Blackout

Returning to his hometown after years of absence, the unexpected arrival of painter Charley (Alex Hurt, son of William Hurt) upsets the state of things by turning into a werewolf during a full moon. And from then, it's not long until the bodies begin to pile up.

As recent successful genre offerings such as Werewolves Within (Josh Ruben, 2021) and The Cursed (Sean Ellis, 2021) prove, the werewolf genre is alive and kicking. In this modern-day variation, indie horror icon Larry Fessenden (Hollow Venus, IFFR 1990; Wendigo, IFFR 2002; The Last Winter, IFFR 2007) brings his very own mumblecore sensibility to the subject. Blackout is a clever exploration of small-town politics and family melodrama, offering keen observations on group dynamics without becoming didactic.

In the midst of the recent trend for art films masquerading as genre pieces, countless remakes, reboots and sequels of the meta-meta variety, Blackout comes like a breath of fresh air. While being a leisurely-paced matter-of-fact affair, the film finds time for stylistic flourishes such as Charley’s own transformational encounter with a werewolf which is presented as a charming animated sequence in the style of oil paintings. Most importantly, Fessenden knows, respects and visibly loves his material and its conventions.

– Stefan Borsos