My quick rating – 2.4/10. “Be Warned,” the poster proudly proclaims. And for once, I have to say the movie poster tells the absolute truth. Frenzy Moon opens with a fog-covered forest, the kind of spooky establishing shot that might have worked if it didn’t have 10-cent credits super-glued on top, the kind you could whip up in PowerPoint during a lunch break. Two people wander through the trees looking for bear footage, which immediately tells you they don’t value their lives, their free time, or the audience’s. Naturally, within seconds, they find something to chase them, though what that something is remains unclear, thanks to some wildly nonsensical, “please ignore this” shifts between day and night. One shot looks like morning, the next looks like midnight, and then – why not – a werewolf attacks in broad daylight like it’s late for brunch.
And speaking of werewolves… wow. This movie wastes zero time showing off one of the saddest wolf costumes ever captured on camera. Instead of building suspense, they go full reveal early, as if daring us to keep watching. I guess the filmmakers figured, “Let’s get the laughter out of the way now—because we sure didn’t budget for it later.” To their credit, they do get creative with blood and gore, splashing it everywhere like a kid discovering red food coloring for the first time. Too bad every werewolf shot looks like a Halloween store clearance rack came to life.
Enter six college grads heading to a cabin in the woods for a getaway, which goes about as well as you’d expect. Within minutes, you can practically see the hatred simmering behind their forced smiles. The couple arriving late starts bickering before they even step out of the car, then they hit one of the hunters on the road, because why not stack problems early? Soon enough, the group devolves into arguing, crying, sniping, unloading their “true feelings,” and generally proving that the werewolves aren’t the biggest threat. Being stuck with each other is.
We’re then treated to an outhouse attack scene full of dramatic wood-splintering sound effects, except nothing on screen is actually breaking. It’s like a Foley artist was hired to work entirely from imagination. The acting? Dreadful. The dialogue? Truly awful. The attack scenes? Hilariously bad. I can admire the attempt to avoid CGI, but this costume is not the “practical effects win” they think it is. It looks like someone sewed couch cushions together during a blackout.
By the finale, a character is blasting away with a gun that never gets reloaded – not once. Infinite ammo. Maybe it’s a cheat code. Maybe it’s magic. Or maybe no one cared anymore. I know I didn’t.
Writer/director Gregory Lamberson clearly has a sense of humor, you’d need one to release something like this. And that “Be Warned” tagline? Consider this review your confirmation. Stay far, far away from Frenzy Moon. This turkey isn’t even the good kind, the leftovers-from-Thanksgiving kind. This is the kind that leaves you wondering why you pressed play in the first place.
