Wolfen (1981)

New York City's urban jungle has become the blood-soaked hunting ground for some kind of supernatural predators with a taste for outcasts that appear to be intelligent and deadly wolves but may be spirits or shape-shifters from Native American folklore in this early 1980s horror film. A NYPD detective and a criminal psychologist are assigned to investigate the murders when the beasts kill some high-profile city residents, and the film follows their efforts to identify and stop the creatures. Clever use of a video filter to portray the beasts' visual senses, some gory moments and nighttime shots are effectively applied, and some of the backstory about what the Wolfen seem to be and why they're preying on their chosen victims is interesting enough to distract from the dated dialog, unfortunate stereotyping, settings, etc. but don't expect too much from this old, if earnest, film.

Erik M.