User reviews

As you can probably guess from the title alone, "Werewolf of Washington" is basically a direct take on "The Wolf Man" story, shaped into a kind of political satire.

We join press secretary Jack Whittier on assignment in Hungary, where his girlfriend buys him a silver cane with a wolf's head handle. When his car breaks down he encounters some strange gypsies, and is attacked by a wolf which he beats to death with his cane. After the wolf is dead it changes back into human form, but the police don't even arrest him for murder. Jack is convinced that there is some kind of a government cover-up going on, but a gypsy woman tells him that he has become a werewolf, cursed with the sign of the pentagram ("Oh, so the pentagon's involved?"). He then returns to Washington, and finds that a series of people he meets are murdered in animal-like attacks ...

This movie does have a lot of very funny and memorable moments. The "phone booth" attack and most of the scenes with the president (particularly the bowling alley sequence) rank particularly highly, and this is certainly a film you won't forget in a hurry. It's one of the most original werewolf movies I've seen in a long time. The acting is surprisingly good considering how incompetent some aspects of the film appear to be, and that's where a lot of the comedy comes from. Dean Stockwell gives an excellent, nervous performance reminiscent of Lon Chaney Jr, and Biff McGuire as the president is just great.

However, it isn't all good news ... it was directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg, who seems primarily to have worked as an editor but has directed several obscure movies (his first movie "Coming Apart" actually appears quite popular critically). The film-making isn't terrible, but it's not really of professional quality -- in some scenes you can even catch that elusive shadow of the cameraman. Considering it was made by an editor, the movie is slow-moving and doesn't flow as well as it should, and some of the cuts just don't work at all. The dialogue is pretty clunky most of the time, although there are some clever plays on words. It's a political satire made at a time when it was fashionable to attack the administration, so of course there's plenty of topical humour going on.

Yes, it's silly and it's cheap and it's pretty incompetent, but it's also a lot of fun. I'm even tempted to give it a higher rating, but I might not live that down. Just see it if you want some quick laughs.

Dean Stockwell plays a White House Press secretary on assignment in Hungary when he finds himself bitten by a wolfman(werewolf - whichever you prefer)and then is asked to leave quite quickly with no investigation from the Hungarian police for the crime of murder that Stockwell claims to have performed on his assailant. Whew! Anyway, Stockwell returns to Washington and soon sees those nasty little signs that something is going horribly wrong. You know those signs - heavy hair growing on your hands, seeing a five-sided star on the hands of women with whom he will soon have a killer relationship with, and not remembering large chunks of evenings when the moon is full. The story for this film is surprisingly faithful to that of the original The Wolfman in terms of story but lacks that film's sophistication and budget. This is a cheaply-made film, a poorly directed film, an incredibly drearily written film, and, finally, acted with no real sense of purpose. The final product, though for sure going for some intended laughs at times, ends of being rather funny in spite of its ineptitude. There are some stand out scenes for this perverse pleasure of watching a cinematic car wreck. How about the phone booth scene - a real hoot and oh so terrifying! Watching the president of the United States in a cheap looking bowling alley or in a bathroom with a page or something. In fact any scenes with Biff McGuire as the president are gold. He appears so incompetent and yet conveys some realism to that role in a certain way - scary. Dean Stockwell can get worked up real good too in his scenes and the transformation scenes, when we finally get to see them, are bad. Bad. Bad. And what about the lilliputian Michael Dunn as Dr. Kiss? What was all that about? Just bizarre and ludicrous. The Werewolf of Washington is a bad picture on so many levels but is also highly enjoyable if you are a fan of le bad cinema - as I am - especially of the best decade for le bad cinema - the 1970s. You couldn't make this stuff up if you sat down right now and tried. Believe me. To even further enhance your viewing pleasure, check out the version with bosomy seductress Elvira chiming in periodically. She can be quite clever and amusing and always abreast of what is going on in the film.

This thing is all tongue in cheek. And in some ways it's a bit charming. The president and all his people are a bunch of clueless idiots. If it weren't for six years ago, I would have said this was impossible. Of course, it was 1973 and the country was reeling from Watergate. There was racial tension and distrust. Now we have Dean Stockwell whose career has been dotted with psychos and weirdos. He finds himself at the end of the werewolf chain, having been bitten in Hungary. He serves as press secretary with the mild inconvenience of turning into a werewolf when the moon is full. He kills a little, bowls a little, terrorizes people in telephone booths. He suspects what has happened to him but, of course. no one will buy it. To the bitter end, the President of the United States is insincere and manipulative (and stupid). The film is pretty predictable, but its comic moments are the best. Don't expect to take this seriously. Maybe a scholar will look at it and see it as pure satire. Unfortunately, it's not that good.

There are a lot of laughs in this movie. Some of them might even be intentional. Hard to tell...it IS, after all, a cheap and poorly edited piece of work. But surprisingly, the acting is decent in parts. I especially liked the character of the President. There is a laugh-out-loud scene in the White House bowling alley, when Dean Stockwell gets his hand stuck in the ball, and the President doesn't even notice. I've never seen Stockwell do physical comedy before, and he was quite good. Also, in all the films I've seen of him, this is one of the few films where Dean actually kisses a girl. Okay, so he's chained to a chair at the time... The movie isn't the least bit scary, though the scene in the tipped over phone booth has it's moments (phone booth? Boy, that sure dates a movie!). Mostly, Dean Stockwell runs around looking like a puppy dog that ain't housebroken.

The script attempts to be a satire on Watergate, Vietnam protesters, Spiro Agnew, Martha Mitchell, and the dreaded liberal bias of the media. The fact that it doesn't work very well is not enough to make me pan this film. I mean, there's still that bowling alley scene...

Werewolf of Washington, The (1973)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Washington Press Secretary (Dean Stockwell) is banging the President's daughter when he is sent to Transylvania where he is bitten by a werewolf. He returns to Washington and starts killing off various members of congress. This could certainly benefit from the "so bad it's good" thing because this turkey is all over the map. The director doesn't seem to know if he wants to make a political satire, a horror spoof or an actual horror film. The werewolf makeup is rather pathetic but there are a few funny spoofs including the wolf constantly acting like a dog. One scene has the werewolf licking up a dwarf, which must be a first for werewolf films.

God-awful is the best way to describe this 'film'. Imagine making a horror film but not putting any money into the budget for decent costumes or special effects--that is the major problem with "The Werewolf of Washington". If that isn't enough, the writing is pretty awful as well--at least most of the writing.

Dean Stockwell plays a reporter who seems to be half asleep during the film. He has absolutely no energy or enthusiasm for the role--and often seems more like a zombie than a werewolf! He is recalled from his Hungarian assignment about the same time he's bitten by a werewolf and now as the president's assistant press secretary, he has an ample supply of annoying people to maul--and his first victim is especially annoying. Oddly, whenever Stockwell looks into the palm of a person's hand, he sees a pentagram when this person is to soon be one of his victims. And, when he kills them the film sometimes begins to play in slow-motion--though considering how sluggish the film is, it's hard to tell it's happening!

As I said in the first paragraph, this is pretty awful stuff. However, the film wavers from terrible to rather clever at times--at least when it comes to scenes with the President and some of his cabinet. It was pretty funny how they made fun of President Nixon. While the actor playing this character didn't look like Nixon, his love of bowling, team sports and the way he prattled was pretty funny...and spot on the mark. I also liked the social commentary when the racist general who just started blaming a rash of savage killings done by the werewolf on a convenient black man as a scapegoat. But then, there are just too many bizarre moments that make you wonder if the folks making this film were on LSD--such as the tiny scientist (Michael Dunn) who can somehow calm the beast, the weird bathroom scene as well as the basic concept of the movie. After all, why would they want to make a movie like this in the first place--even with the political satire?! The bottom line is that the film wasn't scary at all and was high on the cheese factor. But, it also wasn't funny enough to be a good parody (such as "Love At First Bite").

By the way, you may recognize Dunn from his appearances from "Star Trek" and "Wild, Wild West". If you have a chance, read his IMDb biography--it's pretty interesting though sad as well.

"An ambitious young reporter and his girlfriend are traveling in Hungary, when a wolf attacks him. Returning to Washington, D.C. with his girlfriend, who is the President's daughter, he talks the job of Press Secretary for the President of the United States. When some recent acquaintances turn up murdered by some vicious beast, the young man comes to realize the wolf he killed in Hungary was actually a werewolf," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

In 1972, White House lawyer John Dean warned disgraced U.S. President Richard M. Nixon there was "a cancer growing on the presidency." For this film, writer/director Milton Moses Ginsberg employs another Dean (Stockwell) to portray the "cancer" in werewolf form. Mr. Ginsberg also uses Thayer David and a Barnabas Collins-type wolf's head cane (from "Dark Shadows"); along with beautiful Jane House (as Marion, the President's daughter).

But, Michael Dunn definitely steals the smaller roles, as "Dr. Kissinger" ("Dr. Kiss", for short). Of course, downy Dean Stockwell (as Jack Whittier) is always worth watching. Unfortunately, Ginsberg's clever comedy/satire/horror never really finds its niche. The cast is entertainingly able, and some of the humor works quite well - but, it's too spotty to really howl at.

*** The Werewolf of Washington (1973) Milton Moses Ginsberg ~ Dean Stockwell, Biff McGuire, Jane House

This is a sometimes slow-moving, sometimes cheap-looking but always a what- the-HELL-am-I-watching?! kind of a film. Dean Stockwell, who seems to have walked onto the set of "The Wolfman" at films beginning, gets a silver headed walking stick, encounters some weird gypsy types and becomes cursed with lycanthropy. Part werewolf film, part Watergate satire, Stockwell looks pretty cool with his full wolf make-up on and shows a talent for physical comedy as well. The scene where he gets his hand stuck in a bowling ball, whilst the clueless President fails to notice, is hysterical. This really isn't meant to be a thrilling chiller, but the scene with a girl trapped by the werewolf inside of an overturned phone booth is rather tense and well done. Yes, it's cheap, the acting isn't that great (outside of Stockwell's performance) the sets are lousy and everything screams 70S!!! in all of its tacky hideousness (the flowered wallpaper in the heroine's bedroom is by far the scariest thing about this film) but it's not a total loss. Its a sharp, clever and sometimes very black comedy with some nice make-up effects. It's worth seeing for Stockwell's manic performance alone.

Absolutely, positively the worst thing ever put to celluloid. Although I'm a huge fan of "Le Bad Cinema," I couldn't force myself to sit through it from beginning to end. All of the scenes appear to be rehearsal walk-thrus with the cameras rolling. The dialogue is awful, the cinematography is so dark you can barely see what's going on and there is absolutely no continuity whatsoever. Overall, it is totally lacking in any sort of production values of any sort. The management team of this flick probably went to the Ed Wood School of Film and were academically dismissed. The plot is basically simple: The White House Press Secretary briefs the press by day, then eats them by night.

To give you an example of how bad this thing is, I was watching Dean Stockwell (in the title role) talking on the phone and turning into a werewolf at the same time. I fell asleep during this scene. When I woke up, Stockwell was still on the phone turning into a werewolf.

Anyone watching this film from start to finish has something wrong with them and you should be terribly afraid of them.

I don't know specifically whether "The Werewolf of Washington" was intended as a political satire, but it sure comes across as such. It probably helped that the movie was released around the time of Watergate (and at one point, we even get a glimpse of that very building).

The opening voice-over monologue begins with something like "How could it happen here?", before White House press secretary Jack Whittier (Dean Stockwell) explains his predicament. I believe that Upton Sinclair wrote a book called "It Can Happen Here", about the possibility of fascism coming to America. Anyway, after Jack has an affair with the president's daughter, the prez sends him to Hungary - ah, a jab at the Cold War - where he gets bitten by a wolf. When someone warns Jack about the pentagram, he thinks that the person says Pentagon (what aren't those warmongers behind?).

When he arrives back in the states, the president is angry about how the media reports negatively on the current state of affairs, especially since it makes the nation's youth protest things so much; the prez's solution: martial law! If that isn't a rip at the Nixon administration, then I don't know what is! But sure enough, Jack starts seeing the pentagram in people's palms, and...well, you know what happens once there's a full moon.

So even if it was intended as a straightforward horror flick, this certainly elicits a sense of political satire. With comments about the Black Panthers and other stuff, it's just the sort of thing that we need nowadays. I totally recommend it.

My copy of this film may have been so worn and old it may well have been discovered in a cave next to the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I enjoyed this freaky horror comedy, mainly down to the acting talents of the always great Dean Stockwell (and some nifty werewolf makeup).

Dean's a young press aide, self-exiled to Hungary after having an affair with the President's daughter. While there, he gets attacked and bitten by a werewolf, but as you would imagine he ignores the pleas of a gypsy woman and is recalled back to Washington to help out the President. It's not long before he's becoming as hirsute as Robin Williams and chomping down on various people.

It's more comedy than horror, this film, but it still has its moments. Stockwell hams up the werewolf angle, panting like a dog, chewing up his room. The guy playing the President was good too, and the whole piece is played rather broadly and ends on a pretty good gag. It all looks to have been made for about six dollars but I found it to be pretty entertaining stuff.

I've seen some pretty lame horror comedies but this is one rancid hair ball. Your ten year old comes home with funnier jokes than this. So bad it makes you angry at the waste. Dean Stockwell has never looked more ill at ease or has been more miscast that he is in this miserable attempt at satire.It's so noncommittal about it's style of comedy that it takes about ten minutes into the film before you can figure out it is indeed a comedy.I know some of you may be thinking how could it not be with at title like The Were Wolf Of Washington? Well around the same time Dick Clark produced a TV special called The Werewolf Of Woodstock and it was definitely not intended to be comedy though it was so awful it induced howls of another kind.This is so bad it's just bad.Two thumbs up...the keester.

The tale of a cursed Press Secretary for the President of the United States is neither scary nor funny, except in an unintentional way. The plot revolves around the Secretary becoming cursed on a trip to Eastern Europe and then returning to Washington where his violent actions are covered up by the White House. Its done in a typical low budget way with a werewolf thats been likened to a deranged puppy (think a slightly rattier version of Disney's Shaggy Dog).

I had never really liked this film each of the times that I ran across this on TV over the years, the film never worked as either a satire of Watergate nor as a horror film and so its just a really dumb film in which actors wander about not knowing how to play their parts. I dislike this film so much that I try to avoid it as best I can. However, I recently found myself actually purchasing a copy of this turkey because the last time this played I caught the end credits which said this was filmed in and around my hometown. With a desire to see things the way they used to be I sat down to watch it from start to finish. The film itself is just as bad as I've always thought, but it was a gas to see the various locations on TV. Sure they've changed in the almost 35 years since it was filmed, but if you know what you're looking at its a blast, especially when you realize how they had to shoot things so you couldn't see it was New York and not Virginia or Washington. (Then again all of the license plates are New York ones so they didn't try that hard.) A void this like the plague unless you like fluffy werewolf movies or bad satires.

Dean Stockwell, helpful hologram Al from '80s TV series Quantum Leap, has a 100% probability of sporting fur and fangs when his character, political reporter Jack Whittier, is bitten by a werewolf in Hungary. When Jack returns to Washington to work as press secretary for the president (Biff McGuire), he goes on a nightly killing spree that threatens both his career and his relationship with Marion (Jane House), the president's daughter.

This Watergate-era werewolf flick tries to part comedy-tinged horror and part political satire, but doesn't really succeed at either. The horror fails thanks to a terrible looking werewolf design that looks more like Teen Wolf than An American Werewolf, and a total lack of gore; the political aspect is, to my mind at least, extremely boring (although I guess it may have seemed a bit more interesting when it was more topical, as Nixon's presidency came to an abrupt end).

Those who enjoy films that throw in totally unexpected weirdness for no discernible reason will no doubt get a few giggles from the inexplicable introduction of a dwarf mad scientist called Dr. Kiss, who gets licked by werewolf Jack, but believe me when I say that it isn't worth trudging through this dreary mess of a movie for one moment of genuine madness.

Before I get into the review, here are my ratings for the movie.

The story gets 0.25 out of 2: The Direction a 0.25: The Pacing receives a 0.25: While the Acting gets 0.5: And my Enjoyment level earns a 0.25 out of 2: Werewolf Of Washington, therefore, receives a total of 1.5 out of 10.

Oh God, this is so dreadful. I know it's intended to be a satirical comedy about politics in America, with a Horror genre twist. However, the story doesn't possess an ounce of humour or terror. This style of humour works better if it's employed subtly. Funnily enough, it's about as subtle and heavy-handed as Trump. (And that sarcastic jibe is funnier than anything you'll encounter in this rubbish). Another problem is the period between the making of this film and the present. America has produced a few presidents like this nincompoop, and the issues they are ridiculing are still alive and evident in America. And that is the most frightening element of this movie. Human's don't appear to change.

And even worse, since I enjoy a wicked sense of humour, both GW Bush and the Trump-meister have both been funnier.

It's a further shame the writer Milton Moses Ginsburg decided to direct the film. He has as much skill in that field as he does in writing. He plods the story along and, at times, it feels like a heavy slog to make it to the finish line. If one film cries out for a change in tempo and film effects, it's this one. We all know the secret to good comedy is timing. Somebody should have let Ginsburg into the secret. Getting the comedy right would have been a crucial step in the proper direction. I would have forgiven him the lack of horror elements because this is primarily a comedy. But if you're a horror aficionado, like myself, I'll let you know Ginsburg loves screaming girls to instil terror. That said, there's a beautifully lit scene where a girl enters a public phone-booth while her boyfriend sits on some nearby steps. The light is above and inside the booth. It spills out and illuminates the surrounding area. Ginsburg shoots this from one standing point, and the tableau is splendidly vignetted in a dark halo. It's very atmospheric and the best shot in the entire film. Lamentably he even kills this shot. The werewolf comes in and takes centre stage. At this point, he should have gone for a close up of everyone to show their terror and fear, but no he maintains his remote position. The detachment only shows how slow the werewolf moves. It should be menacing, but at the distance and angle, it's dull and boring. I pondered why didn't the boyfriend didn't walk past the werewolf, and escort his girlfriend to safety. Yes, Ginsburg presents the world with the worlds slowest werewolf.

The acting is only a tad better. Though, in all honesty, they did have a dire script to cope with. Let alone, a director who didn't appear to possess a vision for his story. Dean Stockwell and Henry Ferrentino do try their best with their characters. But, by the end of this fiasco, you can see the actors' portrayals flagging.

If you like political comedy I'd suggest you watch a GW or Trump speech; these were genuinely funny, and I still laugh when I think of them today. But, do yourself a favour and don't even contemplate watching this film. It is an actual waste of time.

Now the full moon has set, run on over to my Just For Laughs and Absolute Horror lists to see where this changeling landed in my rankings. Better yet, you should be able to uncover something better for your viewing pleasure.

Take Care & Stay Well & Keep Safe.

what a waste of time time this woofer is.i realize it's suppose be a comedy/horror.at least i think it is.the problem is,it's funny for all the wrong reasons.one of them is the horrific dialogue,,which is rivaled by the horrid acting.plus the look of the so called werewolf is unbelievably amateurish.it just doesn't look real at all.instead of inspiring fear,it does inspire guffaws.this movie is part of Elvira's Movie Macabre series.and on this disc,there was the option of having Elvira come on and make amusing comments about the movie periodically,sort of like what they do on Mystery Science 3000.that was the only good thing about the movie.otherwise,this thing is abysmal.2/10 for Elvira.

The opening of this film is great - it sorta spoofs The Wolf Man (1941). LOL I love the humor from the get-go. The more the film goes on the more you'll find some cute & oddball werewolf and other humor. This is a comedy-horror so if you chose to watch it you should keep the fact it's a comedy in mind.

The movie is not bloody - although there are people killed by the werewolf. The transformation is pretty neat - again reminiscent of the classic Wolf Man transformations. The look of the werewolf in this film reminds me a little bit like the werewolf in 'The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973)' - which came out the same year of this film.

Overall this is neat werewolf flick with some silly humor. I found it worth watching.

6/10

I had a lot of fun watching this completely offbeat film. This is obviously a spoof of horror flicks and a good natured, tongue in cheek comment on American politics during the Nixon era. The editing is horrible, the lighting even worse, and there is no escaping this movie is early seventies to the max. In the end though, all of this only seems to add to this little movies charms which are considerable.

I think the writing is excellent, the idea of a werewolf among the Washington elite is pretty darn original. At times it seems almost like a skit from an early classic Saturday night live show. Very much so actually. There are some very funny moments like the bowling scene which made me laugh out loud. My eleven year old daughter laughed also which is good. The scene with the girl in the phone booth is also hilarious, and the bit with the Chinese diplomat on the plane cracked me up again.

Dean Stockwell is terrific in this movie, he delivers a very edgy performance that amazingly has you laughing at one scene and feeling very sorry for him at other times. His increasing anxiety and frustration over becoming a werewolf actually made me squirm a bit and almost made me stop watching the movie!!!! But then came the bowling scene and you realize its all for laughs. He gets great support from others in the cast especially the actors playing the president and the attorney general(Biff Mcquire and Clifton James), they are both a ton of fun.

I think i have a cool bit of trivia for you. Dean's dad Harry Stockwell makes a cameo appearance in the scene where the president briefs the joint chiefs of staff. Another hilarious scene. In the Harry Stockwell section of IMDb that isn't mentioned, i think it should be. Overall, the Werewolf of Washington is a c movie that delivers and a verl cool comment on a memorable time in American history. I liked it a lot!!!!

Here's an oddity. It's a werewolf movie which operates as a comedy about a Whitehouse press secretary who is bitten by a lycanthrope while stationed in Hungary. He is recalled to Washington and winds up killing a bunch of people connected to the President. This came out during the Watergate scandal and the main character does stay in that famous hotel but I think it would be a stretch to push this one too far as a satire, as the material is a bit thin for that; after all, one of the best gags has our hero getting his fingers jammed in a ball while bowling pre-full moon. Its still kind of hard to dislike though, and I am always a sucker for werewolf make-up. The transformation scenes were actually not bad and Dean Stockwell is pretty committed in the main role - he looked wired to be perfectly honest. Overall, a fun 90 mins for werewolf fans.