Home Entertainment: ’Late Phases’ Blu-ray review

The werewolf movie has always been a tricky beast to do justice to, and there are only a handful that manage the task. There’s the obvious An American Werewolf in London, but outside of that the only ones that people really recall are The Howling, Dog Soldiers, and Ginger Snaps. They aren’t the only ones however, with Late Phases being one of the best modern werewolf films, but one that many will have perhaps never heard of. Set in a retirement community, the film sees new resident, Ambrose (Nick Damici), go head-to-head with a creature stalking and eating its way through his neighbours. 

One of the barriers that has led to people not having already discovered Late Phases is that it was also released under the title Night of the Wolf. Some versions of the DVD even included both titles together on the cover and it appears that confusion has ensued. Now released via 101 Films in the UK on blu-ray for the first time as Late Phases, the film might be finally about to find the audience it deserves.  

What sets Late Phases apart from, not just other werewolf films, but horror films in general, is its choice of protagonist. Audiences are so used to genre films focusing on the younger generations that it’s always exciting when a filmmaker subverts expectations and casts an older character into the spotlight. Here, director Adrián García Bogliano follows in Bubba Ho-Tep’s (directed by Don Coscarelli) footsteps and sets the story firmly within the elderly community. Not only is our protagonist older than is typical, he’s also blind. This makes for an even more intriguing premise and hooks the viewer early on.

Traditionally, films, especially werewolf ones, make the audience wait before they reveal the movie monster, but in Late Phases our wolf creature is unveiled within the first twenty minutes. Ambrose’s blindness facilitates this early disclosure as, although the viewer has glimpsed the beast, our lead hasn’t. It’s a move that satisfies the watcher’s desire to see the werewolf and mitigates the need to sit through a load of set-up that tests their patience. Once our initial encounter is over, it’s easier to settle down and watch as Ambrose prepares to take down the beast next full moon.  

Nick Damici, best known for playing Mister in the Stakeland movies, is brilliant as Ambrose. He is the archetypal stubborn old man, but one that has many layers of complexity. On the surface he’s the tough war veteran who could easily take on a supernatural being, but bubbling beneath is a man riddled with regret, apathy, and fear about how his body is systematically beginning to fail him. Despite the fragility of Ambrose’s age and condition, Damici imbues him with a quiet ferocity, which makes him a compelling lead. Ethan Embry is also great as Ambrose’s high-strung son, Will, and Larry Fessenden’s headstone seller almost steals every scene that he’s in. 

The production design veers away from the expected dark spooky mansion alone in the middle of the woods and opts for a more playful suburban aesthetic. The houses are of a more modest size and, as commented upon by Will as they drive-through the community, are very close together. Decorated with very sedate colours and patterns, there’s a very homely feel to the settings, which jar effectively with the horror that unfolds. The werewolf design is achieved through practical rather than visual effects meaning that the end result is much more in the vein of The Howling, American Werewolf, and Ginger Snaps than the awful ones generated in Twilight.

Accompanying the film on the blu-ray release are a smattering of special features. There’s an audio commentary by director Adrián García Bogliano, a making of feature, and a special FX featurette that delves into how the werewolf was brought into life. They’re fairly standard issue extras, but contain plenty of behind-the-scenes information to engage fans of the film. The FX featurette is a little dry; it’s a composite of a video diary shot over the course of the creature design and as such is rather rough around the edges visually. It is nonetheless filled with detailed shots of every step of the werewolf process as you watch it come to life over the course of the thirty minute run time. 

With a slate of werewolf movies due out in the next couple of years: The Conjuring 3 and Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, now is the perfect time to seek out some existing lycanthropic content. In Late Phases you get everything you want out of a werewolf movie plus some extra elements that you didn’t know you were missing. A fantastic entry into the sub-genre, one that can sit proudly alongside the classics.  

Late Phases is available on Blu-ray from 16th November 2020.