John Irving once said that he loves to put comedy and tragedy in close conjunction because each can make the other more effective. That's just the effect that the combination has in Skinwalkers. When Granny pulled her Smith & Wesson, I howled with laughter. Good stuff there. Stan Winston did a great job with the prosthetics as usual. Both the comedy and the horror in the film are fully committed to, unlike many attempts to merge the two. If "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is ever true, this is an example.

  The comic bits wouldn't be nearly as delightful if they didn't supervene on the disturbing, and the horror wouldn't have near the impact if they didn't arrive in the context where you half-expect the next moment to be just as lighthearted and amusing. Both the initial "animal attack" and the apocalyptic ending are perfect examples of this. Rhona Mitra is as beautiful as ever and a true revelation onscreen as she protects her young child. Natassia Malthe looks extremely hot as a leather-clad werewolf baddie opposite the underrated Jason Behr.

  With a supporting cast from the likes of Elias Koteas to Sarah Carter to Kim Coates, this pulp-ish werewolf film is a throwback to old Stan Winston gems like Pumpkinhead and Aliens.