The Real Wolfman

Don't be fooled by the title of this History Channel documentary. Rather than offering a study of lycanthropy, The Real Wolfman presents a labored examination of a 1764–67 crime wave in the rural French village of Gevaudan that claimed the lives of 102 residents, mostly women and children. The culprit was reportedly a large and hitherto unknown creature, whose victims were severely mauled and sometimes decapitated. But rather than relate a straightforward nonfiction account, the film follows an unlikely odd couple—edgy Texas cryptozoologist Ken Gerhardt and exasperated New Jersey cop George Deuchar—who retrace the history of the attacks. The possibility of a werewolf is immediately discounted: computer animation demonstrates how a man-into-wolf transformation is utterly impossible, while clips from classic movies pay testament to the fact that werewolves are nothing more than hairy camp (although the brief scenes with Lon Chaney Jr. running amok in a wolf mask turn out to be the most interesting segments here). Ultimately, Gerhardt and Deuchar seem more inclined to ham it up for the camera than try to unravel the mystery of the slayings. Extended interviews with various experts on the killings eventually leads to the questionable conclusion that a non-native predatory animal was introduced to the French countryside. Released to ride the commercial coattails of The Wolfman feature film remake, this is not recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)