It’s time to take a trip to the past for another wolftacular film flashback! Today’s old school flick is the 1957 cult classic I Was a Teenage Werewolf. This low budget movie became a huge hit very quickly, surprising many. It was made for only $82 thousand and shot in a week, and ended up making over $2 million, which is a LOT of money in 1957. I Was a Teenage Werewolf may be over 50-years-old but in spite of its age it still continues to be one of the most popular werewolf films out there.
Michael Landon stars as Tony, an unhappy teenager whose bad temper gets him into all kinds of trouble. Tony’s father, his girlfriend Arlene and local lawman Detective Donovan all show concern for Tony, but it isn’t until Tony attacks his own friend that he agrees to get help. Tony goes to see Dr. Brandon, a psychologist who uses hypnosis to help his patients. But in reality, Brandon is a mad scientist who has designs on regressing Tony to his most primal state using drugs and hypnosis. Not long after Tony’s first session, a teenager is killed by what the police believe is some kind of wild animal, but when Tony transforms in front of Arlene, the truth comes out – Tony is a werewolf. With everyone in town terrified, the police organize a manhunt, which the werewolf succeeds in evading. After returning to his human form, Tony heads back to the evil Dr. Brandon. The doctor’s desire to witness Tony in his primal werewolf condition goes completely wrong when Tony loses it, leading to a violent finale.
The movie is by no means perfect, it is a low budget B-film after all. But it’s still a werewolf cult classic and worthy of a watch.
Anyone here a fan of I Was a Teenage Werewolf?
– Moonlight
About the Author
Moonlight loves to write about, read about and learn about everything pertaining to werewolves and other supernatural beasties. She writes for top genre sites like Vampires.com and Werewolves.com. You will most likely find her huddled over a book of folklore with coffee in hand. Touch her coffee and you may lose a limb. You can stalk her via her Twitter.
