Wolves at the Door

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Wolves at the Door is directed by John Leonetti. The movie centers around the famed Manson murders. I will say this is probably the best movie this director has made, but that isn’t saying much, considering his filmography also includes The Butterfly Effect 2, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and Annabelle. I think that’s why the overall movie isn’t nearly as engaging as it should be. This movie is pretty short, clocking in at only about 72 minutes. When the writing doesn’t work very well, and a talented cast doesn’t always seem that invested, you end up feeling all 72 minutes of the movie. Nowhere is this more evident than the lead performance by Katie Cassidy as Sharon Tate. I like Katie Cassidy as an actress, but it doesn’t really look like she wants to be here. The beginning is probably the best part of the movie, despite some iffy acting. There actually was some demonstration of tension, and a legitimately creepy moment. The look of the movie isn’t something I’m a fan of. It’s incredibly difficult to make out what’s happening a lot of the time. This is a movie that really could’ve been executed well, but the wrong director was chosen. As an example, the Manson murders are going to be the topic of Quentin Tarantino’s next movie. Tarantino is a much more skilled director than Leonetti. The overall result is a movie with a couple of glimmers, a talented cast that doesn’t bring their A-game, and an otherwise sloppy mess.

2 / 10