SILVER BULLET

My 10 year old step son is starting to discover horror films. Of course at that age he is impressionable and so it's been a careful ease into various films. Vampires and Werewolves are of particular interest (thanks to Buffy) to him and he's completely fascinated by the rules and mythos of these creatures. So tonight we sat down and watched Silver Bullet. This Stephen King adaptation is, IMO, one of the great werewolf movies made. It rates highly alongside American Werewolf In London and The Howling. The fascinating thing about Silver Bullet is that the film is told through the eyes of a 10 year old boy. The narrative plays out very much like a family film that's been injected with potent doses of grown up stuff. The violence is brief but intense. Most of the killings are suggested and little is shown on the screen. I was unsure how my son would react to the intensity of this movie but he certainly showed me. Not only did he lap it up, but he also approached it really maturely. He understood the implications and even pinned who the killer was before a lot of adults would have. It's probably as extreme as I am willing to go with him in terms of movies but the satisfying thing is watching him process it all. He fully comprehends the fantasy of it and embraces the fun. He also uses his fears creatively. IF he has nightmares he wakes up and writes them down as ideas for stories he writes. Bring on the teenage years when we can really start getting into the super fun stuff!! hehehehe. Silver Bullet rules!

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