Bitten by a mysterious creature, a woman believes she’ll become a werewolf. With her best friend by her side, they face a throat-slashing creature in this campy adventure filled with magic and mayhem. A film by Sung Kang, starring Brooke Markham, VyVy Nguyen, Jimmy Bellinger, Skyler Day, Herschel Sparber, Danielle Weeks, and Erin Daniels.

In 1993, near Winlock, Washington, Lucy (Brooke Markham) and Karen (VyVy Nguyen), two inseparable friends since high school, work at Friendly Freeze, an ice cream shop owned by Bob (Herschel Sparber), a kind-hearted old man. One day, a young woman (Skyler Day) enters the shop and attempts to use an expired coupon to get free ice cream. Karen refuses to give her a treat. However, Bob intervenes and generously gives her a banana split for free.

As the shop’s door shutters for the day, a mysterious woman (Erin Daniels) steps inside, asking for food, saying that she has not eaten for weeks. Lucy suspects that this visitor is a freeloader seeking an evening meal at her expense. Instead of offering the woman the ice cream she craves, Lucy mocks her request and gives her a mere nut, a gesture that is as meager as it is insulting. The woman is distraught and casts a chilling curse upon Lucy, a curse that will transform her into a wolf at nightfall.

Terrified of the impending transformation into a werewolf, Lucy asks Karen to drive her to an abandoned campsite. On a full moon night, she is prepared to meet her end at the hands of her closest friend Karen, if the curse takes hold. Lucy had previously confided in her co-worker Eric, who had provided her with a research book containing insights into werewolves and other magical enchantments. Karen becomes upset because Lucy told Eric and Eric would likely tell Bob. If Lucy is found dead, everyone will know that she was the killer.

The situation becomes more complicated when Eric, wearing a werewolf costume, pays Lucy and Karen a prank visit. Karen is spooked and accidentally shoots him in the face. Lucy suddenly turns into a werewolf, and Karen flees the scene in terror. Lucy wakes up the next morning, naked and unable to recall anything after Karen shot Eric.

Lucy and Karen reunite at the campsite cabin, where Karen tries to cleanse Lucy’s cursed blood with a transfusion using Eric’s blood, but it fails miserably. Suddenly, Lucy remembers Eric’s book of spells, which is still in Karen’s car. She thinks it might contain the information they need to break the curse.

Luckily, the spell to cure the werewolf virus is in Eric’s binder. At this point the film has become senseless, it means Eric has known the spell to break the werewolf curse all along. Unfortunately, Karen mistakenly chants the wrong spell, inadvertently raising Eric’s corpse as a zombie.

SHAKY SHIVERS is a horror comedy by Sung Kang in his directorial debut. While Brooke Markham and VyVy Nguyen deliver impressive performances, the screenplay by Andrew McAllister and Aaron Strongoni falls short, failing to effectively blend horror and comedy. The opening scene captivates with its ambiguity, as Lucy and Karen discuss their plans without revealing the source of Lucy’s werewolf curse. This lack of exposition keeps the audience guessing, drawing them deeper into the narrative. Since most viewers are familiar with werewolf folklore, detailed explanations are unnecessary, allowing the story to unfold naturally.

The film’s emphasis on comedic elements may be intentional, but the repeated use of humor can become tedious. This is evident in the scene where Lucy dances and jumps across the screen while being pursued by a zombie. The slow-moving zombie fails to generate any sense of urgency or suspense, and the scene ultimately falls flat. While the film strives to maintain a lighthearted tone, it lacks the thrilling elements that would elevate it beyond mere slapstick comedy.

SHAKY SHIVERS premiered at SCREAMFEST on 12 October 2022. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 21 September 2023, by Screambox.