Maneater (2009)

Dean Cain as a sheriff in rural SoCal where victims are getting torn apart

Shot in August, 2008, this is a ‘B’ monster movie, but it’s unclear what kind of creature is attacking people until the last act. It could be a werewolf, a man-eating bear, a sasquatch, a wendigo, a masked psycho or something else. I’ll leave it to you to discover.

The flick has more in common with “Sweet Sixteen” from the early 80s, as well as the contemporaneous “Dire Wolf” (aka “Dino Wolf”) and the later “Alpha Wolf,” than it does something like the artistic “Wendigo” from 2001. Yet it’s not indie micro-budget horror. In other words, it had a healthy direct-to-video budget. I point that out because the locations, cast, acting, gore, F/X, writing and soundtrack are all proficient, just in a straight-forward, uninventive kind of way.

Of the movies mentioned, this ranks with the least of ’em, but I liked the way the story walks the balance beam between the activities of the adults (the sheriff & his deputies) and the high school youths (who, to be expected, visit the local watering hole and ‘party’ behind their parents’ backs). So, you get the best of both worlds. Meanwhile Saginaw Grant is a highlight as the old Indian deputy; and there’s a nice surprise at the end.

The female cast is a'right with Nikki Moore standing out as Kay, I suppose. Be advised that there’s a bit of tame nudity, mostly involving her.

It runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area, specifically Glendale, Semi Valley and Malibu Creek State Park.

GRADE: B-