By Geno McGahee
This movie is terrifying because it is “based on actual events.” If this is true, then there really are werewolves and they maul people to death with regularity. OK, maybe they added a few things here and there to spice this up a little. The best thing that they did was to invest in some very good special effects. The werewolf in THE BEAST OF BRAY ROAD looks awesome and its presence made this film zoom along. You just wanted to see it kill again…getting beyond the sometimes clunky and unnatural dialogue.
Phil Jenkins (Jeff Denton) is the new sheriff in town and immediately stumbles upon a crime scene. There is a missing woman, an abandoned vehicle and blood on the door. Jenkins suspects foul play, but the other officers quickly dismiss the idea. It’s a small town and nothing happens…and the missing girl was probably drunk and roamed off. Jenkins isn’t buying it and continues to investigate.
The deaths begin to become frequent and the town is in panic. Quinn McKenzie (Thomas Downey) shows up in town and meets up with the sheriff, noting his theory that they are dealing with a rare species of animal, and the rumor is going around that there is a werewolf in town that is being called “the Beast of Bray Road.” Jenkins is convinced that he is dealing with a human killer, but it gets more difficult to buy that as the facts come in.
Pamela (Noel Thurman) still has authority at the police station and starts doing things that aren’t the best, but helps the town notoriety and will bring in money to keep things going. She pushes the werewolf idea to the press and then has the press run the story that the werewolf was killed. All of it makes the job of Jenkins more difficult and lessens the safety of the townspeople.
There is a big showdown at the end and a surprise revelation in the case, leading to a rather mediocre ending. THE BEAST OF BRAY ROAD is better than I thought it would be. I really loved the look of the monster and the acting was pretty good. The dialogue wasn’t outstanding and some of the characters were unbelievable and didn’t look the part, but, in the end, this movie is rather effective. I recommend it.
Rating: 6.5/10