Cameron and “Piranha II”. Coppola and “Dementia 13”. Anybody who worked with Corman. Wells and ‘Citizen Kane “ (ok, maybe that one doesn’t count). Film writers, directors and actors have to start somewhere, and sometimes those initial efforts leave much to be desired. But what makes these filmmakers great is that they learned from their experience and went on to greater things in the industry. Writer/director/actor Brett Kelly cuts his chops on his own independent production of a twisted tale called THE FERAL MAN.

Let’s meet Danny, a common Joe with a house, a girlfriend, and a crummy job in retail. He’s hassled by his overweight and overwrought boss for taking a smoke break – but when he goes back to his job, Danny receives a devastating phone call. His father has passed away suddenly. Things go from bad to worse for our boy. After the funeral, Danny gets a pep talk from his sister - he’s his own worst critic and thinks of himself as a total screw-up. She tells him to try ands stay positive and optimistic. After she leaves, Danny is attacked by the ubiquitous something (which we can’t see, naturally) in the graveyard. He’s badly shaken by the experience, and accepts a ride home from a Good Samaritan. But once there, he is ornery to his girlfriend Linda and hears voices in his head. Danny decides to have a soak to sort out his out of character behavior. Later in the park, a young girl walking her dog is brutally attacked and ripped to shreds. Danny wakes up from dozing in the tub, but the water is now blood red.

The next day, Danny tries to get his life in order, but fate is against him. He gets fired from his job and starts a fight in frustration. Linda arrives back at their home, but Danny is absent. Meanwhile, back in the park, two joggers get mutilated. The cops realize they have a serial killer on their hands; a vicious, savage one. Danny returns home in a frenzied state and shuts Linda out of his room, dropping to the bed with those voices screaming in his head. The next day, Linda takes her friend Erynn’s advice and hires a private detective to keep track her oddly behaving boyfriend. Danny meanwhile commiserates with his pal Al; he confides in Al that he thinks he is the park killer. Al tells Danny he watches too many horror flicks and go see a good shrink. Upon taking his leave of Danny, Al dies in the parking lot, just another victim. After fighting with Linda again, Danny jets to his local bar to calm down, but now Detective Jack is on his trail... Has the stress in his life turned Danny into a killer? Has he been cursed with lycanthropy? And what can he do to save his soul, and the lives of his remaining friends before it’s too late?

THE FERAL MAN was probably made for a song, and certainly shows that it had no budget to work with. The film suffers from grainy night shots and uneven lighting. The editing is choppy – there is little flow from scene to scene. Some of the secondary actors are very self-conscious of the camera. The direction is stagey (Kelly worked in theatre many years before turning to film). There is a lot of dialogue and little action in many scenes; even so, the film seems padded with some long establishing shots and several montages. With such a restricted budget, they had to use what they filmed it seemed, flawed or not. But...

The script gives an original twist on the standard werewolf mythos. The music is picked exceptionally well, and adds nuance whenever utilized. THE FERAL MAN has a real kick ass soundtrack. Kelly’s shots are composed very well, and his directorial intent is clear, even if the execution is somewhat lacking. The lead actors give fine performances, creating characters that demand your interest. Most importantly, THE FERAL MAN has what every low budget film needs to have – passion; passion for the craft of film. Working behind and in front of the camera, Kelly and his crew do whatever job is necessary to complete the dream. If you want the Hollywood ‘blockbuster’, then THE FERAL MAN is not for you. Watch this film with the perspective of what it is - a no budget indy horror film – and you’ll find it to be a nifty little treat.

Tempe has released THE FERAL MAN on DVD with a whole heap of extras. Beyond the bevy of trailers, you get two previews for productions currently in the works from Mr. Kelly. There are interviews with cast and crew of THE FERAL MAN, as well as an interview with Kelly about his production. If so inclined, you can watch the feature with commentary from Kelly throughout, giving anecdotes and information about every facet of his film. There is a short outtake reel, featuring the two actors playing the cops, which is pretty darn funny. Also included is a short film “Good Dog, Dead Dog” starring Kelly and most of the same cast and crew in a disturbing little featurette about a boy who is a little too obsessed with his dog.

Make no bones about it, THE FERAL MAN is a low budget affair made by a group of independent amateurs. But every great director and star started somewhere, so who’s to say THE FERAL MAN isn’t the start of a stellar career for Brett Kelly? Sure, it’s not another ‘Evil Dead’, but the passion and talent Kelly and his crew has come through despite the fiscal limitations. And I have to give cred to anyone able for living his or her dream.