Dead Howling (2026) | Film Review

There are few horror movie concepts that immediately grab my attention quite like zombies versus werewolves. Seriously, what's not to love? Two of horror's most recognisable monsters going head-to-head in a post-apocalyptic wasteland sounds like an absolute recipe for bloody good entertainment. And when you throw in the fact that this one comes from the producer of Dog Soldiers, well, needless to say, my expectations were pretty high.

Unfortunately, whilst Dead Howling certainly has its moments, I came away feeling that it never quite delivered on the promise of that premise. It's a decent enough film, there's some fun to be had, and there are glimpses of something considerably better lurking beneath the surface. But I couldn't help feeling that it spent far too much time trying to be something more than it needed to be, rather than fully embracing the gloriously ridiculous monster movie concept it had sitting right in front of it. And that's a bit of a shame, really.

Set in a world devastated by a zombie outbreak, Dead Howling follows Carter, a solitary survivor with a rather unusual advantage over the undead. He's a werewolf, and whilst most people are desperately trying to stay alive, Carter has made something of a hobby out of hunting zombies. After rescuing two siblings, Megan and Billy, he reluctantly takes on the responsibility of protecting them as they journey towards a rumoured sanctuary. However, with increasingly dangerous undead creatures and hostile survivors standing in their way, things are about to get considerably more complicated.

On paper, this sounds fantastic. A post-apocalyptic zombie film with a bloody werewolf thrown into the mix? Sign me up! Unfortunately, the finished product doesn't quite lean into that idea as much as I would have liked.

There's nothing particularly wrong with what's being presented here. The central premise is perfectly entertaining, the journey gives the characters something to work towards, and there's enough going on to keep things moving. However, the pacing does become a little problematic at times. There are stretches where things feel considerably slower than they need to be, and I found myself occasionally losing interest in what was happening on screen. It's not that the story is particularly bad, nor is it difficult to follow. I just don't think every moment is as engaging as the filmmakers perhaps intended.

The film seems quite determined to give us something deeper than your average creature feature, placing plenty of emphasis on the characters, their relationships and the journey they're undertaking. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that approach. Some of my favourite horror films have managed to combine fantastic monster action with genuinely interesting character development. But there's a balance to be struck, and I'm not entirely convinced this flick gets it right.

At times, I found myself wishing the film would stop worrying quite so much about everything else and just let the monsters loose. Because whenever it does decide to pick up the pace, there's a genuinely entertaining film hiding in there. Which brings me to the werewolves and zombies.

Let's be honest, this is the main attraction. It's the reason the concept sounds so appealing in the first place, and it's what I was most looking forward to seeing. Unfortunately, I don't think we get nearly enough of it. The moments where the werewolf goes up against the undead are easily some of the most enjoyable parts of the film. There's something wonderfully entertaining about watching these creatures go at each other, and I genuinely wish there had been considerably more of it.

Instead, we spend a lot of time following the characters and their journey, with the monster elements occasionally taking a back seat. Again, I understand what the filmmakers are trying to achieve, but when you've got a concept as wonderfully ridiculous as zombies versus werewolves, surely you want to make the most of it?

It's almost as though the film is holding back from becoming the all-out creature feature it could have been. There are glimpses of what that film might look like, and those glimpses are bloody good fun. I just wanted more of them.

Now, one thing I did find particularly interesting was the approach to werewolf mythology. Without getting into spoiler territory, the usual rules surrounding werewolves don't necessarily apply here. It's an interesting concept, and I actually quite liked the direction they decided to take things. It's always nice when a film attempts to do something a little different with established horror mythology rather than simply recycling the same old ideas. However, much like several other aspects of this film, I don't think this particular idea gets quite the attention or development it deserves.

Dead Howling (2026) | Film Review

There's something here that could have been explored in considerably more depth, and I would have liked to see the film do more with it. It introduces an interesting variation on the traditional werewolf, but never quite fleshes everything out enough to make the most of that idea. Still, it's a welcome change, and certainly gives the film a little something different.

As for the cast, they're decent enough throughout. Joel Jackson does a solid job as Carter, giving us a central character who has to balance his rather unusual abilities with the responsibility of protecting those around him. There's enough there to keep you invested, even if I wasn't always particularly interested in everything the character was getting up to.

The supporting cast are perfectly fine, too, and there's nothing particularly bad to complain about performance-wise. One name that immediately caught my attention, however, was Temuera Morrison. Having someone like Morrison involved is certainly a nice addition, particularly for anyone familiar with his work across various genre films and franchises. And I’m a huge Star Wars nerd with Boba Fett being one of my favourite characters, so…

Unfortunately, he's barely in the bloody thing! It's a shame because I would have loved to have seen considerably more of him. When you see a name like that attached to a film, you naturally hope they're going to have a little more to do. Sadly, that's not quite the case here.

Visually, the werewolf itself is great. Is it going to go down as one of the greatest werewolf designs in horror history? Probably not. We're talking about a genre that has given us some absolute classics, from The Howling and An American Werewolf in London to The Wolf Man (original & 2010 remake, not Leigh Whannell’s) and, of course, Dog Soldiers. Those are some pretty big boots to fill, and Dead Howling doesn't quite reach those heights.

However, I did very much enjoy what we got. The creature looks, there's plenty of entertainment to be had when it gets involved in the action. I just wish we'd been given more opportunities to see it doing what it does best. Because, once again, those are the moments where Dead Howling really starts to come alive.

And that's ultimately where my biggest frustration lies.

I can see what this film is trying to achieve. It wants to be more than just a straightforward monster movie, and there's clearly an effort to give the characters and their journey some additional weight. Sometimes that works, and there are moments where the approach helps give the story a little more substance.

Other times, however, it feels like we're being pulled away from the very thing that makes this film interesting in the first place. I went into this expecting a bloody good time with a werewolf tearing through hordes of zombies, and whilst we do get some of that, I was hoping for considerably more.

There's a much more entertaining film trying to break through here. You can see it in those moments when the action kicks in, when the monsters are let loose and the film finally embraces the madness of its own premise. I just wish those moments had been given more room to breathe. It's not necessarily that I wanted another Dog Soldiers, because let's face it, that's a pretty high bar to set. But I did want something that embraced its creature feature roots a little more enthusiastically.

To conclude... it’s a decent enough horror film, and I certainly wouldn't say I disliked it. There's an interesting premise, a perfectly serviceable story, a decent cast and a werewolf that's good fun whenever it gets the opportunity to do its thing.

However, I was definitely expecting something rather different from what we ultimately got. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I can't help thinking about what it could have been. I wanted more werewolves, more zombies and considerably more of them trying to rip each other to pieces. Now, is that really too much to ask?