Hairy

You know what it's like – you look through the profiles on the app, find someone you like, you swipe right, meet up, have a good time and then you get invited in for a cup of coffee – then comes the bombshell that you've been waiting for all evening: her flatmate's a werewolf.

David (John-Hemmings) is facing this exact predicament as he lingers on the doorstep of his new date Jess' (Sviderskyte) house. Naturally, he's not taking this rather vital information very seriously as he considers making the obvious biting jokes and the obligatory growling noises. Once inside the date starts to heat up and David and Jess are having a great time until David needs to head back downstairs to use the loo. His earlier nonchalance and refusal to heed warnings, however, has meant that Gary (Elliot), the flatmate/werewolf has escaped his room and is out on the prowl.

What follows is a great mix of horror and comedy as David and Jess work together to rein Gary back in and get him safely back into his room before he can do any damage to them or anyone else. Writer, Harry Metcalfe keeps things sharp and funny as the cute couple formulate plans and strengthen their relationship while director, John Ferrer handles the horror brilliantly, keeping the beast in the shadows until he is ready to be properly revealed.

The entire production of Hairy is a blast from start to finish. Right from the off the audience is rooting for this kooky couple and both main actors encapsulate the fun, adventurous nature of each of their characters wonderfully. Everything, from the cinematography, to the sound recording, to the editing, to the music and the end credits screams fun to the viewer and it's hard not to have a stupid wide grin on your face as you watch the antics play out on screen. Which is not to say that Hairy isn't scary when it needs to be, with the werewolf standing up to scrutiny even in the close-up shots.

For eleven joyous minutes Hairy takes you on a wild ride that you're sure to want to go back to again and again. It's obvious just how much love went into the film and how much heart was put into getting everything just right. There is almost not a single misstep in the whole production save for maybe a slightly lengthy tug-of-war towards the end and a mildly laboured Stalin joke but even these can be overlooked as they fit in so well with the whole experience.

Hairy is one of those rare beasts, a film that grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. To paraphrase a conversation from the beginning of the film – If it's a choice between the Hairy beast and the smooth shaven Prince – go for the beast every time.