Poseidon-3 Review of Moon of the Wolf

Moon of the Wolf (1972 TV Movie)

Decent little mystery film involving lycanthropy

[19 July 2006]

Ah, the simple days before audiences demanded over-the-top, computerized effects and buckets of blood spewing from every corner of the screen... When a man in polyester slacks and a furry face was enough to send people grasping their throw pillows on a Tuesday night in front of the TV set. Janssen plays a laid-back, rather-beleagered sheriff in a small Louisiana town who finds himself investigating the mauled body of a young lady. His investigation includes contact with local yokel Dano, anguished brother of the victim Lewis, testy physician Beradino and town royalty Dillman and his sister Rush, who live in the biggest house on the biggest piece of land. As bits of evidence begin to surface, it becomes clear that no ordinary man could have committed the crime, nor could any known animal have done it. While sifting through the clues and fending off various outraged local citizens, Janssen finds time to flirt with Rush, his secret high school crush, who is back in town after several years in the big city. Soon, another victim is claimed and eventually Rush discovers that she may be next on the menu, so Janssen must try to protect her (a task he performs with a notable lack of effectiveness!) For a low-budget TV-movie, this has a nice amount of atmosphere (thanks to location filming) and sports a cast of familiar faces who generally do a fine job. Janssen is his normal weary, but amenable, self, attempting to make sense out of a confusing situation. Rush is attractive and dewy, floating around with a basket of flower cuttings, yet adding shades of dimension to her character. Dillman gets to act in some of the more embarrassing sequences of the film, but brings his customary commitment to the role. Beradino comes off as a stocky block of aged wood and looks tired. His subplot is a tad unbelievable. Lewis, always a quirky and unusual presence, is quite effective. It's a short, tight mystery with a reasonably hair-raising finale and is the type of film that seems lost forever amidst today's fare. A similar television film, but with a different type of denouement is "Scream of the Wolf" with Peter Graves and Clint Walker.