The ancient lore of a man turning into a beast, is a superstition nearly as old as man himself. But rather than the usual supernatural route such stories typically have, "The Werewolf" takes a different path, based in science, to fit the era of the Atomic Age it was created in.
After an unsuspecting salesman has a car accident, two scientists take him back to their lab and inject him with a serum they have been creating to fight off radiation from nuclear fallout. Unfortunately, the serum has the effect of turning him into a murderous werewolf. And now the man is trapped and a target for death, between a town that is fearful of him and the scientists looking to cover-up their horrific deed.
I liked the twist on the classic take of lycanthropy they did here, giving it a more modern and realistic feel. The backdrop of fear of nuclear annihilation as the catalyst for his predicament, certainly fit he mood and times of America in the 1950's. Steven Ritch was good as the hapless man who has been made into a monster. His anxiety and fear at what he's become came across as genuine. Don Megowan's turn as the town's sheriff, out to stop the monster but somewhat conflicted on just how to do it, was also a nice touch. I liked how he straddled the line between protecting the town and having compassion for the plight of the man made a monster. The moral quandaries he faces, between his duty to the badge and his sympathy for a man in an extraordinary circumstance, brought a nice dimension to the story. Most of the other performances range from adequate to unmemorable, which isn't surprising for 50's horror fare.
There were a few things that bugged me, however. First off, the scenes of the werewolf running through the woods, and the people out searching for him in them, seemed to drag at times. Like they were trying to pad out the film's length. At 79 minutes, there was easily a good 10 minutes that could have been trimmed and nothing of value would have been lost. Then you have the fact we never got to see the car accident and the scientists actually experiment on the man. Not even a flashback sequence. The extra time spent with the running in the woods scenes could have easily been used for such an important scene in the film. I also didn't care for the wife and son of the monster (played by Eleanore Tanin and Kim Charney, respectively). They really didn't add anything of value to the story and weren't even used in the final act of the film. Lastly, the ending of the film came off as rather abrupt and lacking in any kind of dynamic punch. It just sort of ends, right after the monster is shot. A very unsatisfying conclusion, to what had been a rather interesting and somewhat entertaining film.
In the end, "The Werewolf" certainly broken some ground and took some chances with the classic trope of a man becoming a raving beast, adding a more modern take to a well wore bit of folklore. But some missed opportunities and poor filming choices, hinder it from becoming a truly all-time classic film. Still, for the interesting and unexpected direction it takes with something we all know so very well, that being the origins of lycanthropy, it still might be worth a watch for horror buffs and those who love the classic '"creature feature."
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