Cry of the Werewolf

Simultaneously Adopting the Universal Studio's Werewolf Template (Gypsies, Folklore, Supernatural) and Not (animal wolf, no moon cycle, hereditary, bite=infected),

this Columbia Release Holds its Own and Delivers a Respectable Mystery Thriller.

A Creepy Movie with Little Comedy Relief and an Emphasis on Scholarly Research and Police Investigation.

The B-Cast and Budget Restraints (Columbia was the most cash deficient of the Majors) keep the Film in a Low-Budget Look.

But Manages to Display Atmosphere and a Credible Tone of Other Worlds and a Haunting Layer of Dread.

Overall, a Better Movie than it has any Right to be.

Surprises with an Entertainment Value that makes it a Solid Entry in the Horror Genre from the Time Period.

After looking at the list of werewolf movies on Wikipedia, I remembered this particular one was on YouTube so after watching Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man on YT, I decided to watch this one there since it was next in my chronological list of werewolf movies to watch list. Nina Foch-who I mainly remember from An American in Paris-is quite compelling as the title character as she tries to keep people outside of her gypsy family from finding out about her secret. The setting is New Orleans, Louisiana, which is a two-hour drive from my current residence of Baton Rouge but I'm guessing that this was shot on the Columbia backlot. Perhaps part of me was confused by some of the details in the story but for the most part, I was enthralled at Cry of the Werewolf. So, yes, that's a recommendation!

Apparently werewolf genes are inheritable as a young woman becomes one because of her mom; then, in a hairy mood, she goes after nice young couple who know about her problem.

This Columbia studio production shows why Universal had the franchise on the half-human half-wolf. Instead of going the Universal route by using big-time make-up and blended dissolves, Columbia employs an actual German Shepherd dog, (not even a real wolf, mind you), as the fanged menace. And the nice doggie all but wags his tail while "menacing" the humans. Needless to say, this turns a potential horror movie into a version of Lassie Goes Bad, despite the best efforts of a strong supporting cast— e.g. Abbott, Leiber, Yurka.

Then too, the war thinned out the ranks of Hollywood leading men, leaving lightweights such as Stephen Crane to haul the goods. Good thing he went into the restaurant business instead of staying on the stage. And what a waste of the talented Nina Foch who doesn't get nearly the screen time her character deserves. Instead, that goes to Osa Massen, a decent enough actress, but without Foch's special brand of haughty disdain.

No need to waste time on this B-movie disappointment. Columbia simply cut too many budgetary corners with not enough imagination to produce anything more than a sometimes amusing misfire and a general waste of acting talent.

There are some good moments in this film. At the center is Nina Foch who plays a gypsy princess who can become a wolf at will. It is her purpose to keep the gypsy band together by killing off those who know about her abilities. But a scientist begins to invade their domain. He is killed but it leads to his son and fiancee trying to figure out what happened. One down side is the keystone kops police force. Even if they don't believe in werewolves, they could be a tad more competent.

Entertaining take on the werewolf legend as established by Curt Siodmak in The Wolfman, blended with elements of Val Lewton's The Cat People. Interesting differences between this and The Wolfman are that the werewolf is a woman and she actually transforms into a four-legged wolf. Surely this last decision was made to save money on expensive makeup and transformation seems, but the transformations are handled with clever use of shadows and editing. The lead actors are competent, if bland, but Barton Maclane stands out as the police lieutenant, with some wonderfully written, very funny moments of sardonic exasperation and commentary. His character is also written as more open-minded than most stock police detective characters in these films. Atmospheric, fun, overlooked and underrated, Cry of the Werewolf is a must-see for fans of werewolf movies and/or classical Hollywood horror.

Note: as with so many movies of that era, there is racist content in this film. It includes the appropriation and distortion of Gypsy culture and African people, and the purely servile presence of African-Americans in one brief scene.