Let’s hear it for the good ol’ bad guys!!
With an engaging atmosphere and an equally sharp DIY attitude, First Moon takes aim at the blackest of nights and delivers one howl of a horror flick, complete with a creature design from SFX artist, Thomas E. Surprenant whose work has appeared in everything from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to The Cat In The Hat.
First Moon makes its moves early. We already know this horror film concerns itself with a werewolf but, there’s a twist here in that the wolf is not of a lore we already know. The cult behind this twisted freak of nature wants to eradicate the wolf transforming virus from mankind once and for all - and they aren’t below killing or kidnapping before the transformation takes place either. They just want it gone.
And good men and women be damned.
Written and directed by Peter McLeod, First Moon proves to be an intense deep dive into bizarre situations that simply get out of control all too quickly. It’s violent and extreme and, quite frankly, proves to be an inspired entry into an otherwise tired sub-genre of monster movies.
Starring The Conjuring 2's Lauren Esposito as Jessica, the movie begins with the kidnapping of her. Immediately, things are tense. She’s a waitress; that much is clear but just what the hell are they kidnapping her for?! We soon find out and it is a disturbing turn of events.
We are dragged across the bare floor with her as she is repeatedly questioned by this cult about her affairs. It turns out - big shocker here!!! - the virus is transmitted sexually and, because this cult is hellbent in stopping the spread of this disease, they need all sins confessed and cleansed before their work can begin!
This brings on a tonal ferocity to the horror movie as we quickly go to extremes in trying to figure out just who is the good guys and the bad ones here.
There’s a rabid freshness to much of this film. And, thematically, making religion and all of its followers the bad guys works wonders in delivering a horror film that is not soon forgotten. There is a steely darkness to the film which might be a bit of a detraction for some viewers, yet it adds a cold atmosphere for the deranged drama to play out against as
The film co-stars Julian Curtis and Shannon Ryan and, as mentioned earlier, serves up a new look for an old creature feature. Just sit tight, though, because there’s a lot of situations to get through before the werewolf debuts. It’s worth it, though.
The ravenous cult scene gets cut up in First Moon. It will be available On Digital and Demand on May 6th from One Tree Entertainment!
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
Director: Peter McLeod
Writer: Peter McLeod
Cast: Lauren Esposito; Julian Curtis; Shannon Ryan
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Fear the Monster Within
Memorable Movie Quote: "I know what you're feeling. You are sick."
Distributor: One Tree Releasing
Official Site:
Release Date: May 6, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A young waitress is abducted by a religious cult, who are hell-bent on curing her from a sexually transmitted werewolf virus - or killing her in the process. Will she escape before the first full moon?
