Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Late Phases’

Written by Scott Edwards 

​When we start to get older, we have to ensure that our affairs are going to be in order for when we are no longer here. I know it is a depressing thing to think about, but nobody can live forever no matter how much we think that we can. Hopefully we will have someone that is willing to go out of their way to help us through the tough times so we can enjoy our later years that much more. But there are so many times that our elders are just pushed away to a retirement facility and left on their own for the remainder of their days.

Ambrose knows that he is nearing the end of the line. Being a military vet however, he will not give up and wants to continue to live his life to the fullest. After losing his sight, his son does not have time to take care of him and is moving his father to the Crescent Bay Retirement Center. Even though he cannot see, Ambrose knows that this is not the place he wants to be, but does not have a choice since there is nobody else around that is willing to take him in. 

Upon arriving in his new home, Ambrose starts to feel around and finds something out of the ordinary sticking in the wall. Not knowing what it is, he asks his new neighbor Delores to tell him what he has found, but before she can really answer, Ambrose has to head back to his new home and tell the movers what he wants done. After getting all set up, Ambrose is all set for the night, but hears something rustling outside of the house. Not being able to see has taken its toll on the old man as he can hear Delores screaming for help and he is not able to do anything. When the screaming stops, Ambrose starts to use his other senses to identify who the attacker was, but he is not prepared to become the next victim. 

With an attacker that smells like a dog inside his home, Ambrose’s own dog attacks but gets killed protecting his master. Ambrose is beside himself and wants to know who or what was in his house and what it was that killed his neighbor. After talking to the police, Ambrose finds out that things like this happen every month and to be safe he needs to remain in his house since there are wild animals all around the community. Not believing that this is a normal dog or wolf attack, Ambrose knows that there is something much more dangerous on the horizon that only comes out when the moon is full. Having a month to prepare for the next attack, Ambrose begins training and stocking up to fight off the beast, but when this starts to filter down into the community, nobody is willing to accept that he is right in the head.

This is a fantastic story about a man that wants to go out on his own terms and is able to. Late Phases (also known as Night of the Wolf) is its own kind of story that does not pull any punches, especially when you find out that there is a possible werewolf on the hunt. I enjoyed how Ambrose chooses to be a loner in his later years and does not seem to care about anyone around him, but knows that it is not right, especially when it comes to his son. Not being happy with where life has put him, Ambrose finds a little bit of solace when visiting church and befriending the priest that resides there. Even if he is not taking the sermons the way that others believe he should, Ambrose is able to gather in the message and knows the things that he needs to change. A great growth story to say the least, with some great splatter and a guy that chooses to carry a shovel, rather than a cane. Stay Scared.

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