Most of us claim that we are tired of computer-generated effects. We’re tired of fake blood spurts and CGI animals and all of it. If you’ve found yourself thinking this lately then Bloodthirsty, the new werewolf movie from Amelia Moses might be for you.

Following young pop star Grey (Lauren Beatty) whose hunger for success as she struggles to make her second album comes in parallel with a very different kind of hunger. All her life, she has been hallucinating that she is turning into an animal, that she wants to stalk and eat animals raw and bloody in the woods. These nightmares keep her up at night despite the best efforts of her doctor (Michael Ironside, in a small but fun cameo) to medicate them away.

When she heads to the remote home of reclusive music producer Vaughn (Greg Bryk) with her girlfriend Charlie (Katharine King So), that idea that these impulses are simply the product of a troubled mind is thrown sharply into doubt.

To say Bloodthirsty is a slow burn would be an understatement, while there are pockets of gore here and there it saves the big moments for the final minutes. The journey to get there is tense and awkward, and Lauren Beatty really throws her all into it. Whether Grey is becoming distant from her girlfriend or dreaming of eviscerating a rabbit, Beatty is committed, and it shows.

This film, along with Bleed With Me, her other film this year which I covered at Fantasia Fest, really cements director Amelia Moses as a director to watch. Her ability to control mood, tone, and pace is both on point and on full display here.

When the film finally gets to its climax, and humans need to start turning into monsters, those transformations are brutal and scary. The choice to go with practical effects is a good one and harkens back to other classic werewolf transitions. You can tell that the budget for the film was modest, but what they do with what they have is impressive.

Bloodthirsty will air on SuperChannel as part of the 2020 Blood in the Snow Festival on Wednesday, November 4th at 6 pm Pacific / 9 pm Eastern.