Cub

Belgium filmmaker Jonas Govaerts' grisly Flemish-language horror film (originally called Welp) starts with a wonky sense of humor before settling down for the basically grim business of sadistic bloodletting and mass homicide. A bunch of boy Pathfinder scouts set off for a camping expedition under the supervision of young counselors, who have already prepared a campfire mythology about "Kai"—a juvenile werewolf terrorizing the forest by night. It turns out there really is a menace: a brutal survivalist of unknown origin who is booby-trapping the woods with all sorts of devices, accompanied by his ward/apprentice/something—a feral boy in a mask. Sam (Maurice Luijten), the most bullied of the young scouts, mistakes the wild child for lycanthrope Kai, and a twisted relationship develops between the lads. Sensitive viewers (who would be watching this...why, exactly?) should beware of a scene of extreme animal cruelty involving a bull terrier. Add to that a bunch of forgettable characters and a disappointing payoff and this is one to skip. Not recommended. (C. Cassady)