Werewold Serenade – Release News
Those looking for a fangtastic date night will want to see the new film Werewolf Serenade, a campy comedy made entirely in Petaluma (American Graffiti, Peggy Sue Got Married).
The independently produced feature makes its film festival debut at the tenth annual AVFest, 9 pm, Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Longboard Vineyards, 5 Fitch St., Healdsburg, CA. Werewolf Serenade joins over 70 films from around the world over 10 days of film and festivities celebrating the art of cinema. Tickets are available here
The 80-minute film marks the latest collaboration between Writer-Director Daedalus Howell and Producer and Production Designer Kary Hess. Hess and Howell’s previous movie, Pill Head (“Possibly the most bizarre film ever made in Petaluma…” — Petaluma Argus-Courier), is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Synopsis: When the Chair of the Parapsychology Department at the Freestone School of the Arts turns up dead, burnt-out film professor Peter MacTire is asked to step in and complete his generously endowed research project. With the school’s fate —and his marriage — on the line, MacTire accepts, not knowing the task will bring him face-to-face with an evil occultist and transform his life forever.
Howell stars as Peter in this cleverly written B-movie horror opus full of werewolf lore and double entendre. Shot at recognizable locations throughout the city, this over-the-top action comedy will have you cheering for its bumbling protagonist as he struggles to foil a nefarious plot.
Werewolf Serenade also stars Emily Keyishian, Mark P. Robinson, Alia Beeton, Christopher Sawyer, Rapheal Gavin, and Natalie Crafts.
Howell and Hess will participate in a Q&A at the May 4 screening.
“‘Werewolf Serenade’ leans into lycanthropy with a nod to screwball romantic comedies and the expressionistic horror films of the mid-20th century,” says Howell. “It puts a comic spin on the ‘mid-life crises’ — from increasingly complicated relationships to body horror — mostly that of Gen X.”
As an extra layer of fun for local audiences, Hess points out that “The film is a love letter to Petaluma and its history of filmmaking—from local places and faces—to touchstones of the genre that are accentuated in a way that can only happen in a town like ours.”
“We shot the film mostly at recognizable locations in Petaluma, which is an extra layer of fun for local audiences,” says Hess