"Welp" generated quite a hype here in our lovely little country of Belgium because it allegedly is the very first horror movie to emerge from here; - or at least from the geographical Dutch speaking part named Flanders. That just isn't true since we previously had horror (and cult) classics such as "Devils of Darkness", "Lucker", "Parts of the Family", "Afterman" and "Engine Trouble". It's even debatable that this is the first horror film to be spoken entirely in Flemish because there exists also "Linkeroever", "Alias", "De Potloodmoorden" and an obscure little dud called "The Antwerp Killer". But, seriously, who cares if it isn't the first? It also isn't the most inventive horror movie and it certainly isn't the greatest horror movie ever made, but what counts most is that "Welp" is inarguably a highly entertaining Belgian horror outing with a tense & gripping atmosphere, strong acting performances and a bit of nasty gore footage. The protagonists in "Welp" are all junior boy scouts, which was a terrific idea of writer/director Jonas Govaerts, as this is a typically Belgian phenomenon. Practically everyone in this country joined some kind of scout federation in their youth. Yours truly didn't, and I can assure you that I was quite the outcast in school because of this. On Wednesday afternoons all my classmates went to the woods to play scout games, while I went home to my couch and watch horror movies that I wasn't allowed to watch yet. Ah, memories…

One of the boy scouts, Sam, is a bit of an outcast as well. On their way to the Southern Belgian backwoods (called "The Ardennes") for their annual survival camp, Sam spots a mysterious shape and secret hideout place between the trees, but nobody believes him. Little Sam is right of course, as the forestry area soon turns out to be the turf of a vicious serial killer and his bewildered infant sidekick. The other cubs constantly humiliate Sam and the scout leaders are too busy with making out and being arrogant, but they won't be able to ignore the deadly booby-traps that are placed all around the woods. "Welp" features a large number of clichés and stereotypes, but I suppose that is almost inevitable when you're making a slasher throwback movie. The parts that are similar to "Friday the 13th" and other classics could also easily be referred to as homages, for that matter. More important is that director Jonas Govaerts perfectly knows the true meaning of the term "horror" and he isn't afraid to break through taboos or insert shocking plot twists. For example, there are a couple of disturbing death sequences involving young children and even a scene where a dog is used as a piñata! Furthermore is the atmosphere of the film continuously macabre and unsettling, with an almost complete lack of humor in the script, but a strong presence of tenebrous camera-work and frightening music. The acting performances are terrific, too. The young actor Maurice Luijten impresses the most, but also Titus De Voogdt and the lovely Evelien Bosmans are very good as the scout leaders. Stef Aerts gives the best grown-up performance as the arrogant and self-centered scout leader Baloo. His behavior might seem exaggerated, but according to several former cub friends of mine, idiotic leaders like him apparently do exist.

That's an advice anyone participating in a horror movie should follow. But if they did, we wouldn't have a movie, would we? So if you like a good slasher/horror/backwoods movie, you will "enjoy" this. It won't redefine the genre, but it knows its rules and where to go without losing the audience.

A European horror movie that has the template down, the acting is OK, the effects are really good too. It's not too explicit (only from time to time there's a violence spike), but when it is, you get to see quite a bit of violence. The ending might confuse a few people, but I liked the way it prepared us for what was about to happen ...

Some films resonate a story so superb that it stays with you forever. I feel that way with "Cub". I wouldn't be surprised if this was picked up and made for the American audience since Hollywood has completely run out of original stories... or should I say created a studio nepotism that makes it so the cream does not go to the top. This film is not in English so I'm sure very few in the US have seen it. It's is worth every minute of your time! This film has it all.. I won't go into details.. but the protagonist's journey is wonderfully constructed, a great cast, beautifully shot and to mention once more.. one of the best stories in the horror genre in years!

For a start, I love movies set in the woods. It's probably my favourite horror movie location so I knew I was going to love this movie from the moment I first saw the trailer - and it didn't let me down when I watched the full movie.

This is a brilliantly entertaining horror movie that is incredibly well made and really scary! The performances in the movie are all really good and the script was very compelling, leading to a fantastic, classic horror movie ending. The cinematography and direction are exceptional and I think Jonas Govaerts is a director to watch out for in the horror genre.

I loved it!!!

Straight out of Belgium comes a little horror movie called 'Welp', otherwise known as 'Cub' here in North America. 'Cub' is a true return to the horror-slasher genre. I've never seen a slasher movie so brutal before. Usually, we see some form of jerk- off teenagers who plan a weekend vacation to get stoned, have sex, and drink like fishes. Then some supernatural force usually comes back to life or out from hiding to off each victim one by one in some gruesome fashion.

It's a strong premise that has been duplicated thousands of times over in different settings and venues, and has made the Hollywood box office billions of dollars. But with this Belgium breath of fresh air, it's much deeper and smarter than the rest of them, and is quite disturbing with one hell of a backstory that keeps you guessing all the way up until the final moments of the film. 'Cub' follows a cub scout troop, ironically enough, full of not-quite yet teenagers and their three scout leaders. Two of the three scout leaders are young men in their 20s with the third being a female. The leaders run their scout troop like a military boot camp, but have a bit more fun.

The troop is headed out to a weekend camping trip to the woods when one of the campers named Sam starts to notice some creepy things lurking out in the woods, after he learns the scary campfire tale of 'Kai'. Well it turns out that the legend of 'Kai' is much more real than anyone would like to believe. And not just real, but extremely violent and brutal, as this legend has set up elaborate traps throughout these woods to kill people who intrude on their space. It's never explained as to why this is happening, but we know that their is a deep dark past with this killer, which shows full on when people and animals start to be brutally murdered.

It has a few of the usual genre tropes thrown in, but somehow here it feels fresh as the director uses his camera to show only what is needed and then surprises us moments later with a 180 degree turn. But what really shines here are the kid actors. Specifically Sam and a 'Kai'. Their creepy body language and understanding of all these adult themes are flawless.

You'd think these kids were all adults with how they use their facial expressions to show their fear. 'Cub' is truly a remarkable and horrific film, and one that I can't wait to watch again.

"Welp" is a first time feature for a much more than just 'promising' new filmmaker; a guy with arguably a knack for delivering a seriously nasty and unpredictable storyline.

Set in a wooded area in Belgium, this starts out as your typical kid in peril camp movie. The dark tone gets set right away as we are introduced to two somewhat irresponsible scout leaders who tell their young charges in advance that a 'werewolf boy' is probably lurking where they are about to go camping for a few days.

So much for the set-up. OK, we get it. There WILL be something lurking in those woods. After all, It's a horror movie with poster artwork resembling a cross between "Babadook" and "Blair Witch Project," so we KNOW for sure that something is 'out there' in those woods.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The film takes very little time in introducing a boy named Sam to at least 'one' of the 'things' that lurk in the woods.

We realize right away that Sam is a troubled and misunderstood boy who probably wasn't a welcome addition to the troop in the first place. He is bullied by most of the boys, but it's the assistant scoutmaster who seems to loathe the child, often belittling and emotionally torturing him in front of the other scouts, whom all but one seem to relish the taunting of this youngster. This graphic child / adult bullying element alone creates a genuinely unpleasant atmosphere, and the horror hasn't even begun.

"Welp" starts to go 'for the throat' at about the half-way point, and I found myself leaning forward in my chair with my stomach in knots as things start to get really ugly; not to mention genuinely, unpredictably, viciously mean. Most viewers will not expect or be able to stomach at least two sequences that come before the final act.

It's fair to say that you'll feel like your face just got slapped by a grinning filmmaker who can't resist feeling proud of the fact that he just disintegrated our nerves as well as catapulting us out of our comfort zones.

Just when you think that the story is winding up, something completely and even more unexpected unravels in front of us. I suppose some people will find this final twist, brutal and unnecessary. I found it to be so unexpected and dark-natured, that I could do nothing 'but' smile as the credits crawled, simply because I had just experienced a cool and refreshingly dark horror movie that didn't care what emotions it shatters in the process of watching.

To sum up "Welp" aka: "Cub," some will find my review far too positive, and that's OK. I think I know a good horror movie when I see it, and "Welp" is THAT rare horror movie that delivers everything it promises. Unconventional in every sense of the word, "Welp" features excellent, convincing performances from the young and older cast, superb lighting and cinematography, an effective score that recalls the early works of Goblin and well-executed gore that doesn't seem excessive.

One thing I want to make clear: "Welp" is not scary; not one bit. But perhaps that's exactly what was intended. After all, if you're going to make a horror movie that defies conventionality, go for unexpected gut-punches and twists over a creepy atmosphere and jolts, and that's EXACTLY what "Welp" does!

"Welp" or "Cub" or whatever the title becomes in your neck of the woods ... is nothing short of a genuinely horrific masterpiece.

This movie will not give you something new. It is typical not many scares, but it keeps you interested till the end.

People go into the woods and they try in a way, to come out alive. Although it is a typical slasher movie as many said, it has a nice angle, not a lot of blood or nudity and sex. It focuses on the characters mostly and the story. This helps you get more involved with the movie and sympathize with the characters.

The cinematography and the directing is descent and the script keeps you till the end. But don't expect a lot of blood and scares. It has a kind of old time flavor horror movies; it gives you the thrills not much gore. If you want to see a lot of gore and blood watch another movie. Also the music is eerie.

The ending is very interesting and the psychological aspects of it, will make you wonder for a bit.

Cub was a captivating movie, filled with building but nicely crafted suspense. I felt at times that the plot was somewhat predictable, but I still enjoyed myself throughout the movie. The movie itself remains true to the horror genre, whilst mildly delving into the themes of puberty and social acceptance. The movie also packs a satisfying amount of gore, and doesn't blow all of it's atmosphere on pointless jump scares.

The movie does, however, follow some trends and themes set by other movies (which removes from it's originality in my opinion). Most of the characters are also very easy to dislike.

Overall, I would say that this movie is enjoyable and worth a watch, and I applaud it for it's independence and how refreshing it is compared to some of the current horror films around.

To begin this review , I must say that taking into consideration that this was the director's feature film debut , he did extremely well. The direction was the best thing about this film. Now , the issue of this film comes from it's script.It lacked focus. The story is simple enough : 12 year Sam goes camping , he his bullied by the other scouts and even by one of the scoutmaster (And his evil dog!) . When Sam tries to warn everybody that he saw a character from an Urban legend , Kai (an animal/boy who eats people) he his laughed at so Sam ends up developing a rather strange and disturbing relationship with Kai that would turn this Camping trip into a living nightmare! So the story is fairly straightforward as you can see but the issue is the writers felt necessary to add small layers/subplot to it that makes it more complex then it should. I can go on to much details or I will spoil the films.Let just say that the director gave Sam a mysterious background that raises a lot of questions but none of them are answered by the end of the film. For me ,personally, Cub is very good up to it's last 10 minutes.Great atmosphere, great direction,great acting by it's lead actor but the above issue I have with the film gives us an ending that leaves things to the viewers imagination. Your personal enjoyment of that film will come to this at the end : If you like to have a clear ending to your film , I am afraid you will be disappointed by Cub but if you are the type of person that loves a film to end in an ambiguous sort of way I believe you would find much to like in that film. Outside of this , Cub do a lot of things right. So if you are up for a very dark little film that has a very strong and shocking yet confusing ending you could do much worse then this trip to the wood. I give Cub a 6 out of 10

There's little coherency in Cub, it's supposed to be a horror but half of the film is one kid getting harassed. In attempt to create any thrill it relies too much on convenience plot devices such as traps placed just in the right spot as plot demands it or the so called monster appears literally out of nowhere. If there's a message to be had here, it should be not to leave your impressionable kids with unprofessional scout leaders. Pretty much the same thing since Friday the 13th.

The story follows Sam, a very unfortunate boy who is on the receiving end of substandard treatment from his peers and supervisors. He and his scout unit go into a forest for camping, only to find that there are others await them. It's a very straightforward plot, and to its credit the film tries to include child negligence issue, but the approach is too heavy-handed to be effective.

Its worst barrier is the illogical thinking and action of the characters. These people, even the adults, don't seem to be functioning that well. Sam himself is a bit passive and finicky, the film wants the audience to sympathize with him, but it's hard to relate since most issues can be resolved with basic communication skill. I've seen horror movies with bland plot device of odd kid who cries wolf, Cub takes it even further till the point of exhaustion.

Pacing isn't that smooth either, almost two third of the movie is Sam getting yelled at and the rest of characters fumbling around. It does have some good scares or tense atmosphere at times, although these moments are few in between the banters and also unrealistic at best. The cinematography is decent, the film admittedly has several presentable shots, especially during the day with good lighting. However, the sequences in night time are sketchy, which is unfortunate since last act happens entirely in darkness.

There are gruesome events, these are mostly for shock value. If it tries to reach any fundamental message, Cub simply doesn't have the direction to convey it. The film doesn't even offer plausible motive, back story or explanation. Things just happen, and it wants you to be okay with that.

Truly, the real horror is how anyone would let their children roam the forest of haunted past guided by a couple of unqualified leaders. Keep your children save.

Jonas Govaerts has bigger balls than any cub that I've ever seen (not that I take friendly peeks at the actual balls of any animals). However, he does share a few striking similarities with young carnivorous animals. Just as a young lion might show viciousness at an early age, Govaerts unleashes a fierce aim-straight-for-the- throat-mentality right off the bat with his directional debut. This fierce young director from Antwerp, Belgium, is as hungry as a bear looking to catch his or her very first fish, or a wolf on the hunt for a rabbit! The appropriately named Cub is a nasty, violent bear of a film that shows no mercy when it comes into contact with its prey. Whether it be on the characters that he, and Roel Mondelaers created, or the viewers who sit down to see his film, Govaerts relentlessly scratches, claws, and bites without any signs of ever letting up. Well, until his film eventually comes to an end, of course…

…But up until that point, Govaerts shows the ruthless aggression of a young cub, but does away with the inexperience that comes along with being new to the game. His debut film shows no youth from a production standpoint, nor does it give off the impression that this is the first time that he and Mondelaers wrote a major screenplay together. Not only does Cub benefit from a wonderful tension- building score that takes notes from the likes of John Carpenter and Dario Argento, but it also looks crisp and clear aesthetically, courtesy of drawing inspiration from the movies of Steven Spielberg. This demonstrates that Govaerts has learned from some of the very best to ever create horror on screen, and that he successfully did his homework by mastering the tricks of the trade early on. The screenplay itself brings me back to my original point about Govaerts having bigger balls than any cub that I've ever seen. Boundaries are broken, childhood innocence is lost, and the most innovative death traps that this horror fanatic has seen in years are on full display!

Before Cub played at the Toronto International Film Fest's Midnight Madness screening, Govaerts felt the need to warn animal lovers that they might have to leave the theater due to what happens to a dog in the film. He goes on to defend himself by claiming that he is a cat-lover! This is the same generous fellow who said okay to the slogan, "Buy a trap. Kill a cub", for his crowd-funding campaign. The cubs that that this slogan highlights are the human kind who attend summer camp. Animals, children, summer camp instructors, police officers…nobody is safe from the almighty balls located in the nether regions of this young director! A cool bit of information is that these clever filmmakers did not ask for crowd-funding for the purpose of funding the movie. They planned to put all the additional cash into creating awesome traps for our viewing pleasure. Have you ever seen a trap so cool that your palms suddenly felt the urge to slap each- other silly? It is uncontrollable. Do you believe that America's Saw movies are unbeatable? Think again!

A group of boy scouts venture into the woods with three adults and some additional fodder in the form of a few bullies and a police officer. Campfire tales reveal the legend of a feral child who roams the woods and it does not take long for the legend to become a reality. Little do the forest invaders know that this feral child is the least of their worries! A much more dangerous threat looms in the background waiting for the perfect chance to strike! The elements of a coming-of-age drama have intense sexual intercourse in a tent with the slasher genre and the result is Govaerts's Cub. This means that the cast is largely comprised of child actors, which very well could have been a recipe for disaster. The good news is that no bad apples exist in this batch. Govaerts picked his lead boy out of a music video and this kid shows acting talent capable of surprising anyone with doubts. Maurice Luijten is a future star in the making! The script has a heavy focus on his character to the point where it can almost be considered a character study and Luijten does not miss a beat in delivering the correct level of emotion to make the progression of his character believable.

Govaerts sets a new standard for modern-day slasher films with the release of Cub. It is a film that effectively pushes the limits far enough to get a shocked reaction from viewers, yet intelligently backs away from being unforgivably insulting (some awful things are insinuated, yet cleverly kept off-screen). These ballsy filmmakers attempt to give meaning to a sub-genre that has become over-run by maniacs who prey on hot, drunk, idiot teenagers. They offer a tragic story with a brutal pay-off instead! What is accomplished here is not the work of a cub…

…it is the work of a carnivorous predator ready to make his name prominent in the film industry for years to come.

Superpower Film Scale: 4/5

1: Villainous Waste

2: Careless Bystanderunnamed

3: Hero unaware of powers

4: On the verge of greatness

5: Heroic film

Standout acting heroes: Maurice Luijten

Website:thycriticman.com

Considering the fact I did in fact seen many movies like Cub, I'll try to keep the comment short. Why? Well, maybe I got tired of repeating myself, as Cub copied other productions before it.

It kinda feels like a blend between Wilderness and Haute Tension, it could be considered an OK movie by people that are strangers to horror, especially in the woods type. Not horrible, not bad, not stupid, but not that new either, does have that gory touch, to make it more shocking yet it still doesn't seem enough.

You could watch it, not for scares, but to see another horror, if you're a fan of such movies, and this will be the only reason I can recommend Cub. I'm glad I did, had a little portion of fun with it, found it an OK horror, considering I've had my share of such films, seen plenty and will continue to do so, thus, Cub, a 5/10 stars film in my books, feels like a breath of fresh air comparing to other non sense.

Cheers!

This one comes to us from the magical world of Belgium, and according to IMDb it is entirely in Flemish and French. I'm glad I looked that up too, because I ignorantly thought it was in German or Swedish for a fashion. Anyways, this movie came along right when I needed it to. It's been sitting in the queue of movies I had waiting, and after my last couple of disappointing viewings I really didn't know what to expect.

Directed by Jonas Govaerts and written by Roel Mondelaers, this movie is a f**king blast. Admittedly, I don't know much about how Scouts works in Belgium, so you'll have to forgive my ignorance on that particular subject, but as far as I can tell, this movie is about two insane Scout leaders, a group of lunatic children, and one of the Scout leader's girlfriend, and also a dog. These kids head off into the woods despite a weird, out of place, werewolf legend, and encounter murderous lunatics in the woods.

So, this one is an insane amount of fun. The woods have been hilariously booby trapped by (I think) a man who is not responding well to losing his job, and now lives underground, and his son (maybe?) who wears bark on his face and is frightening. The Scout group enters the territory of this evil duo, and all hell starts to break loose.

All hell includes the dog getting beaten in a bag (I put that in here not to spoil, but to warn in advance for anyone sensitive to that kind of thing), a jeep running over a tent full of children, and a pit fight between two children. Seriously, that's all in this movie, and it's awesome. Seriously. F**king. Awesome.

There are a couple of dropped plot threads, like a not-addressed photograph that Sam carries around, and a bus, buried under ground full of dead people. With that said though, I completely forgive all of that, because it's really just a blast to watch. There are a few instanced of adults hitting children like grown ups which is a bit weird, and it does go to some dark places throughout.

It has some scary moments, and everyone in the movie does a pretty solid job from start to finish. Even the kids are believable, if not a little bit a**holey and the movie pulls very few punches, which I can respect.

Overall, I give this a strong recommend if you can get your hands on it. It's fun, bloody, and a great watch. Though, I will warn you again, the dog definitely gets killed in this movie and so if you don't want that, then skip it. No, it's not a real dog, but scenes like that can be really hard to take sometimes. www.barleydoeshorror.com

This is very well written horror movie. It is a nice surprise, a good horror movie coming from Belgium. When you look at complete genre of horror movies, there are a few better movies, this movie will keep you interested, and ending will sure surprise you. Movie is set in the woods, group of kids goes camping there, and that's when the horror starts.

Overall, I give it 8 compared to other horror movies, and 7 as movie compared to movies from all other genres.

A scout group venture into the forest and come face to face with much more than they bargained for.

I can't recall ever watching a Belgium horror and so did not really know what to expect. Thankfully this is a very good little movie that is well acted, well produced and very entertaining.

I was expecting a generic in the woods scary film but this one never quite goes where you think it will. The first half is relatively slow but nonetheless interesting as you get to know the characters involved. It's worth sticking with as the second half really takes off. Whilst not out and out scary there is a fair bit of gore and a few ingenious deaths.

This is one of the best new horror films I've seen in a while and I can't say I was anything but impressed by this little gem.

I'm surprised at how low the score is, this film deserves to be in the six's. We are at a point where horror movies are just a waste of time. No real scares or thrills. The only pleasure I get from contemporary horror is making fun how bad they are. Needless to say, Modern American Horror is in a huge rut right now.

Which is why I found this film refreshing, and think that American cinema needs to take some notes. This film is by no means perfect, but it is at least entertaining. I found it to have some good acting, decent writing, and it builds tension and suspense very well.

In most horror films today, I find myself not caring about any of the characters. They are so wooden and bland that when they die I'm neither cheering or grieving for them. This film actually gives me characters that I both hate and care for. You got characters that make you angry, and characters that you can relate to. As far as filmmakers making horror movies like Paranormal Activity and Ouija...where the hell is that in your films.

But I won't bash those films anymore in this review. I liked this film. I didn't love it, but I respect it. It caught my interest, made me invested, gave me moments that had me on the edge of the seat.

Overall, it's pretty good. Not a film you must see, but a film that will do its job and entertain you for an hour and a half.

Nice to see, another nice good Belgium movie after ''BLACK'' and "Sl8n8" and "LOFT 2008 original''. A few years ago, I mentioned that Belgium and the Netherlands should work together for better movies. Nice to see, that my country Belgium, have founded another way. Always, was the problem: money. Glad to see, we have now again a good Belgium horror. In the past, we even had a few gory splatter-movies. This horror movie focus mostly on character's building-up. Instead of only GORE and blood. Nevertheless, a little more blood and gore was welcome, to increase more the scary parts. It has indeed it's scary moments. There where 2 great action moments, where the music did kick-in. I've loved these moments + good music. Reminded me on those ''Halloween'' movies. Specially with that young girl of Michael Myers. Also here, 2 dead where original. So nice bonus. It's still not perfect, but for a more reasonable budget, Belgium did it's best AGAIN. Maybe it needs only more sponsors ??? Our latest movies are WAY better, than those from the Netherlands itself. Our next star movie: "BLACK 2015". Happens in Brussels.

If you go down in the woods today you better not go alone...

If you go down in the woods today your sure to get a surprise...

A group of Belgian boy scouts go into the French woods and encounter a feral boy and a deranged psycho who likes to build traps....

This movie, subtitled but OK otherwise (note: Belgians swear in English) is a good attempt at spinning a familiar theme: camping trip ruined by deranged psycho.

The spins are: - The psycho has built a cool underground lair and seeded the forest around him with deadly booby traps and detection sensors.

• The psycho has a 'pet' feral boy to haunt the forest with.

• The movie explores the group dynamics of boys, young men, and one girl, stuck in a terrifying situation, drawing heavily on such classics as Lord of the Flies.

The drawbacks are pretty standard: - The booby traps are laughably over designed and far too accurate and effective to be believable.

• The deranged psycho is indestructible, as per normal 'Jason' types. He is an ex bus factory worker and in all respects human, so this invulnerability is never explained...

• The acting is, by virtue that most of the actors are under 18, sub par. The slightly loonie 'baloo' 2nd in command scout leader is perhaps the best character in the movie and very much like a young Brad Pitt.

CUB (2014) *** Maurice Luijten, Stef Aerts, Evelien Bosmans, Titus De Voogdt Gill Eeckelaert, Jan Hammenecker. Atmospherically unsettling horror film set in the Belgian woods where a mysterious creature who may or may not be a werewolf or Wendigo is terrorizing the locales including a cub scout troop that has chartered the hinterlands for a weekend of activities. Novice filmmaker Jonas Govaerts employs all the tricks of the trade - and then some - with pulse-pounding music by Steve Moore, dank cinematography by Nicolas Karakatsanis and sharp editing by Maarten Janssens makes up for its ugliness and unrelenting final act that may in fact be the real horror.

I just saw Welp on a Halloween Night in Kinepolis Belgium.

A group of young scouts goes out for camp in the woods where a mysterious werewolf type of boy was sighted.

The production, the atmosphere and the acting are all relatively good for a director's debut, but Welp fails miserably by having an uninspired scenario and a story line full of clichés.

It's run of the mill, average, never surprising but luckily the photography manages to breath some atmosphere in it.

Horror buffs will immediately associate the forest camp setting as drawn from Friday the 13th (but this time with a younger bunch of scouts), while the rest of the story feels like a less haunting and gory Texas Chainsaw Massacre (minus the Texas family).

Just about any horror cliché is present: - forest setting (check), - young people on camp (check), - the gorgeous blonde (check), - masked mysterious figure in the woods (check), - booby traps in the woods (check), - gorgeous blonde gets tied up on a hook (check), ...

Frankly, there was one cliché missing: gorgeous blonde shows her tits. Might have made the movie better...

While this movie is getting some hype in the press in Belgium (for obvious reasons -chauvinism and tax shelter money is in it); as a (Belgium) viewer I could not stop wondering: is this really the best one can do with evaded tax money and should this kind of uninspired ultra commercial movies be government sponsored?

Because it's far from art and it's not even above average entertainment.

It's so weird to see how Belgium is in the ban of two flicks, first we have the remake of The Loft but secondly Belgium finally promoted a horror flick. Some do think it's the first coming out of this country but there are more, the most famous Daughter Of Darkness (1971) and maybe by far the most noticed one C'est Arrivé Près De Chez Vous (1992) also know as Man Bites Dog. But this flick here Welp will follow the line of a must see.

If you are in Belgium nowadays (oktober 2014) there's only one thing that counts, everywhere from posters to radio to television to promotion it's all about Welp. That's okay but it also gives the film some heavy issues to conquer with because the expectations are high and the mistake by the Belgian authorities to give it a Kinderen Toegelaten which means all ages can come also is argued a lot if it is visual for children at all.

And being made by a director, Jonas Govaerts, as his full feature debut but being a horror fan did add something toward the geeks out there. So far it's being praised at festivals and after seen it I must agree that it wasn't that bad after all.

It's clear that Jonas is a big fan of old school horror. It do take a while before things go awry but once it does the red stuff do flow frequently. You really have to sit almost half through the flick before the slashing starts and it's there that it shows that Jonas is a gook in the genre. The notorious eye gouching that made Zombie (1979) by Fulci notorious is done again here in some way and it do works and is a reason why it should be aged 12 or 16. But not only that. It also will ring a bell towards the Friday The 13th franchise with the bow and the smashing of the girl toward the ground.

Not only that, the score used will do remember the older geeks to those old school slashers. I can't really say that this is a slasher, therefor we are missing the typical 'slasher' elements like nudity, the heroin, the sex means death and the point of view shots. Sure, Evelien Bosmans (Jasmijn) is naked in the shower but doesn't show a thing.

When I went seeing it the audience was all teenagers and mostly girls, strangely they never screamed it out loud but it was quiet, that I can say. Maybe they are all used nowadays to see extreme gore like The Walking Dead. Still, it's well done and what I did like is what happens to the main leads. It has suspense and it do has the 'horror' in it.

Gore 2/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

This Belgian film is not perfect but it is a nice piece of work. A boy, Sam, is a member of a scout troop that are going camping. The area where they are headed has a fearful reputation circulating around a story of boy named Kai, turned vicious werewolf, living ferrell in the forest. Some folks have the opinion that the stories are true while others believe it to be a campfire tale that makes for a more exciting camping experience. Sam is not particularly liked by some of the troop leaders because he is a foster child with a traumatic background and they believe that he should be in therapy rather than scouts. Sam comes across as a sensitive boy and he believes in the stories about Kai and once in the woods he becomes even more convinced. So, what is going on in these woods? This is your plot.

I'd been passing by this film for a while now and decided to sit down and watch it. I must say that, for the most part, I was pleased with this. It was able to hold my attention and I didn't always know what to expect. It has a fair amount of suspense to it and what plays out is horrific. Don't get me wrong though, this film is not about a lot of blood, guts and violence. All that is present but it isn't the main focus. At least, not in my opinion. I thought the acting and camera work were decent and I liked that there was a noticeable attention to the special effects and stunts.

There were things missing that kept it from being top notch. I wish we could've understood more about Sam and his background. It was insinuated that he came from a rough past and we got to see how he interacted with others but I just wanted to know more about him.

I'm about to give a few spoilers so for those of you who'd rather not see them but want to know if the film is worth it, I'm gonna say yes. It was worth the watch and I will probably mention it to my friends. Check it out.

**Spoilers Ahead**

These spoilers are just a little more on what I felt the film was missing. We didn't learn much about Kai. You got the generalized impression that he became what he was the same way as Sam but that's about it. We also never really got a clue as to why all that was happening was taking place leaving it to be due to simple psychopathic behavior. I also wanted an explanation for the underground structure. Even with these small problems, I still enjoyed this film.

A horror movie from Belgium, that's a surprise. And to be honest: it's actually not bad at all! The premise may not be too original (group of youngsters camp in the woods and are being besieged by an unknown sadistic force) but the script accounts for an interesting twist to the conventions of the genre, to let the group not consist of the usual bunch of horny teens but of very young children of around ten or eleven years old. They are a scouting-group and go camping in the woods with three adult leaders.

Anyway: the movie is extremely atmospheric with fine and effective photography, the young children act pretty natural (with special mention of Maurice Luijten as the main character Sam, he is a real promise!), the pace is high and there are lots of nasty killings, very convincingly done. At several places (and especially at the ending) this movie has even a moral message, something like: even the ones from who you expect it the least can be brought to the edge of their civilized behavior and beyond. In that respect The Lord of the Flies comes to mind: like there, director Jonas Govaerts does not hold back on account of the unwritten movie-law that you don't mess with little children, they are fully involved in the brutal goings-on, as victims as well as actors, and this has more than once a very chilling and unnerving effect.

My main reservation is, that at the end of the movie you are kind of overwhelmed and exhausted by all the excitement and violence, it's as if the makers couldn't choose between different scenario's and decided to just put in every idea, it really is a bit too much!

But otherwise: a very nice and effective movie, I was greatly entertained.

Oh boy,..why oh why do we waste tax-payers money on this kind of drab?

"Cub" is not an original, or for that matter, a good, movie. It tells the "story" (and I use that word lightely) of a scouts-gang heading out into the woods to find themselves butchered by a woodsman and a little boy. It features every cliché imaginable: dumb main characters, dumb blondes, gratuit sex-scenes, etc etc.. Now, that would not be a problem if the movie would be superd. But it lacks...everything!! There is no plot whatsoever!! -why is the little boy in the woods? No one knows -why is there a man in the woods killing people? No one knows -how did he manage to get a bus in the woods, underground? No one knows -how did he built a massive steel onderground lair? No one knows -why does the police officer not just drive around the tree logs? No one knows -How come the police officer can't find his way in the woods? No one knows -How do the killer and boy survice in the woods? No one knows -why was this kind of crap ever produced? No one knows

Don't watch this crap,...and to our government: STOP WASTING TAX-PAYERS MONEY!!!

What a dumb movie. This is horror for 7-year olds. Just a whole bunch of genre cliches thrown together. Can't believe all these marvelous reviews. Who wrote those? Kids? Utterly silly attempt to make a scary 'oh-the-woods-are-creepy!' flick. PS: The Ardennes was a far entertaining movie, watch that one instead.