BLOOD MOON is a tiresome, zero budget, western/horror combo in which a bunch of the usual disparate characters are holed up in an old western town where they find themselves assailed by barely-glimpsed werewolves. Bizarrely, although this film is set in the Old West with some imported American stars (like Corey Johnson),it's actually a British movie filmed on a re-enactment set.

Not that we see much of the set, or anything if I'm honest. BLOOD MOON is one of those films that's almost entirely shot in the dark to hide the deficiencies of the budget. The werewolves are barely glimpsed throughout the movie so if you're looking for werewolf action you'll invariably be disappointed. Giving the directorial chores to a guy who has previously made stuff like MOVIE MISTAKES UNCOVERED and THE LEGEND OF DICK AND DOM wasn't necessarily the best idea as the people who wrote and made this seem to have little understanding of what makes either the western or the horror genres tick as BLOOD MOON is a failure in both.

The characters are below par and uninteresting and the set-up situations are entirely predictable with characters in-fighting before being forced to work together against a greater evil. It really does say something when the DVD cover is about ten times better than the film itself.

The film takes place in 1887 Colorado. Two bank robbers hold a group of stage coach riders hostage in a saloon/ stage coach stop. A sheriff and a Navajo woman are on their trail. Meanwhile stories of a shapeshifter Skin Walker abound as we anticipate the werewolf scene.

The characters in the story have their secrets, but they are presented in a way that doesn't make the characters or the film overly interesting. The hostage scene dragged on way too long as we awaited to see a man in a bad wolf suit...Oh look, the mouth moved a little! The dialogue does have some meager attempts at humor. The wanted posters in the background of Tom Nixon and the Apache Kid are from 1877, kudos for doing your homework as many indies create anachronisms at this point. The film suggests a sequel.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity. For those who like western genre mixing I would suggest BONE TOMAHAWK.

1887, Colorado. A motley assortment of folks find themselves being terrorized by a werewolf in a deserted mining town on a night of a full blood red moon.

Director Jeremy Wooding relates the enjoyable and engrossing story at a constant pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the period setting, ably crafts a spooky atmosphere, takes time to develop the colorful characters, and delivers a few nice bits of gore. The solid acting from the sturdy cast keeps this movie humming: Shaun Dooley as rugged gunslinger Calhoun, George Blogden as upstanding deputy Jake Norman, Anna Skellhern as the sassy Maria, Amber Jean Rowan as the sweet Sarah, Jack Fox as tough lawman Wade, Corey Johnson as vicious outlaw Hank Norton, and Eleanor Matsuura as feisty half breed Black Deer. A cool little flick.