Werewolf Wednesday Entry 4/16/25

Title: Late Phases.

Media: Film, directed by Adrián García Bogliano.

Released in 2014, Late Phases is an independent horror film starring Nick Damici as protagonist Ambrose McKinley. The story begins when Ambrose and his seeing eye dog move into an isolated retirement community in the countryside. The move occurs upon his son Will’s insistence, and it is clear in the first few opening sequences that Ambrose and his son do not get along. Despite Ambrose’s prickly demeanour, he manages to befriend his neighbour, Delores. 

However, things turn bloody when Delores is brutally attacked by a large beast that quickly sets eyes on Ambrose. In an effort to protect his handler, Ambrose’s seeing eye dog is mortally wounded. Due to the fact that Ambrose is blind, his son and the authorities fail to believe his account of the mauling; chalking up the incident to that of a wild dog or other animal. While the rest of the community attempts to move on from the incident, Ambrose (like John Wick) becomes obsessed with seeking vengeance on the creature that killed his neighbour, and his dog. 

Horror films harbour an unfortunate history of demonising and infantilizing people with disabilities, a more recent example of this being director Ari Aster’s most popular films: Midsommar and Hereditary. While the films themselves are impressive and stand as staple films in the modern horror genre, the portrayal of disability is certainly less than realistic. Alternatively, Ambrose’s character is portrayed with greater respect and sensitivity as both a compelling and deeply flawed protagonist. 

As Ambrose begins to establish a routine despite his burning desire to avenge his dog, he begins to notice peculiar rumours and behaviour circulating the isolated retirement community about unsolved missing persons cases. It becomes clear to him that whatever was behind the attack could have had a supernatural cause, due to the creature’s ability to seemingly appear and vanish on a monthly schedule. Overall, the film is truly an underrated staple of werewolf horror cinema, and it would be a shame to spoil the bloody finale, as this independent film deserves more praise and recognition. 

As always, be sure to appreciate your local monsters.