Review of The Pack (2015) by Jenn R — 09 Jul 2016

Played by German Shepherds who were dyed black, the dogs are effectively menacing, with Robertson making the wise choice of keeping them offscreen as much as possible, including in the attack scenes, which are mostly realized with quick cuts of blood and gnashing teeth rather than long shots of dogs gnawing on stunt performers.

The actors all do fine work with the material they're given, with Hamish Phillips and Katie Moore making very impressive feature debuts here.

There were a couple of elements that hindered my enjoyment of The Pack, though. One thing that got to me was the fact that once night falls the film's cinematography, which is dreary even during the daylight moments, gets incredibly dark. Darkness tends to be important for a horror film, but sometimes you can go too far, and at times it would have helped if the imagery here was a little brighter.

The other issue comes out of Robertson's admirable attempt to make the film a serious, intense, unnerving experience. He milks the hell out of moments of suspense and tension, to the point where I lost all feelings of tension and instead had to struggle to keep my attention on the screen. The Pack only runs for 88 minutes, but something about the tone and pacing made it feel much longer than that for me.

I was expecting to get more entertainment out of The Pack than the movie had to offer, but it is a solid film, a simple story well told and carried on the shoulders of a capable cast. If you're into killer animal flicks, you'll probably get some enjoyment out of this one, and if you're wary of these types of movies because you're an animal lover, the action is shot in such a way that it shouldn't be too traumatizing for you.