Wolves at the Door

Wolves at the Door
Digital release poster
Directed by	John R. Leonetti
Written by	Gary Dauberman
Produced by	Peter Safran
Starring	Katie Cassidy Elizabeth Henstridge Adam Campbell Miles Fisher
Cinematography	Michael St. Hilaire
Edited by	Ken Blackwell
Music by	Toby Chu
Production companies	New Line Cinema The Safran Company
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	October 21, 2016(2016-10-21)(India) April 18, 2017(2017-04-18)(United States)
Running time	72 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$4,382

Wolves at the Dooris a 2016 Americanhorror filmdirected byJohn R. Leonettiand written byGary Dauberman.The film is loosely based on themurderofSharon Tate,the pregnant wife ofRoman Polanski,and her friends in 1969 by members of theManson Family,and, though not considered an installment in the franchise, takes place withinThe Conjuring Universe.The cast featuresKatie Cassidy,Elizabeth Henstridge,Adam CampbellandMiles Fisheras four friends who are stalked and murdered by a group of intruders at a farewell party, withEric Ladinreprising his role as Detective Clarkin from Leonetti's 2014 filmAnnabelle.

The film, produced byNew Line CinemaandThe Safran Companyand distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures,was first theatrically released inIndiaon October 21, 2016, followed by Germany on March 2, 2017, and in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2017. It was released onDigital HDin the United States on April 18, 2017. It received very negative reviews from critics, garnering a rare0% approval ratingonRotten Tomatoes.The film was mainly criticized for its depiction of the Tate murders and was described as "exploitative" and "misconceived."

Plot

In 1969, John and Mary, a married couple asleep in their bed, are awakened in the middle of the night by knocks on their doors and windows. John goes downstairs to investigate but finds nothing. As he gets back into bed, he hears a crash downstairs. He sees the shadow of a man saying "Little Pig". As he runs back to his wife, he locks the door. After calling the police, the intruders break open the door. Later, the intruders write messages in blood on the walls of the house, but leave before Detective Clarkin and the police arrive at the scene.

The following night,Sharon,Jay,Wojciech,andAbigailcommemorate Abigail's upcoming move back to Boston with a celebratory dinner atEl CoyoteinHollywood,even though Wojciech is upset that Abby is allowing her parents to influence her decision. After dinner, the four friends return to Sharon's house for the evening. A pregnant Sharon callsher husbandfrom the nursery, but suddenly the line goes dead. Meanwhile,Stevenarrives at the property to see his friend William, who lives in the guesthouse. After selling William a stereo, Steven tries to leave, only to find the driveway gate disabled. He gets out and opens the gate, but his vehicle turns off unexpectedly. As he returns to his vehicle, he turns his headlights on to see a man standing in front of his truck and a woman standing behind his truck. He is then pulled out of the vehicle and attacked with a sledgehammer.

Wojciech goes outside to have a cigarette. As he approaches the truck in the driveway, he sees a man slumped over. He approaches the truck, but the man lunges at him and chases him to the front door which is locked. The attackers stab Wojciech, drag his body back to the house and leave him in the shower. Later, the intruders write the word "Pig" in blood on the front door. In Sharon's bedroom, she and Abigail become concerned when they observe a young woman prowling the premises. Meanwhile, Jay is stabbed to death while sleeping on the couch. When the two hear Jay screaming, they return to discover his dead body and try to hide throughout the house as the intruders stalk them. While Abigail fights with an attacker, Sharon hides in the bathroom and finds Wojciech, who is still alive. One intruder breaks down the door to capture both Sharon and Wojciech. Sharon and Wojciech are dragged through the hallway as Abigail escapes the house.

Abigail tries to get help from William, but he is unable to hear because of his music. One of the intruders catches Abigail and carries her to the house. She is taken back to a bedroom where Sharon and Wojciech are also being held. An intruder enters the bedroom and drags Sharon away. Wojciech and Abigail fight their way outside, but Wojciech is stabbed to death on the lawn. An injured Abigail makes it to the street to flag down a car, but finds it is occupied by two of the intruders. She falls to the ground, gazing at the locket Sharon gave to her, as the two intruders approach her with a bloodstained sledgehammer.

The film ends with a series of interviews ofCharles Mansonand the attackers.

Cast

• Katie CassidyasSharon Tate
• Elizabeth HenstridgeasAbigail Folger
• Adam CampbellasWojciech Frykowski
• Miles FisherasJay Sebring
• Spencer DanielsasWilliam Garretson
• Lucas AdamsasSteven Parent
• Chris Mulkeyas John
• Jane Kaczmarekas Mary
• Eric Ladinas Detective Clarkin
• Arlen Escarpetaas Officer

Production

Development

On May 8, 2015,John R. Leonetti,was announced as the director ofWolves at the DoorforNew Line Cinema,withGary DaubermanasscreenwriterandPeter Safranas producer. The script was loosely based on theManson Familymurders in 1969.Known as theTate murders,the event saw members of theCharles Mansoncult break into the home ofSharon Tate,eight-and-a-half months pregnant, and her new husband directorRoman Polanski.The director was shooting in Europe at the time, but Tate was entertaining three friends. They were all stabbed and shot to death multiple times. The project was described as "a home invasion thriller set in the 1960s but is not a retelling of the actual events, nor will it reference any Manson connection."

Casting

Casting was announced in May 2015, withKatie Cassidyplaying the lead role of Sharon,alongsideMiles Fisheras Jay,Elizabeth Henstridgeas Abigail,andAdam Campbellas Wojciech.

Filming

Principal photographylasted from mid-May through late-June inLos Angelesin 2015.

Music

On September 18, 2015,Toby Chuwas announced to be to scoring the soundtrack forWolves at the Door.Chu had previously collaborated with Leonetti inAnnabelle(2014).

Release

Wolves at the Doorfirst opened theatrically in India on October 21, 2016.The film's first trailer was released on October 18, 2016.It was followed by alimited releasein Germany on March 2, 2017, and in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2017. The film did not receive a theatrical release in the United States, but was eventually released onDigital HDbyWarner Bros. Home Entertainmenton April 17, 2017.It was rated R by theMotion Picture Association of Americafor "violence, terror and some language".

Reception

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,0%of seven critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.3/10.

Linda Marric ofHeyUGuysgave the film two out of five stars, stating: "On the wholeWolves At The Doordelivers some stellar performances and a genuinely terrifying story, but is largely let down by its makers inability to understand that there are limits to what can and cannot be shown on screen when it comes to the retelling of real life murders.Geoffrey McNab ofThe Independentcalled the film a "repellent, misconceived, and pointless film", awarding one out of five stars.Matthew Turner ofThe Listalso gave the film one star, calling it "a deeply distasteful mess".Mark Mukasa ofThe Upcominggave the film one star, criticizing it for not "bringing anything new to the table" and noting: "it ends up being an unending stream of generic clichés in a genre already (at times unfairly) maligned for its derivativeness."

Terry Staunton ofRadio Timescriticized the film's tension and remarked that "Cassidy and co are portrayed as such irritating" beautiful people "that some may find themselves reluctant to root for them."Mark KermodeofThe Guardianlisted it as #1 on his list of "The Ten Worst Movies Of 2017 So Far", calling it "nasty, duplicitous, morally bankrupt and dramatically inept... and I hope to never have to mention or think about it ever again."He later called it the worst film of the year, saying it is a "a repellently exploitative entry in the already sordid “Manson movies” canon. "Kermode has recently listed it as #5 in the "Worst Films of the Decade" on Episode 64 of his "Kermode on Film" podcast.

David Duprey ofThat Moment Ingave the film two out of five stars, admiring Leonetti's direction, but acknowledging the film's basis on real life events as "distasteful".Kat Hughes ofThe Hollywood Newsgave the film two out of five stars, stating the film "had promise but failed to deliver", calling it "a bland and uninteresting attempt to bring to life one of the most interesting and dangerous cults in American history."

External links

• Wolves at the DooratIMDb
• Wolves at the DooratAllMovie
• Wolves at the DooratBox Office Mojo
• Wolves at the DooratRotten Tomatoes