The title of this film makes it sound like a documentary, but in reality it is a World War II period horror movie that focuses on some experiments the Nazis were doing in order to create soldiers impervious to pain. Throw in some werewolves and plenty of gun fighting, and you have a movie that tries to be many things, doesn’t totally succeed at any of them, but is still interesting to watch.
There are no new ideas presented in “Horrors of War.” (Werewolves were done much better in Robert McCammon’s “The Wolf’s Hour,” which may have been an inspiration here.) That doesn’t really matter, though, because this playground is so ripe for stories that you can mine the same ones time and time again as long as everything else works. In this instance, most of the movie works.
It is difficult for a lower budget independent film to pull off World War II authenticity on any sort of a credible level due to the fact that audiences are far more sophisticated than they were even twenty years ago. This movie isn’t immune to that problem (and it’s not helped by some clunky CGI), but the directors seemed to have anticipated that hurdle and made characters their aim. Most notably, the two leads (Jon Osbeck and Joe Lorenzo). These men bring their roles to life, and while they fit the standard stereotypes of World War II film characters, that only helps make it seem more believable as these are people you’ve seen in other war movies.
“Horrors of War” will never be considered a horror film classic, but it is a worthy addition to the genre and a good example of what can be done on a budget. Horror doesn’t need millions of dollars to work, but it does need characters and talent. If these guys would have had a major studio behind them, this film would’ve packed some seats. Instead, it’s only going to please a small group of people who hear about it in reviews like this. It isn’t perfect, and it isn’t great, but it gives horror fans some hope for the future of genre filmmaking… and these days that’s about all anyone can really ask for.
