Last Horror Watch: The Cycle (2026)

Watched:  11/04/2026

Format:  Shudder

Viewing:  First

Director:  Jordan Downey

More than one person reached out to let me know I should watch this movie, so thanks if you were are one of those two people!

I wasn't really given any heads up as to what the movie was about going in, so I'll do you a favor and drop this here:

SPOILERS

The Cycle (2026) is an indie horror movie - as indicated by its home as a Shudder original.  What made me immediately interested was that the lead is Deborah Ann Woll, who I think is a solid actor but who I don't see in enough things.  (Hollywood, get on that.  Put Ms. Woll in more things.)

From the title, I knew this was about (a) a murderous bicycle, (b) someone's menstruation, or (c) most likely a werewolf or werewolves.

It was option (c).  

Woll plays a scientist who does forensic work.  When she was a small child, her father disappeared and did not return.  Now, decades later, he's reappeared as a corpse and Woll is asked to look into the case as the small-town coroner/ funeral director can't really sort it out to the satisfaction of the cops.  

The corpse doesn't make any sense.  He's not showing usual signs of decomposition and the corpse is showing signs of what seems to be an incredible amount of trauma.

DOUBLE SPOILERS

Whoops.  Apparently the human host dying is not enough to stop a werewolf.

Yeah, every month the corpse of Woll's father returns to life as a werewolf.

It's an interesting idea!  And the zombiefied werewolf is a thing to behold.  I feel like after decades of unimpressive werewolf designs, the past few years we've gotten some good stuff.  Not only does this movie rely on overwhelmingly practical effects, they look cool!  Hooray for people making stuff that doesn't look like a cartoon monster mash or make their creature look ridiculous.

I'm not sure, however, the plot makes much logical sense even with their internal logic.

Woll's father had not run far - for 30 years he's living on a semi-derelict oil platform off the pacific northwestern coast.  I assume this keeps the werewolf trapped.  I cannot imagine this makes any sense from either a "oil companies can move oil platforms" standpoint, or from a "he has to go to land to get things, wouldn't someone notice him?" sort of way.  

I also don't understand why, after 30 years, you wouldn't at least try to burn your own corpse.  Or why no one else tries it once they know what they have.

Still, it's a solid, moody, well-performed movie.  Woll carries the film just fine as a lead, employing some of the hidden iron she employs as Karen Page on Daredevil.  The movie cares about Page's state in a way that feels better written and more honest than many horror flicks that just default to "well, they're scared now, or not scared enough."  Woll is dealing with 30 years of a missing father (and, hey, bold call to admit Woll is around 40 in a movie).  

But the supporting characters are also well imagined, including Woll's parents.  

Anyway, character driven horror!  I'll take it.

As a side note - I started this movie before Halloween, and mid-way through we had a curious emergency at the house, and I only got back to the movie Wednesday night.  Glad I did.  But that's probably it for me and horror until, ironically, Werwulf.