Sundance 2021: Eight For Silver Review

Keith NoakesFebruary 4, 202178/100n/a4 min
Starring
Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie
Writer
Sean Ellis
Director
Sean Ellis
Rating
n/a
Running Time
113 minutes
Release Date
n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Eight For Silver is a decent period werewolf creature feature that certainly will not be for the faint of heart thanks to creepy atmosphere and haunting imagery.

Eight For Silver is now The Cursed

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

The werewolf film is the classic creature feature that has graced screens for decades. Eight For Silver is yet another werewolf film though with a twist and a period setting. Just like with any creature feature, disbelief must be suspended thus it will not be for everyone while its sheer brutality won’t be for the faint of heart. Above all, it’s a slow burn that will be worth it for those who are willing to wait. Despite its indie nature, the film succeeds at creating an impressive world though the occasional hiccup still sneaks through. However, these were not enough to take away from it. The story takes place in 19th century France (though that was questionable) where a mysterious entity has terrorized a small village. Meanwhile, a pathologist named John McBride (Holbrook) is called in to investigate but he, unsurprisingly, shared a connection with what was happening thus had his own demons to contend with.

The plot of Eight For Silver shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to anyone as the film focuses on building tension as the mystery is slowly revealed and bodies are left in its wake. In the end, that’s all that truly mattered because the story behind it all didn’t matter all that much as viewers are sure to tune it out in favor of seeing the aforementioned creature continue to do damage. For that, it was still gripping to watch and certainly did not disappoint. In spite of questionable CGI used to bring the monster and the damage it inflicted on its victims to life, the tension and uneasy atmosphere was there thanks to some great cinematography and a chilling score. While the characters weren’t particularly deep, Holbrook’s brought enough charisma and presence to McBride to make him stand out.

At the end of the day, Eight For Silver is a decent creature feature that genre fans should check out.

still courtesy of Sundance


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