In 1660's "New France" (Quebec) a legendary Priest, renown for hunting werewolves, is found dead by a promiscuous trapper named Joseph Cote, who is fleeing for his life, after he was caught going down on the wrong man's wife.
Cote steals the mans clothes and assumes his identity- hoping that noone will recognize he is the man being sought by authorities.
Then, while fleeing through the forest, he is attacked.
Eventually, he is found unconscious by a man from the nearby hamlet.
He and his friends tend to his wounds, and welcome him around their campfire.
However, while sitting around listening to an old folk tale, they are attacked by a giant wolf-life creature...which kills one of the men...and leaves Joseph with a bite in the leg.
It's at this point that the villagers begin to believe that he is actually Father Brind'amour- the infamous Priest from all their favourite legends.
But they are worried that he will become a werewolf during the next full moon...so they are wary of his presence...and, thus, lock him in a cabin.
But he manages to escape and woo a young maiden.
They re-capture him the next day, but, by this point, he's already suspected of being involved with the death of a villager, and disappearance of a young woman from the local convent.
Thinking he turned into a wolf; escaped; and carried out these crimes, before, being found in the morning...they nab him and prepare to burn him on a pyre.
But the diary of the wolf-hunting Priest claims that such a curse is not actually spread through the infection of wounds.
Rather, it can only be acquired from birth- when a female wolf mates with a male human and successfully produces offspring (alongside the bloodlines that arise from such a union).
Cote tries to convince the villagers to wait until night, to see if he changes or not.
But they are attacked while Cote is still bound to the stake.
So, realizing something else is up, they release him...which gives him the oppourtunity to redeem himself by taking the crappy CGI beast out with a miniature crossbow that shoots crucifixes.
Turns out it was one of the sons of the local Lord- who are actually a family of werewolves- the whole time.
And now that the truth has come out...it's kill or be killed...
This film is pretty similar to Brotherhood Of The Hood, just with a bit more of that subtle, lame, Canadian humour incorporated into it (and nowhere near as good).
The sets, scenery and costumes are really quite beautiful, though.
And it has that theatrical style which is typical of many francophone films (though there are also some nice cult shots thrown in there too, for good measure).
What really kills this film are the garbage CGI werewolves, and fact that everything just happens way too conveniently, so as to drive the storyline forward.
It's definitely not a bad film, or anything.
It's certainly entertaining.
But it's flaws are rather evident.
5 out of 10.
