Tag Archives: werewolf

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: The Werewolf (1956)

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The Werewolf (1956) by #FredFSears
w/#DonMegowan #JoyceHolden

When a stranger with amnesia appears, a small town Sheriff comes to believe he is dealing with a werewolf.

“Scientists turn men into beasts!”
“It happens before your horrified eyes!”

“The horror of all mankind terrifies the screen!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Werewolf (1956) is a historically significant horror film because it is the first to feature a werewolf that is non-supernatural. The beast in this movie is pure science fiction, having been created by a couple of doctors conducting experiments. Continue reading →

Friday night at the home drive-in: I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)

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Poster for I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) by #GeneFowlerJr

w/#MichaelLandon #YvonneLime #WhitBissell

A hypnotherapist transforms a temperamental teenager into a #werewolf.

“The most amazing motion picture of our time!”

“It’s not for man to interfere in the ways of God.”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) is one of the most famous B-movies, teen movies, and werewolf movies in the history of cinema – or at least it is to me. Even as a kid, I knew about this movie. I’d heard about it, read about it, and seen pictures from it in books and magazines. Of course I’d never SEEN it, but that’s the way it was back then. No internet, no video stores – only late night TV could possibly give me an opportunity to experience this movie, and that just never quite happened.  Continue reading →

Trash Or Terror Tuesday: Werewolf Hunter (2004)

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t’s time for #TrashOrTerrorTuesday

…when I examine a film that’s been languishing in my personal library to determine if it is #Trash or #Terror

– or more importantly, if it deserves to stay in my collection.

And so, out from the dusty shelves of #VHS tapes & DVDs comes…

DVD cover for Werewolf Hunter (2004)Werewolf Hunter / Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt (2004) by #PacoPlaza

w/ #JulianSands #ElsaPataky

A traveling vendor seeks the affections of a woman who has lost several family members to an unknown serial killer.

“Based On A True Story”

#Werewolf #Horror

#TrashOrTerrorTuesday

The DVD of Werewolf Hunter (2004) has been sitting on my shelf for years. Whenever I see it there, I get a vague feeling of having watched it and liked it some time in the past. Other than that, no details come to mind. So, I decided to put it to the #TrashOrTerrorTuesday test.

The first thing I noticed was that the movie is actually called  Romasanta (2004), or Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt (2004), or  Werewolf Hunter: The Legend of Romasanta or Werewolf Hunter: Romo Santa – why does my DVD box only say Werewolf Hunter?

The next thing I noticed was that the movie stars Julian Sands, Elsa Pataky, and a bunch of other classy (dare I say, serious) actors. No scream queens, B-movie stars, or Ron Jeremy (or other porn stars) are found in this cast list. It quickly becomes apparent that the movie is a co-production between Spain and the United Kingdom.

Werewolf Hunter (2004) is not a typical werewolf movie. It’s based on the true story of serial killer Manuel Blanco Romasanta, who murdered 13 people in Spain in the 1850s and claimed that a curse caused him to turn into a wolf and kill people. The movie treads that line of “is he, or isn’t he?” We see a wolf in action,  we see transformations, we see blood and gore – but is it all in the character’s head?

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. The story is gripping, the actors are all top notch, and the action is extremely well done. The only weird part is that I didn’t remember one second of it from a previous viewing. And there are some very memorable moments – including one where a werewolf hunter (or is he a fellow werewolf?) runs like hell through the woods stark naked, penis visibly swinging to the left and the right (to paraphrase the AC/DC song). I wouldn’t exactly call this a highlight, but it’s a fairly unique sight in mainstream movies and I think I would have remembered it.

This, and many other moments, lead me to wonder if it’s possible that I somehow DIDN’T watch this movie fifteen years ago. Could I have accidentally put it on my shelf and forgotten about it? I’ll never know for sure.

So, what’s the verdict?

Werewolf Hunter (2004) is a moderate to full blown Terror. It’s legitimately suspenseful and tense – and you really don’t know what’s going to happen from moment to moment. It has scenes of horror (and gore) that work, and manages to generate an atmosphere of horror and unease throughout. It’s also a convincing recreation of a medieval world.

The ending of Werewolf Hunter might not feel completely satisfying, as it adheres to the true story of it’s source inspiration (although many of the details have been fictionalized). I won’t say any more about it, except that I thought the ending worked. Part of what I like about it, is that it’s different from what one might come to expect from a typical werewolf movie.

Needless to say, Werewolf Hunter (2004) will be staying in my permanent collection  – at least until the next time I look at it on the shelf and say “What the hell is that?!”

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: Full Moon High (1981)

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I’ve been a fan of Larry Cohen for many years. I can’t say for certain which of his movies was the first to catch my attention. It might have been Q: The Winger Serpent (1982). I somehow convinced my Dad to take me to it (as I couldn’t get in without an adult). This must have been no small feat after he took me to Friday the 13th: Part III (1982) and declared it to to the worst movie he ever saw. Even more surprising than the fact that he took me to see Q: The Winger Serpent, is the fact that he enjoyed it. This must say something about Larry Cohen’s ability to tell a story – even if the idea seems completely ludicrous on the surface. 

                 

Incidentally, I also wanted to see I, The Jury (1982) really badly (as I was an avid reader of Mickey Spillane novels), which was written by Larry Cohen – and supposed to be directed by Larry Cohen – and came out at exactly the same time as Q. I’m not sure if I, The Jury was rated R (and thereby off limits to me), or if my Dad’s patience had simply reached its limits, but I didn’t see I, The Jury until it came out on Beta.

But getting back to ludicrous ideas, Full Moon High (1981) came out the year before Q, and was, in fact, the movie Larry Cohen made right before Q and I, The Jury. But I had never heard of it! And if there was one thing I was acutely aware of, it’s what movies were playing at my local theatres and (later) were available at my local video stores. Ever since I saw Star Wars (1978) in the theatre, I would check the entertainment section of the newspaper every day to see what movies were playing (and probably to make sure that Star Wars was still there, as I went to see it several times). That’s how I would have known about Q and I, The Jury – but I don’t recall ever seeing an add for Full Moon High.

Maybe the ad was there, but it just didn’t catch my attention. Or maybe the movie came and went so fast I never got a chance to see it. Or maybe it never played my home town at all. Even stranger, is the fact that I don’t recall ever seeing the box for Full Moon High  at any of the video stores I frequented. I would always peruse the Horror Section, longingly looking at all of the titles I could rent, but to the best of my recollection, Full Moon High was not one of them.

It seems odd to me that even when Teen Wolf (1985) became a huge hit, copies of Full Moon High did not appear on the shelves of my favourite stores. By that time, I had rented and enjoyed Larry Cohen’s next film, Perfect Strangers (1984)  – not even realizing that it was by the same guy who made Q and wrote I, The Jury.

                    

In any case, I did not know that Full Moon High existed until may years later, when I could look up Larry Cohen’s complete filmography on the internet. I did not see it until last Friday Night At The Home Drive-In, when I watched the brand new Blu-ray that I purchased after Larry Cohen left us less than a year ago. It had been on my watch list since I became aware of it, but I knew that it’s reputation was not stellar (4.7 on the imdb, a lukewarm review in Rue Morgue magazine). It was not likely to be a lost classic on par with It’s Alive (1974) or God Told Me To (1976), but still, I needed to see it. Being a collector, I needed to own it. And if there’s one thing I knew I could rely on to entertain me, it’s a commentary track by Larry Cohen. Even if the movie is not so great, the commentary would undoubtedly make it worthwhile.

And thanks to that commentary, I now know that the reason Larry Cohen made Full Moon High (1981), was that people had told him that he should make a comedy. His sets were always such a fun place to be, everyone was always laughing and having a great time. Larry’s an entertaining and funny guy. It only stood to reason that he could make a funny movie. 

I think it’s fair to say that the results were mixed. Full Moon High has a great comic cast, and it is very funny in places (Alan Arkin’s last act turn as an unsympathetic psychiatrist is priceless!). Overall, I would describe it as a likeable movie. I can honestly say that I enjoyed it. But it pales in comparison to other horror comedies like Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (1974) which would have most likely been an influence. It’s closer to the good natured, silly tone of Teen Wolf (1985), and one has to wonder if Full Moon High was the inspiration for that movie. Considering how elusive it was to me, I’m not sure if the makers of Teen Wolf would have been any more likely to have seen Full Moon High prior to making their film. But just like the legend of Ted V. Mikels’ The Doll Squad (1973) being the inspiration for Charlie’s Angels (1976-81), it’s an intriguing thought.

Full Moon High (1981) is not Larry Cohen’s best film. Not even close. But it’s still a fun example of #NotQuiteClassicCinema, and I suspect it will get even better the next time I screen it on a #FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn.