SKINWALKERS

US, 2006, 84 minutes, Colour.
Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, Matthew Knight, Wendy Crewson.
Directed by Jim Isaac.

Skywalkers is a brief contemporary horror film, drawing on the werewolf tradition? It is more in the vein of the werewolves in Twilight rather than the more classic stories. An introduction informs the audience that the tradition comes from Native American stories, two tribes of werewolves, one in favour of keeping their rampaging nature, the other wanting to end the curse and return to normal. The story is that the special 13-year-old boy, half werewolf, half human, has to survive a blood moon and the curse will be removed.

The film opens with one group attacking the other, an attempt to find the whereabouts of the young boy. When the enemy finds out, they ride their bikes to a town where the boy has been preserved by the community for all the years.

The Bikies come with guns blazing, a kind of contemporary High Noon, which means that the family has to flee. There are dangerous pursuits, fights, building up to a climax in a factory and the boy having to survive until midnight.

1. An interesting horror film? Contemporary? The Native American traditions? The werewolf traditions? The combination?

2. The locations, forests, the town, the streets, homes, warehouses and factories? The musical score?

3. Title, the explanation, the Native American Indians and their traditions? How credible?

4. The initial information, the skinwalkers, those who wanted to remain werewolves, those who wanted to end the curse?

5. The confrontations, pro and con, the warriors? The werewolves having to be locked in at night? Their thirst for blood – any blood?

6. Caleb as leader, the girl, the sexual relationship? The confrontation with the werewolves at the beginning? Chase, findings the restrained werewolves, the threats, the torture? The photo and seeing the town of Huguenot in the mirror? Bikie gang?

7. The family, Rachel and her not knowing the truth, caring for Timothy? Adam and Jonas’ daughter, their love? The black postman? The grandmother? Jonas and his brother-in-law, his daughter? The story of his mother’s death? The driver who was not werewolf? The black postman, storekeepers?

8. The boy, aged 13, half werewolf, half human? The prophecy? His survival and the end of the curse? The visuals of the blood moon?

9. Rachel not knowing the truth, at home, in the shop, the guns in the street, her dismay, protecting Timothy? Caleb, the group, the shooting, everybody in
the town coming to the defence? The confrontation with the grandmother, her saving Timothy, her being shot trying to get into the truck? Contemporary werewolf High Noon?

10. The truck, the driver and his help, the escape, Rachel and her disbelief, the werewolves in their confinement at night, the transformation, horror?

11. The group catching up, the battle, the deaths, the capture of Jonas’ daughter? The sudden death of the driver? The killing of the others, the black
postman? The capture of the daughter? Torture?

12. The escape, the small group in the truck, and returning the girl, Adam bringing her back, her being infected, lies, killing out of? Her father in his constraint, trying to escape, having to kill his daughter? Her trying to cajole Timothy to come so that she could kill him?

13. Arrival at the warehouse, the night, Jonas and his warning that there was the thirst for blood, anybody’s blood, and they were to shoo him if they were in danger? Rachel and Timothy concealing themselves? The werewolves and their mutual attacks, fights and deaths? Jonas death?

14. Caleb, the irony of his being the father of Timothy, transformed, trying to kill Timothy, midnight, Timothy surviving midnight, Caleb and his being transformed back to normal?

15. The ending, Timothy and the blood samples and the ability to cure werewolves? The family going to the motel, the Halloween Grim Reaper costume, and the happy future?