Spoilers see the full moon rising.

Horror and coming of age films can make for a great recipe. I try to know very little about films going in, except when I am faced with a scheduling conflict or when I involuntary learn something about the film. That being said solid films should be able to resist at least one spoiler because: a) a good movie is more than just scenes tied together and b) a movie, like a trip, is about the journey more than the destination.

My Animal (2023) is directed by Jacqueline Castel. Heather (Bobbie Salvör Menuez) has trouble fitting in. She aspires to become the goalie for the local hockey player, but the coach will not let her try. She develops feelings for aspiring figure skater Jonny (Amandla Stenberg) that she’s not sure how will be received. Her mother Patti is an alcoholic (Heidi von Palleske). But the big problem that is even harder to deal with than any others is something she has inherited from her father Henry (Stephen McHattie). A problem that forces her to be chained to the bed before midnight on a full moon.

It is not a secret that Heather might be a lycanthrope, nor is it really a spoiler. However, her ordeal to keep her terrible secret and keep her on the fringe of society is immediately relatable. Even when she sneaks out of the house she must be really careful to sneak away before the clock strikes the midnight hour. Keeping one secret from friends, another from family and eventually taking a risk as she becomes closer with Jonny is enough to stress anyone.

It works as close to a realistic take as you can get. Nobody’s life is conveniently reduced to a single problem or perfect parents or even the perfect circumstances. Real life, much like Heather’s never stops even after it has thrown you a curve. Now as a horror film it is a slow burn, but the tension is palpable. Heather’s character has agency in this maelstrom of a situation she’s been thrown in. She is relatable and engaging. We care about her and we fear about what could she be against when people and circumstances seem to be acting against her.

Highly recommended for niche horror fans that don’t mind a little coming of age drama. I hesitate to call it a slow burn as we keep tension building up throughout the runtime. At no point we believe that the latent storm bubbling underneath the surface will not be unleashed. It’s all a matter of time and that big, full blood moon. Worth a watch.

That will do for now.