Hello, and welcome to the first review of Cultober, a series where I spend the entirety of October talking about cult movies, new and old. And today, we’ll be talking about the 1957 monster classic, I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Not reviewed highly my critics at the time of its release, it did gang a fandom and had a cultural impact, being referenced in several tv shows like Spongebob and appearing in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. It was also the first movie of it’s kind to put teenagers in danger of the monster, which was unheard of at the time. So, let’s talk about what makes this movie a cult film.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf follow Tony, a troubled young teenager who has anger issues, lashing out and beating up anyone that startles him. After seeing how much of a problem it is, he visits Dr. Brandon for help, unaware that the doctor plans to use Tony as a guinea pig in order to revert him to humanities original form, turning him into a violent werewolf for a short period of time by injecting him with a sirum during their visits. This transformation scares the town as young teens turn up dead around town and are lead to believe that there may be something more than just a crazed killer and may be a monster.
I will say, the story is pretty interesting. It does have moments of being pretty silly and just kinda dumb, like how this crazy doctor has a believable office in one room and just behind the door is a mad scientist lab complete with beakers and bubbling chemicals. A stereotypical setting. And then there’s the janitor, who knows that the killings were done by a werewolf, but aside from knowing it, doesn’t really contribute anymore than that. Doesn’t discuss the werewolf’s weakness, no helpful hints, nothing, really. Aside from those complaints, the movie is pretty enjoyable as a classic horror movie from the 50s. It’s got some really good film techniques for the time, and the suspense for the werewolf is really good. My favorite scene is where this one character, the Teenage Werewolf’s soon-to-be victim, is walking through the forest, and all we here is the werewolf’s footsteps, but don’t get to see it until later on in the movie. It really builds up some tension for what the creature could look like.
But let’s talk about that, the Teenage Werewolf itself. I like the design of it. They really managed to make it animate well. It’s not amazing, nowhere near as good as the original Wolf Man, but it’s decent. But man, does the Werewolf in this movie move at a snail’s pace. I get it’s to be suspenseful and if anything will happen, but man, you’d think a blood thirsty beast would be moving way faster to kill their prey. But I think the scene where it works best is in the final part of the movie, where the wolf has Dr. Brandon cornered in his lab and is slowly moving closer to him, smashing beakers and throwing over tables, even drooling, in a blind rage as he moves closer towards the doctor. Also, this is a movie where the Werewolf does not get a happy ending. I won’t say what happens, but you really feel for Tony. The doctor gets his in the end, but Tony was a victim of circumstance. Poor Tony. It seems anyone named Tony is fated for either demise or to be seen as a product of the 90s.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf can be pretty silly and it’s definitely got that 1950’s cheese to it, but it’s a pretty good film if you just wanna sit back and watch a classic werewolf film in classic black and white. It’s no Universal’s Wolf Man, that’s for sure, but it’s worth at least one watch.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf follow Tony, a troubled young teenager who has anger issues, lashing out and beating up anyone that startles him. After seeing how much of a problem it is, he visits Dr. Brandon for help, unaware that the doctor plans to use Tony as a guinea pig in order to revert him to humanities original form, turning him into a violent werewolf for a short period of time by injecting him with a sirum during their visits. This transformation scares the town as young teens turn up dead around town and are lead to believe that there may be something more than just a crazed killer and may be a monster.
I will say, the story is pretty interesting. It does have moments of being pretty silly and just kinda dumb, like how this crazy doctor has a believable office in one room and just behind the door is a mad scientist lab complete with beakers and bubbling chemicals. A stereotypical setting. And then there’s the janitor, who knows that the killings were done by a werewolf, but aside from knowing it, doesn’t really contribute anymore than that. Doesn’t discuss the werewolf’s weakness, no helpful hints, nothing, really. Aside from those complaints, the movie is pretty enjoyable as a classic horror movie from the 50s. It’s got some really good film techniques for the time, and the suspense for the werewolf is really good. My favorite scene is where this one character, the Teenage Werewolf’s soon-to-be victim, is walking through the forest, and all we here is the werewolf’s footsteps, but don’t get to see it until later on in the movie. It really builds up some tension for what the creature could look like.
But let’s talk about that, the Teenage Werewolf itself. I like the design of it. They really managed to make it animate well. It’s not amazing, nowhere near as good as the original Wolf Man, but it’s decent. But man, does the Werewolf in this movie move at a snail’s pace. I get it’s to be suspenseful and if anything will happen, but man, you’d think a blood thirsty beast would be moving way faster to kill their prey. But I think the scene where it works best is in the final part of the movie, where the wolf has Dr. Brandon cornered in his lab and is slowly moving closer to him, smashing beakers and throwing over tables, even drooling, in a blind rage as he moves closer towards the doctor. Also, this is a movie where the Werewolf does not get a happy ending. I won’t say what happens, but you really feel for Tony. The doctor gets his in the end, but Tony was a victim of circumstance. Poor Tony. It seems anyone named Tony is fated for either demise or to be seen as a product of the 90s.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf can be pretty silly and it’s definitely got that 1950’s cheese to it, but it’s a pretty good film if you just wanna sit back and watch a classic werewolf film in classic black and white. It’s no Universal’s Wolf Man, that’s for sure, but it’s worth at least one watch.