By Melissa Madsen
Staff Writer

This version of Red Riding Hood, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, is no fairytale but rather a mystery as to who really is the big bad wolf, or in this case the werewolf.

This new twist on the legend follows young Valerie on the bridge of womanhood as she lusts after her childhood love, Peter; meanwhile her parents have promised her to another man named Henry.  The plot thickens when the werewolf that has been terrorizing her village for generations takes a life, Valerie’s sister.  The village, in fear, then hires a werewolf hunter to try and rid them of this beast, but they learn too soon that the werewolf might indeed be someone from within the village itself.

Valerie is played by Amanda Seyfried whom you might recognize from other movies such as Mean Girls, Dear John, and Letters to Juliet.  In this movie however she does a superb job as does the rest of the cast in acting in a manner of terror, suspense, and drama in the series of events that take place in their quaint little village.

I found the setting and features of the small town, the name which was not given, to be quite believable and enchanting. Watching it made me feel as if I was a part of the medieval village they lived in, and believed that there were such things as witches and werewolves living amongst us in secret.   The village is both rural and loosely inhabited and is on the outskirts of the woods.  The setting adds to the level of suspension because it is not only where the mystery begins but also where it ends.

An aspect of the film I was skeptical about was to the love triangle between Valerie, Henry, and Peter.  Remember that Valerie was promised by her parents to Henry, but is truly for Peter.  What I found unbelievable about this was that Henry would not fight for Valerie as much as you would expect him to.  He was the one who called for the engagement yet does not fight for his love when witnessing the romance between Valerie and Peter. It seems that in this sense he just gave up. The other approach could have made for more passionate and heartfelt scenes between the triangular romance.

Throughout the film, I found myself wondering: who can be trusted? What clues are misleading?  And who really is the werewolf?

Red Riding Hood was quite enjoyable and suspenseful.  Each scene will have you on the edge of your seat scared and nervous as to what you might see or hear next.  This movie may not be the classic fairytale but is filled with mystery, love, drama, and will have you craving for more.