Director Neil Jordan is better known for films like THE CRYING GAME and INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. However, he started his career in horror and thrillers. This film is a poetic examination of the underlining feminist meanings of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale.
The film has three layers. There is a modern section where the teenage Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson, 1988’s SNOW WHITE) dreams of herself in a fairy tale type world where her Granny (Angela Lansbury, TV’s MURDER, SHE WROTE) tells her tales of werewolves. The tales are all allegories to the beast that lies in all men and how women must be careful and not wander off the path.
The look of the film is reminiscent of LEGEND and the werewolf transformations are a step below those in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. There’s a haunting tone to the various stories as well as a wink of cheeky humor akin to the “Lard Ass” tale in STAND BY ME. The film is a bit slow at times and doesn’t have a strong overall arch, but the mood and thoughts behind the film make it worth seeing.
As for fairy tale films like this one, viewers should also check out LEGEND and THE WITCHES. For riffs on the Little Red Riding Hood tale, you should check out the wonderful FREEWAY. THE COMPANY OF WOLVES is smart, intriguing and will make you question the fears and paranoia that lie between the lines of all our fairy tales.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
