The Colorado town of Fairview is plagued with a rash of wild dog attacks. The dogs are mutilating humans, especially around Fairview School. No one has actually seen these wild dogs, but there are also reports of a large wolf walking on its hind legs. The entire mystery of "Lone Wolf" is: who is the werewolf? Is it brooding heavy metal singer Eddie (Jamie Newcomb)? Is it hot-to-trot Deirdre (Ann Douglas)? And what of Deirdre's pixie like friend, Colleen (Siren)? We mustn't forget blonde princess Julie (Dyann Brown), who was the last person to see one victim alive. Or maybe nerdy Joel (Kevin Hart), who takes a liking to Julie? Or someone else entirely, like the police force, or the school's instructors, or Eddie's extended family, or the local bar owner, or some parents, or the girl in the wheelchair, or the janitor, or...this film has more characters in it than an Italian opera but don't worry, everything will be cleared up at the school's conveniently scheduled winter costume ball.
I keep writing "school," instead of "high school." Therein lies the film's biggest problem. The school looks like a high school, complete with lockers and a gym, yet all the students are about thirty years old. The students go to a night club, drink, stay out, and still live with their parents or guardians. Sure, high school students do that, but how many high school students have five o'clock shadow? Deirdre looks old enough to be a teacher, not a student. This is a cheesy 1980's werewolf flick that overextends itself with too many characters and not enough story. It takes everyone else in the cast forever to figure out who the werewolf is, long after you have guessed correctly. The makeup and gore effects are above average, until the camera dwells too long on one rubbery transformation sequence. The script is a series of werewolf point-of-view attacks, while the cops go about not believing the "kids," who take it upon themselves to catch the monster. The heavy metal band's songs illustrate why the big hair hard rock days of the 1980's are now long gone. The acting is okay, but I get the feeling the actors were also kept in the dark as to their characters' ages. "Lone Wolf" is a valiant try at small film making. The budget and script lack, the talent is lost, and it lumbers along. Too bad things weren't trimmed a bit, and the energy was heightened. This could have been another "An American Werewolf in London" or "The Howling," but instead, it is no better than any of those better film's sequels. Too bad.