The conventions of the werewolf genre are shattered here, and the shocks and shakes come from amused delight at each scene.

Sean Pertwee plays Sergeant Harry Wells, a British army platoon leader who is sent with his men to the Scottish Highlands for a straight-forward training exercise.

Initially, the soldiers' greatest concern is that they're missing an important football match, but it's not long before the naive troupe begin to suspect that the full moon and the heavy mist may imply some sinister goings-on.

Pretty soon they stumble across a pile of human remains and realise there's something violent and non-human out in the wilderness - and that they appear to be the beasts' next hot dinner.

Rescued by a civilian zoologist (Cleasby), the terrified group takes refuge in an abandoned farmhouse which is, strangely, completely unoccupied - although the table is laid and the soup bowls are full and piping hot.

Before they even have a chance to question the strange situation, the house comes under fierce attack.

The hairy beasts are bigger and badder than they seemed in the woods and they are definitely hungrier.

As the struggle for survival wears on, the group - whose fightback seems rather meek - can do little more than wait for the sun to rise. But will the werewolf's hunger abate by the crack of dawn?

Director Neil Marshall wisely decided to keep the creatures out of sight for as long as possible, and thus succeeds in building up a tension redolent of genuinely frightening films of the same genre.

Unfortunately, as soon as the beasts are visible, they're about as horrifying as a band of cub scouts on Halloween night.

In fact, someone in the audience whispered "Is that Peter Stringfellow?" and I kinda catch their drift.

The ketchup hits the screen and the guts spill out.

Dog Soldiers falls short of hilarious outrageous comedy and doesn't make the mark as a clever spoof, but it's enjoyable enough to prove that low-budget British horror is till alive and kicking.

The ludicrous plot can be overlooked depending on the mood you find yourself in.

The relentless pace of the film is certainly a redeeming quality.

Even if your senses weren't quite as enhanced as you'd expect from a werewolf film, your blood will definitely be pumping a little faster.

Natalie Stone