dog soldiersActor Sean Pertwee had it right when he called Dog Soldiers "a soldier movie with werewolves in it," not the other way around. Neil Marshall's 2002 indie thriller pits a group of grubby British soldiers against a pack of nasty werewolves in the Scotland wilderness.

But Dog Soldiers isn't too concerned with exploring the origins of its hairy scary monsters or developing a rich horror mythology. Instead, Marshall, who also wrote the film's script, is more interested in introducing a number of memorable characters and placing them in some very creepy and dangerous situations.

You'll have to watch the movie's "making of" DVD featurette to hear Pertwee and the rest of the cast rave about Marshall's 2002 indie thriller. I didn't love the movie as much as they do, but I did have a good time with it, and I hope you did too. Let's explore Marshall's debut feature for a few hundred words or so, and don't forget to let us know what you thought about it in the comments section.

dog soldiers

The right tone

Striking the right tone is essential for a horror movie. The worst horror flicks only offer a series of kills or scenes of violence and gore strung together in between other scenes of characters spouting boring expository dialogue. They lack tone or any sort of spark or worthy signature to make them stand out.

Marshall keeps things feeling gritty and believable in Dog Soldiers -- a hard thing to do when you're making a movie about giant Scottish werewolves. The film has a strict militaristic and suspenseful tone. Marshall successfully balances intense supernatural action, humor and suspense.

A better B movie

Dog Soldiers is essentially a B movie with a set-up we've seen a million times before: Good guys must survive the night as the scary monsters try to murder them dead. Still, it feels unique and substantial, mostly because of its characters and Marshall's tight shooting and editing style.

Sure, some of the soldier characters are a little too interchangeable, but the three leads – Pertwee, Kevin McKidd and Emma Cleasby – are given pretty plum and memorable roles. Their great raw performances add more depth and heart to the characters, which makes you care about what happens to them as the werewolves continue their assault.

And the suspense is killer. I was rarely emotionally invested in the film, but the suspenseful moments, especially in the second half, really pulled me in and kept my eyes glued to the screen. This movie is entertaining as hell. It's not the next Evil Dead 2 or anything, as some have proclaimed, but I had a blast watching Pertwee and his profane platoon shoot, stab, and blow up their fang-toothed assailants.

I also loved the deign of the werewolves. Yeah, they look a little silly with those giant heads on top of the skinny bodies, but that's also what makes them look so scary and imposing. It's obvious that the filmmakers had to do a lot with very little, but the creatures look creepy enough. Thankfully, the wolves are practical (guys in suits) instead of low rent CGI. They look like you can reach out and touch them, and they inhabit the same space as the actors.

I know I only scratched the surface here, but I want to know what you thought of Dog Soldiers. Is it a crafty and spirited homage to classic suspenseful horror movies or is it a tedious retread that deserves little love? Let's hear it.