Teenage witch Jenny (Isabella Jaimie) unenthusiastically takes part in her mother Sandra’s (Rebecca De Ornelas) sacrificial ceremony following the death of her grandmother. During the ceremony, things go terribly wrong with Sandra murdered and Jenny cursed to turn into a Yorkshire Terrier werewolf. Teaming up with vampire Chris (Jacob Rainer), Jenny takes aim at the mob responsible, which is led by her estranged father and warlock Papa Nick (Juan Salvati).
If you’ve just read the first paragraph of this review and you thought this film sounds completely bonkers, you’d be spot on. ‘The Yorkie Werewolf’ from film-maker Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas is a campy spoof of the werewolf genre that manages to skewer horror, family drama and coming-of-age films in one fell swoop. The tone for the film is set from the beginning as Jenny and Sandra sit by the bed of the family matriarch, waiting for her to die. Rather than being a sombre scene, it’s one packed with sarcastic barbs and inappropriate jokes.
From that point the sacrifice comes and goes (horribly wrong), setting up the film’s absurd premise. Once just a sardonic witch, Jenny now transforms into a semi-adorable Yorkshire Terrier werewolf, which she needs to understand how to best harness. As this is a horror, Jenny doesn’t find her feet easily with her new abilities and there’s plenty of bloodshed as she edges closer to taking down Papa Nick (played very OTT by Juan Salvati, who chews the scenery, spits it back out and then chews it again).
Writer and director DiBiasio-Ornelas manages to create a surprisingly rounded character with Jenny and he has a knack of being able to add comedy to what would usually be considered serious moments. He has a handle on how to subvert the usual family drama that can bog a film down and his unique take on witches, vampires and werewolves is a breath of fresh air. The film would have benefitted from exploring Jenny’s relationship with her mother more, but given its short run time, it does the best it can with the time it has.
Isabella Jaimie gives a strong performance as Jenny, ensuring the teenager is both likeable and precocious. She makes for a great leading lady and she helps keep you on side when the film goes off at a random tangent, which is does plenty. Her Yorkie Werewolf counterpart is played by Risa Mei, and the costume Mei wears will provide a talking point. It’s not the most realistic, but then I don’t think it’s supposed to be as the look of the costume adds to the overall bonkersness of the film.
‘The Yorkie Werewolf’ isn’t meant to be taken seriously and if you go into it with an open mind, you’ll likely find yourself very entertained. While the film has its issues, and could have done with more than its 73-minute running time, it packs in plenty and for those who like campy horror, it’ll be a treat to kick off 2025. Perfect, it most certainly isn’t, but packed with imagination and entertainment, it definitely is.
Cast: Isabella Jaimie, Risa Mei, Jacob Rainer, Juan Salvati, Rebecca De Ornelas Director: Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas Writer: Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas Certificate: Unrated Duration: 74 mins Released by: Deskpop Entertainment Release date: 7th January 2025 (US)
