I Was a Teenage Werewolf

IWTW was a first for director Gene Fowler and Michael Landon. Landon, who later shot to fame in BONANZA and LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, here shows the star power that even then made him stand out in a crowd of overacting teens. This film is no satire, nor is tongue in cheek. And surprisingly neither is it drenched in gore or special effects that today passes for directorial talent. It is instead, a hearkening back to a previous generation of filmmakers who believed that real terror must come slowly and the payoff of the terror scene should include a masterful blending of chilling music, decent acting, and creative camera work, all of which harmoniously lead up to the screen violence. In IWTW, the screen violence is limited to only two scenes, but the screen spookiness stands out from the first reel to the last.

In most werewolf films, the victim must be first bitten by one, as Lon Chaney was. Here, Landon is rebellious teenager, Tony, who is constantly fighting his peers, his authority figures, and anyone else in his path. His screen agida brings to mind Brando in THE WILD ONE when Brando is asked, "Why are you so angry?' Brando's reply: "What do you got?" Tony is an uncycled Brando who is forced to attend counseling with a psychiatrist Dr. Brandon (Whit Bissell). Tony becomes a werewolf, not by being bitten by one, but by a strange mixing of drugs and regressive hypnotherapy. It is this very novel manner of Tony's de-evolution that adds to the film's eerieness. His ability to shed his civilized self so easily brings in a subtext that all of the panting teens in the drive-in could relate to: that the brutishness of the werewolf is a lot closer to the skin than we would like to think.

The scene in which Tony stalks his first victim is a classic in how to stretch a tight budget to produce fear without spending a dime on special effects. Tony's victim is walking through a park that was thoroughly familar by day, but hauntingly shadowed by night. He first hears soft footfalls and calls out. He continues walking, then running, then seeing his killer. We in the audience do not, but the face of fear on the victim tells us all we need to know of the menace standing right in front of him. Later in the school gym, is one of the most effectively underplayed mixtures of sexuality and anger I have ever seen in any film. Tony is still Tony and has just left the principal's office and passes by the gym where he sees an attractive female practicing on the parallel bars. He stares at her with his obvious horniness morphing into lupine rage. He approaches her and we first see him as she does, an upside down figure of horrific intent.

It is scenes like this, plus a literate script and competent acting that sets IWTW apart from others of its genre. The bestiality that set Tony off as a murdering creature of the night must have resonated with its contemporary audience of teens that heard their parents continuously warn them of the dangers of smoking, hot rods, and rock and roll music. Substitute rap for rock and roll, and it is clear enough why IWTW still scares today's teens who laugh at the never-ending slaughter in the Jason and Freddy movies.

Chiefly remembered today as Michael Landon's first big role which led into his long television career on "Bonanza", "Little House On The Prairie", and "Highway To Heaven" it contains an intense performance as Landon plays Tony Rivers a hot headed young school boy who is drifting into a life of potential juvenile delinquency. He is involved in school fights, loses his temper at the slightest provocation, and is prone to odd behaviour like eating raw meat from the refrigerator. Directed by the police to see if these problems cannot be addressed before he ends up in Juvenile Hall Tony consults Dr Brandon (Whit Bissell) an expert in hypnotherapy who carries his research too far and begins to use Tony for his illegal experiments in human development. Unknowingly he unleashes a force in Tony which turns him into a werewolf with tragic consequences.

Despite its 50's origins and limited budget this film stands up very well indeed. Philip Scheer's makeup for the werewolf transformation scenes is excellent for its kind and creates a scary realistic effect. Directed with energy by first time director Gene Fowler who by vocation was a film editor, it keeps a fast pace going and delays just the right amount of time in revealing Landon's werewolf in all its ferocious anger. Fowler because of his past work, was responsible for creating in "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" some very interesting camerawork that maximises the effect of the unfolding story. Particular mention has to be made of the first scene where we see the full werewolf makeup in the gym where the gymnist is swinging upside down and sees the werewolf approaching in this distorted way as does the audience. Classic stuff which really creates an uneasy feeling and sense of terror. Michael Landon is excellent as the tormented boy and even at this early stage in his career he displays a talent which served him so well in later years. Indeed all the performances are well done with a respect for the material they have to work with. Whit Bissell in particular is excellent as the doctor who gets carried away with his own experiments and it is interesting to see a young Guy Williams pre "Zorro" and "Lost In Space" in the role of a police officer who is hunting Tony down after a series of vicious attacks.

"I Was A Teenage Werewolf" began a trend of "Teenage" themed movies in the 1950's but none of them came anywhere near the success of this film which struck a cord with a lot of youngsters and made an absolute fortune at the Box Office. I have a personal liking for werewolf movies and this is in my top five. I recommend "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" both as a wolfman film but also as a unique view into another time in film making when often great entertainment was produced on a tiny budget.