‘The Cycle’ Merges Police Procedural and Werewolf Horror with a Shocking Twist

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for “The Cycle,” now streaming on Shudder.

What if a werewolf continued to transform even after its death?

This provocative concept emerged when frequent collaborators Jordan Downey and Kevin Stewart were developing a TV treatment for their 2018 film “The Head Hunter.”

“We paused and realized we’d stumbled on a fresh concept never explored in cinema,” Downey explains. “After researching, we confirmed no film or show had tackled this premise. The question became: How do we bring it to life?”

The result is “The Cycle,” a visually striking detective narrative following Meg (Deborah Ann Woll) and Marks (Jeffrey Donovan) as they unravel a lycanthropic homicide. The film initially obscures the supernatural nature of the threat, revealing its monstrous dimensions fully only in the third act.

Downey, who co-wrote and directed the film, structured the story around a crime mystery framework. “The concept naturally suited a procedural format,” he notes. “Police encountering corpses that reanimate into werewolves would find the scenario inexplicable—even terrifying. No other genre package fits quite this way.”

After solving the case, the story pivots sharply into full-fledged creature feature territory, delivering visceral practical effects and intense werewolf horror sequences.

“We wanted to honor classic monster movie traditions,” Downey says. “I didn’t want this to feel pretentious or detached from what fans expect. The tonal shift felt earned because it wasn’t anticipated, even by our characters. The audience experiences it as a gasp-inducing revelation.”

The transformation sequence, orchestrated with special effects expert Patrick Magee, pays homage to iconic 1980s werewolf films while introducing fresh grotesquerie. “We dissected every reference,” Downey explains. “Footage, hands, eyes, spinal columns—the details mattered. Applying it to an undead corpse added a new layer of macabre complexity.”

The narrative deepens beyond horror elements, exploring father-daughter fractures and moral ambiguity. Meg’s discovery that her estranged father is the creature imbues the thriller with emotional gravity.

“Initial drafts lacked this connection,” Downey admits. “Without a personal stake, her investigation felt hollow. Horror needs pathos. When we linked the monster to her father, the tragedy crystallized—his departure was protective, hers was perceived as abandonment. This duality drives the story’s heart.”

While “The Cycle” concludes as a standalone film, Downey envisions its universe expanding. He describes potential prequels exploring the original werewolf’s maritime origin or a TV series chronicling Meg’s father’s 30-year exile. “I’d only pursue further stories if the creators and audience desired it,” he says. “The idea of Meg facing an unsolved case decades later—the burden of her father’s legacy—holds compelling dramatic potential.”

Watch the trailer for “The Cycle” below.

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