Part of Critical-Film's Coverage of the 2009 Freak Show Film Festival

Listening to Dana Mennie's Q&A after the Freak Show screening of Dark Moon Rising, I got the impression that Mennie is a genuine filmmaker; one who understands what making movies should be about, and refuses to lose himself in the pool of derivative mediocrity most filmmakers are content to wade in. He made it undoubtedly clear that Dark Moon Rising was shot on 35mm film stock, and when he makes his second feature it will also be shot on 35mm. Now, I will be the first to admit my support for digital filmmaking as it gives independent film makers unprecedented flexibility and financial freedom when it comes to production, but honestly, there's no substitute for film... and as such, I have a sincere appreciation for Dana Mennie's intentions.

Mennie also commented on his desire to take the werewolf genre (which is growing increasingly tired in its resistance to truly add anything new to the genre), in a new direction. This is something we should appreciate as horror fans, as we so rarely see anything truly original in horror films these days,  when someone actually comes forth and says, “I want to do something different with the subject matter...”, it should be cause for celebration.

Synopsis - from darkmoonrisingthemovie.com : (Yes, I know I'm lazy, but synopsis writing is not my forte.)
"Real love and fate collide in a small town girl's life as Amy falls in love with a mysterious drifter who brings with him a family curse and the unimaginable horror that follows. Bender, who shares the curse with his son, brings hell to Amy's small town. As Dan and Amy's love is put to the test, Thibodeaux, an ex-cop from another city who has witnessed Bender's lust for blood firsthand; Sam, the local sheriff and an ex-homicide detective; and John, a local farmer and Amy's father, head for the ultimate showdown with Bender and the evil web of terror that he has drawn them all into."

Now, Dark Moon Rising first breaks convention by establishing the film as a romance first, and a werewolf movie second. It's certainly an interesting choice, and from a director trying to do something different with the genre, it's certainly not a bad decision. I'm certain many horror fans will be bothered by the fact that the terror inflicted by the werewolves is not at the forefront of the film, but I think it's an excellent idea. The vampire is naturally a romantic figure, and there is something incredibly intimate about a vampire's bite to the neck; conversely, the werewolf is a tragically romantic figure, one who risks the safety of the ones he loves every time he becomes a monster. The difference is that romance is a common theme among vampire films, yet very rarely, if ever, is it a central focus in a werewolf film. This thematic shift is one of the film's strongest assets, as it does serve the director's intention of differentiating from other similarly-themed films.

The romance itself is also surprisingly well-realized. It's both charming and sweet, and this is no doubt as much a result of capable actors as anything else. Ginny Weirick is absolutely adorable as the innocent, small town girl (Ms. Weirick won the 'Best Actress' award at the Freak Show Film Festival), and shares an undeniable chemistry with her romantic counterpart, Chris Divecchio. Divecchio does occasionally seem a little out of place, as his acting skills aren't quite up to par with the rest of the cast, but it's rarely an issue, and one that can probably be summed up by lack of experience. When you're acting alongside veterans such as Maria Conchita Alonso, Chris Mulkey, and Sid Haig, I'm sure it's difficult to keep up. Also worth noting are both Max Ryan and Billy Drago, who are absolutely fantastic in their roles.

While the romance works well in conjunction with the werewolf story, the film begins to feel a little bit heavy with the inclusion of Max Ryan's werewolf character. There are numerous subplots flying around, and as a result, Dark Moon Rising begins to feel a little bloated. A common problem amongst first time film makers attempting to create something unique, is to put more 'substance' in the film than the film can rightfully handle. Too much unnecessary information is almost as bad as not enough, and unfortunately Mennie's first film suffers from a little too much information.

Technically, the film is quite good, however the cinematography is a mixed bag. Outdoor scenes look very nice, but many of the indoor sequences are terribly underlit. It's no doubt a matter of style, but it's a matter that just doesn't work; it doesn't seem creative, nor does it seem appropriate; exactly the opposite. One scene in particular involves a conversation between two people. One character is lit, the other bathed in darkness... literally bathed in darkness. In fact, if he wasn't speaking, you wouldn't even know he was there. There's no silhouette, no outline, just darkness. Certainly a poor technical decision. (This may have been accentuated by the projector used at the Freak Show Film Festival, however I don't imagine the lighting would be much better under different viewing circumstances.)

I admire Dana Mennie's ambition as a film maker. He has shown me something that is increasingly rare in the world of horror film making, the desire to create something different; something fresh. However, Dark Moon Rising has it's fair share of technical inadequacies, and suffers from a plot that seems unnecessarily bloated. The result is a film which is in many ways unusually strong for a first time filmmaker, yet unfortunately falls short of it's director's lofty ambitions. While Dark Moon Rising isn't quite as good as I'm sure it was intended to be, I see great potential in Dana Mennie as a film maker, and am looking forward to watching him grow into his role behind the camera, as future projects will most certainly benefit from his ever-growing experience.