What do you get when you combine the edgy cop-thriller films from the 1980s with the werewolf genre? The answer is 2024’s 12 to Midnight, co-produced by Millman Productions, Cannon Fire Productions, Delirium, Ron Lee Productions, and Salem House Films. Delco Horror Haven, the Philly area’s non-profit org dedicated to supporting all things indie horror, recently hosted their third film premiere event in Media, PA with a screening of the film.
In a bad mental place after the brutal murder of his wife, Detective Toth (Robert Bronzi, Death Kiss, Exorcist Vengeance) shoots up some perps in a convenient store and thwarts an attempted armed robbery. Instead of planning a parade in his honor, Toth is suspended by his captain because he was both drinking and off-duty at the time of his heroics. Toth’s captain, Rhodes, is played by Daniel Roebuck, who will next be seen in Terrifier 3 in theaters October 11.
After a recent string of murders appears to have been the handiwork of the same psycho that murdered his wife, Toth cleans up his act and is put back on the case. Now he has the chance to avenge her murder as well as end the lunatic’s killing spree for good. Toth even seeks help from his old friend Marco, who is played by another recognizable face—UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz. Toth also teams up with Sheriff Stacy Cooper (Sadie Katz, Transmission), who is tired of the body count increasing on her watch and has skin in the game, protecting her daughter Vanessa (Juliet Biscotti, F-Word). Can Toth and Cooper effectively work together and take down the supernatural menace?
In providing some context for the uninitiated, Hungarian actor Bronzi is a dead ringer for Charles Bronson and stars in some homages to the late actor’s films with twists implemented into them. For example here with 12 to Midnight, it is wordplay off Bronson’s 1983 film 10 to Midnight. And instead of Bronson pursuing a murderer who gets naked to kill people, it’s Bronzi pursuing a murderer who gets naked in order to wolf-out and kill people. It is a well-intentioned homage to films of that era that the filmmakers really lean into. Even producer Robert Savakinus specifically stated that fact during the screening’s Q&A session.
You will figure out that the killer is inhuman in the first few minutes of running time, but you won’t know WHO is the werewolf because the movie also stirs in the whodunnit factor. There’s a bunch of suspects, but you won’t know which character is the vicious furry until the final reveal, and that is part of the fun.
Speaking of fun, let’s get into the good and the bad of this production. Beginning with the acting, it is overall pretty good whether it is from the main stars or those with smaller roles like Searra Sawka (Hell House LLC: Origins) who plays Jessica or Eric Francis Melaragni (Shelby Oaks) as Buff. As far as the story goes, the overall main plot is pretty good when director Mark Savage (Hell’s Coming for You, Stressed to Kill) is solely focused on that. But the other subplots needlessly extend the running time, which is a little long in the tooth (hard pun) for this type of film. Another highlight is the writers taking liberties with werewolf lore in a way that actually makes sense to the plot and not changing the lore for the sake of changing it to seem edgy.
The cinematography is also well done and quite atmospheric, and the decision to use the “ghost town” borough of Centralia as one of the shooting locations for some key scenes is another added bonus. The Pennsylvania town has been long known as the inspiration for Silent Hill and if you’re not familiar with the town and its history, it’s worth a Google search and reading up on it. While the cinematography and locations are positives, the editing is a little iffy in some places. Lastly, the SFX are hit and miss. For example, the creature itself unfortunately does not look that great and would have been better served being protected from being fully shown by using some camera and lighting tricks. However, the creature’s transformation effects are actually very impressive, as well as other gore effects utilized throughout the film. All the effects are practical, and it is always refreshing to see practical effects usage even if they all aren’t winners.
If you are an old fan of those old ’80s crime thrillers that were borderline horror movies, like 10 to Midnight, or you love werewolf flicks and can appreciate independent cinema, you should check this one out. 12 to Midnight is available now to watch on Direct TV.
If you live in the Greater Philadelphia area, you can attend the Delco Horror Haven Invasion Weekend film festival, stocked with indie flicks, food trucks, raffles, and more, on September 28-29 in Media, PA. Tickets and more information on the event at delcohorrorhaven.org.
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