Fantasia Film Festival 2026 – Written and directed by Eriko Katagiri, When You Open the Door is a strangely hypnotic and even dreamy werewolf movie. It doesn’t have many kills or blood and guts, nor does it have all that memorable of a transformation scene. Instead, the movie is much more concerned with female isolation. Don’t go into this one expecting something on par with The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, or even Ginger Snaps. This isn’t that type of movie.
The feature stars Motola Serena as Miki, a 27-year-old who works for an architect firm. She pours hours and hours into her job, and nothing makes her happier than when the powers that be praise her work. In fact, it’s one of the few times early in the movie that she expresses all that much emotion. Her domestic life is fairly boring, and she doesn’t have many friends. In fact, her only real friend is a bird that she talks to and even takes to the park. There’s quite a bit of time spent establishing the doldrums of Miki’s life, which underscores just how ho-um and isolated she is. When a storm is about to hit, everyone leaves the office, other than Miki. Her work is her life, to the point she falls asleep at her desk, even during a storm warning.
Near her office building, Miki encounters a wolf that bites her in the neck. No matter how many people she tells, no one believes her. In fact, most people laugh at her, including her own mother. As the movie goes on, Miki does indeed transform, but these scenes are small and subtle. For instance, she finds tufts of thick hair in her shoes. Her nails grow longer. Again, there’s no major transformation scene in this movie, but Miki’s change is certainly evident. Additionally, unlike other werewolf movies, Miki doesn’t really go on a rampage. This isn’t a movie with a high body count. Instead, the focus remains on the young protagonist and just how distant she is from everyone else, or rather, how distant they are from her and don’t believe her or even really socialize with her. Miki does have a partner of sorts, and there’s a really great scene near the end of the film between them, but that won’t be spoiled here.
This film is a really slow burn, and it won’t be for everyone. That said, there’s something hypnotic about it, especially the cinematography and some of the framing. There’s even this beautifully bizarre, slow-motion dance sequence that has to be seen to believed. For those who want a werewolf movie that’s different and not concerned with a gruesome body count, then give When You Open the Door a try. It uses the long-standing and familiar werewolf as a metaphor for female isolation.
