Werewolf Game (2025) Review
The late Tony Todd’s legacy lives on through his legendary portrayals in films like CANDYMAN, FINAL DESTINATION and PLATOON, as well as one of his final performances in WEREWOLF GAME by emerging directors Jackie Payne and Cara Claymore, where he delivers a role that encapsulates his powerful presence in the horror genre.
In WEREWOLF GAME, a group of strangers is thrust into a deadly game of deception and survival, with Todd’s character bringing an intense layer of intrigue. The film promises to immerse viewers in a suspenseful narrative where trust is tested, and no one is truly safe.
Aside from the legendary Todd, WEREWOLF GAME also stars Lydia Hearst, Bai Ling, Teala Dunn, and Picardo. In addition to directing, Payne wrote the screenplay, while Claymore stepped into the action herself by joining the cast.
Adapted from the adult party game, created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986, directors Jackie Payne and Cara Claymore have fashioned a one-note affair that is buoyed up by a delicious, scenery-eating performance from the late, great Tony Todd. Whenever Todd is onscreen the film cranks up a gear and his performance in WEREWOLF GAME acts as a testament to his ability to make a smaller part feel like the leading role.
The rest of the cast are fine, and the location works well for the storyline however the story set-up reminded me far too much of current TV favourite THE TRAITORS. Instead of there being ‘faithful’ and ‘traitors’ as in THE TRAITORS, in WEREWOLF GAME we have ‘villagers’ and ‘werewolves.’ The contestants must vote for who they think to be a werewolf when brought together in front of their host and there’s regular murders of the ‘villagers’, again very much like in THE TRAITORS.
The similarities have the unfortunate effect of rendering WEREWOLF GAME as feeling derivative when its concept was actually refreshingly new back nearly forty years ago when the game came out. The bulk of the film consists of conversations about who might be the werewolf and then voting off who they believe to the werewolf. It lacks much needed suspense and consequently feels tired very quickly.
WEREWOLF GAME is to be released by The Horror Collective on January 21st, available on-demand and across digital platforms.
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