Project: Metalbeast

Unless you're a fan of one of the actors, there's a good chance that the straight-to-video flick Project: Metalbeast slipped past your radar. In the 1970s, American military man Donald Butler (John Marzilli) becomes obsessed with discovering the ultimate military weapon, so he injects himself with the blood of a werewolf. The plan, however, doesn't go off without a hitch, and his evil associate, Colonel Miller (Barry Bostwick), has him killed and cryogenically frozen. 20 years later, a scientist (Kim Delaney) is working on perfecting a synthetic, steel-based skin, so Miller appoints Butler to be the first candidate for a skin graft, creating the ultimate beast -- a werewolf with skin of steel.

This is one genre-bending sci-fi/horror flick. If you can handle the pacing (which is a bit askew at times) and stomach the unique premise (who in their right mind would wanna put a werewolf in the army?), there's a lot to admire here. First and foremost, the Metalbeast is played by legendary horror actor/stuntman Kane Hodder (of Friday the 13th fame)... which tells you that we have a menacing monster and graphic gore. The werewolves get a bit too much screen time, but the costumes/puppets are pretty damned cool (though the final incarnation's a bit too reminiscent of Predator) -- and it's a welcome change for those who are sick of bad CGI. There's even several effective suspense scenes, a couple name actors and an unexpected twist or two. In my book, this all makes for a great way to kill 92 minutes of your life.

All in all, it's no masterpiece (and it is clearly a b-movie), but Project: Metalbeast is a pretty original entry in the werewolf genre and much better than your usual straight to video fare. Too bad it doesn't look like it's ever gonna get an official DVD release. According to one commentator on imdb: "Anyone who actually watches this movie and extracts something positive deserves to be mauled by a werewolf." I suppose that makes me the ultimate masochist then, doesn't it?

Conrad Pope's score for the film was released on CD as a composer's demo. Copies are scarce, but mp3s are in circulation. Unfortunately I lost mine in a computer crash. Here's the track listing:

Project: Metalbeast

Score by Conrad Pope

01. Inner Sanctum

02. The Deadly Chase

03. Revelation

04. The Resurrection

05. Crossing the Icy Styx

06. The Hunted

07. Transformation

08. Dawn

09. No Turning Back

10. Survivors