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{{for|the Taiwanese film|Bad Moon (2005 film)}}
{{all plot|date=August 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2024}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = Bad Moon
| image          = Bad Moon 1996 poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Eric Red]]
| producer       = [[James G. Robinson]]
| screenplay     = Eric Red
| based_on       = ''Thor'' by<br />Wayne Smith
| music          = [[Daniel Licht]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist |
* [[Mariel Hemingway]] 
* [[Michael Paré]]}}
| cinematography = [[Jan Kiesser]]
| editing        = [[Carroll Timothy O'Meara]]
| studio         = [[Morgan Creek Productions]]
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1996|11|01|United States}}
| runtime        = 79 minutes
| country        = United States<br />Canada
| language       = English
| budget         = $7 million
| gross          = $1.1 million<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=badmoon.htm | title=Bad Moon}}</ref>
}}

'''''Bad Moon''''' is a 1996 [[horror film]] written and directed by [[Eric Red]], and produced by [[James G. Robinson]]. The film is about a mother and son who are threatened by her brother, who struggles to overcome the curse of [[lycanthropy]]. It stars [[Michael Paré]], [[Mariel Hemingway]] and [[Mason Gamble]].

The film is based on the 1992 novel ''Thor'' by Wayne Smith,<ref name="Savlov96"/> which mainly tells the story from the dog's viewpoint. ''Bad Moon'' was released by [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] on November 1, 1996. the film was panned by critics who praised Primo’s performance as Thor, the practical effects and creature designs, brutal gore, unique plot, and Paré’s performance as the main villain but criticized the CGI effects, screenplay, character writing, cast performances, pacing, ending, and tones. it also [[box-office bomb|performed poorly at the box office]], grossing just $1.1 million against a $7 million budget.

==Plot==
During a work expedition in [[Nepal]], photo-journalists Ted Harrison and his girlfriend, Marjorie, are attacked by a [[werewolf]]. The werewolf kills Marjorie - with Ted being bitten while trying to save her - before Ted in turn kills the werewolf with a shotgun.

Back in the US, Ted moves into a trailer in the woods to isolate himself. Eventually, he invites his sister, Janet, and his nephew, Brett, to a meal at his home by the lake. Upon seeing him, the family dog, Thor, runs into the woods. Picking up a scent, Thor is led to human remains hanging from a tree branch. Meanwhile, Ted lies to Janet, telling her that Marjorie left him and went back to [[Seattle]]. Janet invites him to stay with them, but he declines, insisting they leave before sunset.

The next day, authorities investigate the remains of several missing hikers and a Forest Ranger, found in the woods near Ted's trailer. Fearful of being caught, Ted calls Janet and accepts her offer. Upon arrival, Thor is again suspicious of Ted, acting hostile towards him. Later that evening, Thor follows Ted into the woods and finds him handcuffed to a tree whilst transformed into a werewolf. Meanwhile, Janet goes into the woods looking for Thor. Aware of the danger, Thor leads her back to the house.

The next morning, Janet sees a news report of the killings at the lake. She confronts her brother about not telling her his motive for accepting her invitation, yet asks him to stay permanently. Ted tries to warn her, advising she pay attention to Thor's sudden behavior changes, while hinting that the killer is a wolf. She ignores him. Later, as the sun sets, he leaves his trailer in hopes of chaining himself up again. Thor, knowing what is happening, barks until Brett lets him out of the house. He runs to the woods to find that Ted was too late, then follows Ted's trail back to the backyard. Ted attacks him but the dog fights back, waking Janet, who turns on the deck lights, scaring Ted away and only seeing an injured Thor. She then goes to Ted's trailer to tell him, where she finds a book about werewolves, with gruesome pictures of Marjorie and Ted's victims attached to it. She also finds a journal in which Ted details his turmoil in not finding a cure for his "disease”, and his hopes of finding peace near his family. Later that night, a traveling salesman, who had earlier tried to frame Thor for an attack, returns to Janet's yard with the intention of killing Thor. Instead, he is killed by Ted.

The next morning, the sheriff questions Janet about Thor, informing her of the salesman's death - his mutilated body was found near her property - and advises Janet to send Thor to the dog pound. Not believing Thor could be the killer, she confronts Ted, who provokes Thor to attack him. As a result, Thor is taken to the pound. Ted declares victory by urinating on Thor's doghouse, and becomes hostile towards Brett.

That night, Janet follows Ted into the woods, finding him mid-transformation. As he taunts Janet for ignoring his warnings, despite knowing the truth, she flees back to the house to retrieve a revolver hidden in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Brett manages to sneak out and free Thor from the dog pound. Thor returns home just as Ted is about to attack Janet. A vicious fight ensues, ending with Ted throwing Thor across the room, seemingly killing him. Ted nearly strangles Brett, who has just returned home, but Janet fires several rounds into him. Then, Thor throws himself at Ted, knocking them both through the window and into the yard. Ted, severely injured, retreats into the woods, with Thor tracking him until sunrise.Thor finds Ted, now in human form. Injured and covered in blood, he tells Thor to put him out of his misery, in which Thor lunges at Ted, killing him.Thor returns home as Janet and Brett thank him for saving them, only for him to turn into a monstrous werewolf dog and roar at them. But it turns out to be just a nightmare as Janet wakes up, as Brett comforts her, as the two of them start petting Thor, who is still alive and wrapped in bandages after the fight.

==Cast==
* [[Mariel Hemingway]] as Janet Harrison
* [[Michael Paré]] as Ted Harrison
* [[Mason Gamble]] as Brett Harrison
* [[Ken Pogue]] as Sheriff Jenson
* [[Hrothgar Mathews]] as Jerry "Flopsy" Mills
* Johanna Lebovitz as Marjorie
* Gavin Buhr as forest ranger
* Julia Montgomery Brown as reporter
* Primo as Thor

==Production==
[[Eric Red]] acquired the rights to Wayne Smith's novel ''Thor'' as Red felt it had all the elements needed for a great horror film.<ref name="BadMoonProd">{{cite magazine |last=Dennis|first=Discher|date=November 1996|title= Bad Moon|url=https://archive.org/details/cinefantastique_1970-2002/Cinefantastique%20Vol%2028%20No%204-5%20%28Nov%201996%29/page/n13/mode/1up?view=theater|url-status= |magazine=Cinefantastique |location= |publisher= Fourth Castle Micromedia|access-date=August 15, 2024}}</ref> The werewolf effects were created by [[Steve Johnson (special effects artist)|Steve Johnson]] and his company XFX.<ref name= "BadMoonProd"/>

==Reception==

===Critical response===
''Bad Moon'' received mostly negative reviews from critics upon its initial release. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|27|3.7|11|ref=yes|access-date=March 10, 2023}}

[[Mick LaSalle]] of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' was highly critical of the film, panning the film's script, poor special effects, and unconvincing monster costume.<ref name="LaSalle96">{{cite web |last1=LaSalle |first1=Mick |title=The Hair Is Not Perfect In Tired Werewolf Flick |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/The-Hair-Is-Not-Perfect-In-Tired-Werewolf-Flick-2960852.php |website=SF Gate.com |publisher=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |accessdate=August 22, 2020 |date=November 2, 1996}}</ref> [[Joe Leydon]] from ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' felt that the film was "too silly to be suspenseful, yet not quite awful enough or intentionally funny enough to qualify as camp", and criticized Hemingway's performance as being unconvincing.<ref name="Leydon96">{{cite web |last1=Leydon |first1=Joe |title=Bad Moon |url=https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/bad-moon-1200447760/ |website=Variety.com |publisher=Variety Magazine |accessdate=August 22, 2020 |date=November 10, 1996}}</ref> ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]''{{'}}s Marc Savlov gave the film one and a half out of five stars, highlighting the film's direction, unconvincing special effects and monster costume, and unbelievable characters.<ref name="Savlov96">{{cite web |last=Savlov |first=Marc |title=Bad Moon |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/1996-11-08/bad-moon/ |website=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|accessdate=August 22, 2020 |date=November 8, 1996}}</ref>

More positively, [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' called the film "a straight-ahead horror picture with exceptionally well-written characters and well-directed actors."<ref>{{cite web|last=Thomas|first=Kevin|title='Bad Moon' a Straight-Ahead Werewolf Film|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-02-ca-60252-story.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011142204/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-02-ca-60252-story.html|website=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|date=November 2, 1996|archivedate=October 11, 2023|access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref> Chris Coffel of ''[[Bloody Disgusting]]'' said ''Bad Moon'' "succeeds with what you want in a trashy werewolf movie."<ref>{{cite web|last=Coffel|first=Chris|title=[Blu-ray Review] 'Bad Moon' is Trashy Werewolf Fun|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3401845/blu-ray-review-bad-moon-trashy-werewolf-fun/|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|date=August 17, 2016|access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref>

==Home media==
The film was released on DVD on October 3, 2000.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Bad-Moon-DVD/30000/ |title = Bad Moon DVD Release Date October 3, 2000}}</ref> and on Blu-ray on July 19, 2016.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Bad-Moon-Blu-ray/26429/ |title = Bad Moon Blu-ray Release Date July 19, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{Section link|Second weekend in box office performance|Second-weekend drop}}
* ''[[Good Boy (2025 Leonberg film)|Good Boy (2025)]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0115610|Bad Moon}}
* {{Mojo title|badmoon|Bad Moon}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|bad_moon|Bad Moon}}

{{Eric Red}}

[[Category:1996 films]]
[[Category:1996 horror films]]
[[Category:1990s monster movies]]
[[Category:English-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:Canadian supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American monster movies]]
[[Category:Films about dogs]]
[[Category:Films based on horror novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Eric Red]]
[[Category:Films shot in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Morgan Creek Productions films]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]
[[Category:Canadian werewolf films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Daniel Licht]]
[[Category:1996 English-language films]]
[[Category:1996 American films]]
[[Category:1996 Canadian films]]
[[Category:1996 science fiction films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Bad Moon|access_date=2026-02-26}}