“Skinwalker: The Howl of the Rougarou” (2021) Film Review
By: Joseph Perry (Twitter - Uphill Both Ways Podcast)
Regular readers of When It Was Cool know by now that I am a big fan of director Seth Breedlove and his Small Town Monsters documentary releases (see my list of previous reviews below). Skinwalker: Howl of the Rougarou, the latest from Breedlove and his crewmates, is truly one of their best efforts.
The Rougarou — sometimes referred to as The Cajun Werewolf — is said by many to be merely the basis of spooky stories to warn children about misbehaving. Others in southern Louisiana, however, swear that they have encountered the supernatural beast in real life. Interviewees in Skinwalker: Howl of the Rougarou discuss both sides, with eyewitnesses giving compelling accounts of what they encountered.
As always with Small Town Monsters documentaries, Skinwalker: Howl of the Rougarou digs deep into the locale and the people who populate it. From local historians to ordinary citizens, many viewpoints are addressed. Because the skinwalker is such a large part of Native American culture, Indigenous people are well represented here, with sometimes unnerving accounts of how run-ins with the creature affected them and their families. The documentary also gives solid background on how French and Italian immigrants to the area brought their own werewolf and shape-shifter legends with them. With all of these cultural references, it is no wonder that tales of the Rougarou have lived on for 400 years — and that is a key point in the film, as some see the Rougarou legend needing to be recognized by the younger generation so that local culture may be handed down rather than forgotten.
The recreations of events seem to get stronger with each Small Town Monsters release, and this documentary continues that tradition with a nice array of good-looking found-footage–style sequences. A practical effects werewolf suit looks impressive.
The Small Town Monsters constants are on display once again: high quality technical aspects, fine attention to detail, respectful handling of interviewees on different sides of the stories, and a balanced approach that is not sensationalized. Highly recommended for those who enjoy cryptozoology or for those interested in traditional folklore, Skinwalker: Howl of the Rougarou is an entertaining, informative watch.
Skinwalker: Howl of the Rougarou is available to purchase or rent on a number of platforms from 1091 Pictures, including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and FandangoNOW. For more information, or to purchase the title on DVD or Blu-ray, visit https://www.smalltownmonsters.com/.
Joseph Perry is one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast (whenitwascool.com/up-hill-both-ways-podcast/) and Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast (decadesofhorror.com/category/classicera/). He also writes for the film websites Diabolique Magazine (diaboliquemagazine.com), Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com), The Scariest Things (scariesthings.com), and Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), and film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com) and Drive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).
https://www.whenitwascool.com/the-mothman-legacy-film-review
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https://www.whenitwascool.com/midwest-weirdfest-film-review-on-the-trail-of-ufos
https://www.whenitwascool.com/on-the-trail-of-bigfoot-the-journey-2021-film-review
https://www.whenitwascool.com/on-the-trail-of-ufos-dark-sky-2021-film-review
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