I Was a Teenage Werewolf

You really had to be a teenager in 1957 to appreciate the effect this movie had on teens back then. Elvis was just starting out and there are similarites to the reactions of adults and teenagers to both icons. (In fact Yvonne Lime was "dating" Elvis (pictures of Elvis and Yvonne together were in movie magazines back then) when this film was made and from what I understand, he even visited the set. Too bad they couldn't have had him sing a song in it!) There is an amazing backstory AMC could make about the senate hearings on juvenile delinquency and this film; the senators mentioned the bad effects this film had on teenagers even though none of them had seen it!

Anyway, Gene Fowler Jr (who had edited Academy Award films like LAURA) was chosen to direct this, his first film and although he at first had second thoughts about doing it, his wife convinced him "no one would see it anyway." Boy, was she wrong! His background as an editor helped him be a better first-time director than most and helped make this picture, made on a shoe-string budget in only 7 days, better than all the other teen horror films back then. The camera angles on the fight at the beginning, Dawn Richard's gymnist seeing the werewolf upside down at first (and therefore the audience too), showed that he had good ideas in setting up shots.

Michael Landon, contrary to what some believe, never downplayed his connection to this film for it gave him his start in show business. He may at first have had doubts about being connected with it with the initial uproar, which is why he turned down the chance to play the werewolf a second time, but after that, he never bad-mouthed the film. In fact, he paid homage to it on a Halloween episode of "Highway to Heaven."

Anyway, the acting is good all around with standout performances by Landon and Whit Bissell. The "science" used to turn Tony into the monster may be silly today, but in the 1950's, there were a lot of talk and film plots about past-life regression following the Bridey Murphy newspaper accounts (also used in THE SHE-CREATURE). Again you had to live in the 1950's to understand all this. Philip Scheer's werewolf makeup is one of the better pre-Howling/American Werewolf ones in movie history and while the transformation scene isn't as good as in THE WOLF MAN or THE WEREWOLF, the director did not have a lot of money or time to work with and did a good job considering.

A film has to be pretty good, even with a low budget, to be as successful as this one was...and to remain a cult favorite 45 years later. It has stood the test of time and deserves to be considered a classic of its kind.

Even the makers of this picture must have been surprised at the success of this horror camp film. Landon is the troubled teen, Bissel the mad doctor that transforms him into canine terror. Later in his career, Landon admittedly blushed at the mention of the picture, but this one did kick off the start of the "I Was a Teenage Whatever" craze. This one moves along quite well and is still watchable by today's standards.

I first saw this when I was about 14 and I immediately felt it was one of the best horror movies I had ever seen! Forget that- I thought it was one of the best MOVIES I had ever seen. I saw it again at around 50 and couldn't believe I felt that way! But I do recall that I totally related to the "angst" and mental torment Michael Landon's character expressed- the alienation from everyone, especially parents and older people, the intensity, loneliness and longing for...something. Landon's moodiness and range in something other than "Little Joe" or "Little House on the Prarie" romanticized optimism roles showed he had more to offer than we typically saw. It definitely was one of the best of the "I was a teenage..." genre.

A group of us guys were discussing the scariest films we'd seen as kids. I was 10 in 1957 when I saw this film while spending a week on Catalina Island. The theater was at the landmark "Casino" which was about a half mile walk from the small port village of Avalon. I was heavily absorbed in war, sci-fi, and western action films, with a special appreciation for stunts and special effects but unfamiliar with the horror genre in general and werewolf lore in particular. I was also the runt tagging along with a trio of cool eleven year old friends. It could've been a scene out of "Stand By Me". Four smart-ass kids walking at night down a dirt road to see "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" for my first and only time.

As an aspiring artist, I remember being fascinated by the opening titles where a make-up artist sketched the monster's face but when the actual transformation took place in the film it freaked me out, to say the least. Maybe it was the collective scream of a hundred other kids, but I covered my eyes until brave enough to slowly glimpse the monster. The scenes shot in Griffith Park looked too much like the dark, tree lined path we had walked to the theater. That half mile walk back to town was the longest, creepiest walk of my childhood.

A few months later I saw "A Man of a Thousand Faces" and became completely fascinated by the art of make-up and dove into everything I could find on Lon Chaney Sr. Later I finally saw Chaney Jr. in "The Wolf Man". By then I was too cool to be scared but still reading anything I could find on werewolf and vampire lore and probably first in line to see "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein".

In between Lon Chaney Jr.(40's) and Oliver Reed (60's), I give Michael Landon a slight edge over Steven Ritch (The Werewolf 1956) as favorite werewolf of the 50's. The high school jacket and occasional drool give this werewolf a different slant. I notice this was directed by Gene Fowler who did I Married A Monster From Outer Space (another great title)in which, like this movie, the monster gets attacked by a dog. I still like the fight, woods scene, and gymnasium scene. A previous reviewer mentioned that Elvis was dating Yvonne Lime around this time and visited the set. This WOULD have been a great Elvis vehicle. 'He rocks He sings He Howls!'. Ah what could have been. Also another reviewer mentions that Michael Landon's character was too self-assured and that an unassured and unconfident teenager misled by the good doctor in hope of the teenager being more confident and popular would have been better. I agree, that would have been more plausible than Whit Bissell's ridiculous reasons and maybe more involving to the viewer. Still, I like Michael's performance (I'll take this over a Highway To Heaven rerun)and regard this as the best AIP horror picture(For whatever that's worth). The movie doesn't drag too much, though,I don't think ** out of *****