Wild Country (2005)

Dir: Craig Strachan

Micro-budget Scottish film in which a bunch of teenagers orienteering in the Highlands fall prey to a pissed off werewolf. There's nothing too new here, beyond the setting, but it works small wonders with its minimal raw materials and shows promise as a first feature from writer/director Strachan. He casts real teenagers instead of grizzled 30-somethings which helps add plausibility (also - crucially - these kids can act!), the colloquial dialogue is sharp and realistic, the humour works and even the baggy, oversized wolf suit looks pretty cool if you let yourself get into it. There's a neat twist to the tale as well that I won't spoil, but it shows that some thought went into the screenplay and that's both nice and rare these days. At 75 minutes, Wild Country never outstays its welcome and is a cute little creature feature with bite. You might not want to go hiking for a little while afterwards though. ***