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Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Stephen Rea, Tusse Silberg, Sarah Patterson ... see more see more... , Graham Crowden , Kathryn Pogson , Brian Glover , Micha Bergese , Shane Johnstone , Georgia Slowe , Terence Stamp , Dawn Archibald , Danielle Dax , Roy Evans , Jimmy Gardner , Richard Morant , Dinny Powell , Tex Fuller , Gareth Milne , Bill Weston , Jimmy Brown , Ruby Buchanan , Graeme Crowther , Edward Marksen , Vincent McClaren , Susan Porrett , Nick Hobbs

Company of Wolves is Little Red Riding Hood for the Alien generation. Sheltered 13-year-old Sarah Patterson, living on the edge of a foreboding woods, is visited by her grandmother Angela Lansbury. Th... read more read more...e old lady delights in telling Sarah the most horrific stories, usually involving what happens to little girls if they trust wolves--the actual, rather than symbolic kind. Later on, Sarah sets out through the woods to visit her grandmother. She makes the acquaintance of a seductive young huntsman (Micha Bergese), who turns out to be.....well, what big teeth he's got. The ads for Company of Wolves, showing a wolf springing from the open mouth of poor little Sarah Patterson, were warning enough for the faint of heart. Actually, the horror is secondary to the remarkable Grimms-Fairy-Tale ambience which the film successfully sustains from beginning to end. And, in keeping with the original unexpurgated versions of most fairy tales, the sexual subtext is never far from the surface. Director Neil Jordan would further develop some of the subliminal themes in Company of Wolves in his 1994 production Interview with the Vampire. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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70% liked it

7,910 ratings

Critics

77% liked it

13 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Neil Jordan

Release Date: September 21, 1984

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DVD Release Date: October 15, 2002

Stats: 578 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (578)

  • puffchunk
    November 4, 2008
    puffchunk
    I was really excited for the old skool special effects, but the lack of interesting story finally caught up with it by the end.
  • kiriyamakazou
    April 4, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    A wonderfully designed mixture of fairytale and pure psychedelic fantasy. The transformation dinner sequence is worthy of werewolf legend and the whole film feels like some possessive dream. A wonderful oddity even if it doesn't feel like a traditional film.
  • matertenebraum
    August 12, 2007
    matertenebraum
    The company of wolves is very far from being the typical movie about werewolves, it's very different from films such as An American Werewolf in London or The Howling. This film is full of symbolism, it's a kind of rewriting of Perrault's Little Red Ridding Hood with Freudian elem... read moreents. The film was directed by Neil Jordan, but in it we can notice the writing of Angela Carter, an author who is mainly interested in rewriting folklore myths from a feminist point of view. If you see this film you will enter a world of magic, of dreams, not only by means of the script, but also by the settings, which are really wonderful. The film itself deals with the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence, with all its sexual connotations, and the loss of innocence. When we become adults we realize life is not a magic tale. All this is treated from a feminist point of view, the main character is a girl who dreams about several stories with werewolves. Visually the movie is incredible, and it manages to reflect the symbolism of woods, the mixture of light and darkness, the magic creatures which live there during the night and the dangerous inside them especially for the girls who don't follow the path. From my point of view the film is one of the best dealing with the myth of werewolves, mainly because the film is a metaphor of life, of the human specie, all of us have an animal inside.
  • drblood
    June 24, 2007
    drblood
    Although made more horrible by the participation of the hateful Angela Lansbury, this is supposed to be a fantasy rather than a horror film.
  • webalina
    June 18, 2007
    webalina
    I really like this movie. Great sets, good effects (brought to you without CGI enhancement), a little spooky and just a touch erotic. A fairy tale story for adults.
  • garyX
    June 18, 2007
    garyX
    Bizarre but strangely enchanting gothic fairytale based on Red Riding Hood in which a young girl's dreams of werewolves start encroaching onto her waking life. Or are they...? Very surreal and full of beautiful imagery but it may irritate those who prefer a straightforward narrat... read moreive. Fans of Tim Burton and Guillermo Del Toro will enjoy it though.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    June 9, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    A series of poetic vignettes about werewolves. It's very much an anthology of werewolf tales, much how the Broadway musical "Cats" is about cats. There are horrific elements within, but I would classify this as a "dark fantasy". Many have mentioned sensual overtones, but I focus ... read moreon the imagery, music and atmosphere each time I watch this film. It was sadly misrepresented in how it was marketed. I like this movie for its atmosphere. The ending is fantastic when the wolves enter the mansion.
  • Hellshocked
    November 10, 2011
    Hellshocked


    Alice runs through the woods in terror as something unseen gives chase, but this is no ordinary forest. Scattered throughout are remnants from her childhood impeding her progress. Once... read more a comforting bastion of safety and warmth, her toys have turned on her. A rag doll tries to hold her down, a stuffed bear assaults her when she embraces it and her dollhouse, though pristine on the outside, is infested with rats. Her bosom heaves with labored breathing as she struggles to escape but her efforts are for naught. Eventually, as they must, the wolves catch up.

    Taking place entirely within the realm of the unconscious, the film's theme is that of sexual awakening. Rosaleen, having lost her older sister to womanhood, must now prepare to make the same journey. Just as Alice put down her toys in order to be consumed by wolves so must she, despite the terrifying warnings her overbearing grandmother instills in her: the woods are filled with peril, there is danger all around and within the breast of every man beats the heart of an enraged beast. The only way to protect yourself is to do as you are told, be wary of the opposite sex and never stray from the path.

    But it is as girls become women, the true purpose of the path becomes apparent. It is not in keeping the beasts out, as danger will track Rosaleen to her home if it cannot find her elsewhere, but in caging her in. The woods are certainly thick and ominous but they will forever remain so if they go unexplored. And the forest is never quite as dangerous to those who do not fear the company of wolves. "If there is a beast inside every man", after all, "he meets his match in the beast inside of every woman."
  • Lemure
    November 6, 2009
    Lemure
    Neil Jordan should do more fantasy, he has a perfect eye for it. Here he retells Little Red Riding Hood, and then some. It's a gorgeous, sumptuous film with beautiful production design (Furst works the same magic he did with Batman), and some fucking amazing werewolf transformati... read moreon scenes. Only An American Werewolf In London has done it better.
  • fb25827189
    October 8, 2009
    fb25827189
    One of the most imaginative and original films I have ever seen!

    Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) tells a very detailed and vivid story about a girl who has shut herself off in her room from her pesky and bratty sister. As she lies sulking in bed she slips into a dream state that t... read moreransports her back to a simpler time where she is told fantastic stories of witches, and werewolves by her Granny (Angela Lansbury). The film is loosely based on several well known tales mostly Little Red Riding Hood. As with most fairy tales their are morals to be learned as is the case in The Company of Wolves as this little girl slowly learns who and who not to trust. Sexual undertones also run throughout the film giving it a romantic and eerie look and feel. What sets the film apart from most is just how detailed and imaginative the film becomes in it's 95 minute run-time their so many wonderful shots and effects that make The Company of Wolves a real treat for anyone who enjoys a very fantasy heavy horror film. These are the kind of movies that make wanna be filmmakers like myself very happy because with a bit of imagination something like this can get made, and it is a really great movie to watch especially with Halloween so close.

    Also just a little FYI, amongst all the great actors the film has you get a quick glimpse of Terence Stamp as The Devil so if you watch the movie keep an eye out for him and some other familiar faces as well.

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Critic Reviews

Rob Vaux
February 6, 2003
Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium

Strange and haunting, but unduly disjointed.

Luke Y. Thompson
January 22, 2003
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times

Red Riding Hood has always been a good source for nightmares, and this is one of the more compelling of those bad dreams

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Neil Jordan's unsettling spin on the old Red Riding Hood themes.

David Ansen
October 18, 2008
David Ansen, Newsweek

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Jake Euker
February 18, 2007
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

Michael Szymanski
September 23, 2005
Michael Szymanski, Zap2it.com

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
July 4, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Frank Swietek
August 2, 2004
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Company of Wolves Trivia

  • What movie does this quote come from? 'Never stray from the path, never eat a windfall apple, and never trust a man whose eyebrows meet in the middle.'  Answer »
  • Neil Jordan's The Company of Wolves is based on which fairy tale?  Answer »
  • Which telltale sign of werewolves in The Company of Wolves would the Gallagher brothers of Oasis be most guilty of possessing?  Answer »
  • Which actor appeared in The Company of Wolves, Interview with the Vampire, Citizen X & The Crying Game?  Answer »
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