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SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU – Review – We Are Movie Geeks

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SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU – Review

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Review written by Douglas Cooper

SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU will be available to purchase or rent on September 14th on a number of platforms from 1091 Pictures, including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu and Fandango NOW. Small Town Monsters will also release a special edition Blu-ray ($18.99) and DVD ($14.99) from their official store.

 As is the norm this year timely, as in years, October brings the usual mil of scary and macabre films that fill movie theatres, but this year something different and wicked, but true, this way comes! I found Filmmaker Seth Breedlove’s new film SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU a spooky surprise. All of my years since childhood I admit to always having been a “Movie -Monster- Masher” I’m also an avid “knowledge-Nut”, so Breedlove’s film strikes me not at in any way typical horror or cheaply-made carnage unfit for any human’s nightmares. No, I’d rather label this werewolf film for what it is: Genius, or perhaps “Docuhorror of the Genius Type”. Frankly sports fans, the word “Docuhorror ” is the least I can say without also tipping my hat to Mr. Breedlove for being clearly on the mark with SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU.

 So sorry to anyone out there watching SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU who expects the usual dose of slashing or murder or victims being brutally ripped to shreds and eaten “Comme toujours” (as the French would say). In other words, this film does not provide the normal dose of utter terror. As a matter of fact if I were a high school English or literature teacher, I’d present this film to my students and have them write a treatment for a major paper sans their computer to move their minds a little by “Old school standards”. Really folks, I’d say throw away your history books on this one and soak up some tremendous history from way back to almost before time itself began.

 The Attakapas native tribe was around many centuries ago (before even Columbus discovered North America). They were the ruling class, dominating Louisiana’s ancient,vast  and fruitful territories. It was all theirs until two other native tribes, the Opelousa Tribe and the Cheeththe-Mansh tribe got together and tried by force to steal away the land which belonged to the Attakapas.

Here’s where the fun starts as fabled fiction was born at this point. Through magic, the spiritual cursed holy ones are brought forth from nowhere: creatures known to the locals as Rougarous! Unlike cinema’s countless past make-believers, the true terror of SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU is that today these true life Rougarous still inhabit what is today the state of Louisiana! Or do they? Their purpose in the film brings a reality that has always been mistaken in films as pure fiction… are they Werewolves, Shapeshifters, or horrific heroes? These questions are answered through research as well as concern for conservancy of all that is the vanishing wilderness of the state and it builds a fascinating atmosphere for this fine haunting Docu-horror.  And there is much more. From the inside out, Louisiana is a time portal from past to present with the myth to fact and the magic of this film is that maybe you may learn something.

Just one aspect, beyond the history and geography of Louisiana, is that beyond the narration there are actual witnesses (though you be the judge as to their validity, or lack of) who share chilling tales of encounters with the beast from centuries past, who may be still roaming the marshy swamps the vast Bayous and still it all remains a mystery. When all is seen and done, the skeptic and the believer will wonder and ask is this for real or just a bizarre nightmare? I highly recommend SKINWALKER: HOWL OF THE ROUGAROU.