Medieval werewolf mystery

This is basically a werewolf mystery with elements of the folk yarn. What sets it apart from other werewolf mysteries -- like The Howling V: The Rebirth, The Beast Must Die and The Beast of Bray Road -- is that it is set in medieval Europe, possibly France near the border of Germany (the writer of the fairy tale, Charles Perrault, was a Frenchman).

Even people who don't like this film acknowledge the quality cinematography, locations, costumes and medieval sets (shot in British Columbia). But some grumble about it being a "Twilight" imitation or that the story's boring, etc. Although I'm sure the incredible success of the Twilight films contributed to the production of "Red Riding Hood," it's vastly different in tone simply by the fact that it takes place in 1300s' Europe. As for the story being boring, it might not be the most compelling screenplay ever written but I was intrigued by the werewolf mystery and the film nicely creates suspense concerning who might be the werewolf.

Speaking of which, there are no less than seven suspects and I wasn't able to correctly guess, even though I pinned it down to a possible three or four. When the werewolf is finally revealed and the explanation given it all made perfect sense and there are a handful of solid clues for sleuths. Good job on this front.

I was also impressed by a couple of original elements that the flick brought to the table of werewolf lore. But I can't share them because I don't want to give anything away.

As far as cast goes, you have heavyweights like Gary Oldman and Julie Christie, as well as Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen and Amanda Seyfried. Amanda works well in the titular role with her big beautiful eyes.

There are a couple of quality Goth songs on the soundtrack, including "The Wolf" by Fever Ray, which makes the relatively long celebration sequence in the village a highlight.

More than anything else, "Red Riding Hood" struck me as a modern-day Hammer film. If you appreciate Hammer films like "The Curse of the Werewolf," as well as movies like "The Village" and the three mentioned above, give "Red Riding Hood" a watch or rewatch.