"The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" follows a young boy, Richie, and his father, Robert, who retreat to the family's mountain cabin after Robert's separation from Richie's mother, Sandy. The night of their arrival, Robert is attacked by a werewolf in the woods, and begins exhibiting strange behavior and attracting attention from local law enforcement and a religious hippie cult that has settled into a forest clearing.
Originally paired with "Sssssss" by Universal as a double-bill, "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" is a kitschy and spirited offering that is a far cry from classic werewolf films like "The Wolf Man," but manages to carve a marginal albeit unique identity of its own. The plot set-up that begins briskly in the opening scene is completely arbitrary, and the rest of the film seems to follow suit. Everything from the hokey rural policemen to the comedic hippie cult is utterly random, but it is these touches that really make the film weirdly memorable.
It's wildly atmospheric and at times feels like an ABC "Movie of the Week" circa 1973, though it boasts some mild violence and a handful of great sequences featuring the werewolf (the camper attack is fantastic). It's also beautifully-shot and extremely colorful—blue waterscapes and the lush green forests in which the film is set create gorgeous contrasts with the characters in the frame.Kerwin Mathews and Elaine Devry are solid leads as the two parents, and an array of mostly unknown actors fill out the rather large cast. The film does seem to start and stop its momentum as it shifts between the character locales, but the amalgamation of them in the final act is satisfying, though the ending is unexpectedly downbeat and actually tragic.
Overall, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film in spite of the fact that I don't tend to gravitate toward werewolf stories. In some regard, "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" is a family drama of sorts with a mere horror backdrop, and that also makes it unique. If one can get past some dated special effects (the werewolf makeup, however, is very good) and some wobbly supporting performances, this is an enjoyable and atmospheric seventies flick that wonderfully captures the era as well as its spirit of B-horror films. 7/10.
