness to it that makes it oddly arresting. The final battle with the animated werewolf though is laughably fake, especially when it's obvious the actor fighting the wolf is not even looking at it. Overall the choppers and superimposed explosions work pretty well though, and the editing is pretty slick.

What would have really benefited this one would be more action and a little clearer of a sense of purpose. A nice battle scene with some VC might have made a good setup, and a little more motivation for the wolf would have helped things out. Also, the tone should have been more consistent throughout rather than switching back and forth from cheesy martial arts to graveyard seriousness. The music (which is excellent) tries to maintain a somber tone, but finds itself fighting uphill.

Overall, a very slick first attempt from an upcoming director, but too short and uneven to work as a standalone film. Worth a watch.