Cub

Following the tradition of rural slasher movies this Belgian bloodfest has little new to offer except a plot that makes less sense the longer you stay with it.

A scout troupe is off dib-dib-dobbing in the woods on a camping trip despite rumours of werewolf sightings that should have been investigated by the authorities.

Among this collection of rowdy schoolboys is Sam (Maurice Luijten), a loner with a reputation for insubordination and a history of neglect and (maybe) abuse. He tends to do his own thing, ignoring the surprisingly young scout leaders, as well as his peers. Because of this he discovers "the werewolf," who turns out to be a half naked kid in a mask living in a tree den, and befriends him.

This is only the hors d'oeuvre because the main course is our old friend the brutish giant who kills for pleasure and/or dinner. In the past these psycho inbreds have been as strong as a whirlwind and as stupid as mud. Cub's murderous sweat bag, however, has created elaborate death machines throughout the forest and a sophisticated computer system in his underground lair.

In the classic horror genre, whether The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Wrong Turn, sickos live in isolation where they indulge their torturous fantasies undiscovered. The trouble here is that the forest looks like a regular trail for ramblers and the wereboy's way of life in a draughty tree would have been unsustainable without fur or feathers once the temperature dropped.

Sam is an interesting misfit, exposing the grown-ups for what they are, irresponsible and ineffectual. The monstrous brute with extraordinary technical skills and no comprehension of interior decor, is more of a myth than reality. He survives an explosion like a robotic zombie. Only super heroes do that. And he's neither super, nor heroic. He's your common-or-garden nightmare.

What's Flemish for "You can wake up now"?