Full Moon High (1981)

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Fantasy

Plot:

A teenager (Adam Arkin) becomes a werewolf after a family vacation in Transylvania. |

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | Transylvania | Supernatural | Father | American Football

Cast

Adam Arkin	...	Tony
Ed McMahon	...	Dad - Col. William P. Walker
Roz Kelly	...	Jane
Bill Kirchenbauer	...	Flynn
Joanne Nail	...	Ricky
Kenneth Mars	...	The Coach - Principal Cleveland
Elizabeth Hartman	...	Miss Montgomery
Alan Arkin	...	Dr. Brand
James Dixon	...	Deputy
Louis Nye	...	Reverend
Demond Wilson	...	Cabbie-Busdriver
Jim J. Bullock	...	Eddie (as Jm. Bullock)
Tom Aldredge	...	The Jailer
Tom Clancy	...	Priest
Janet Villella	...	Fortune Teller

Also Known As:

Moon High (Australia) (TV title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Denmark:16 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Movie Connections:

References Harold and Maude (1971)

Soundtrack:

Full Moon Anthem

This Is The Funniest Movie I Have Ever Seen!!

I'm not kidding about that summary and vote! The video distributors have packaged this as just another typical '80s werewolf movie, but it is in fact the greatest parody of the horror genre that you can imagine, having done for the horror movie what "Blazing Saddles" did for the western. I have seen plenty of comedies - good, bad, stupid, weird, etc. (usually walking away unimpressed), and I think that comedy must be the most difficult genre for filmmakers and actors to work in - it takes just the right kind of touch to make things successful, and part of that is having good ideas. "Full Moon High" is bulging with good ideas - so many, in fact, that it can easily put the Zucker/Abrams team of "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" to shame. One of the best of these is the very presence of Ed McMahon in a starring role as a John Birch-style right-wing crackpot. The jokes, non-sequiturs, wisecracks and word-play are literally non-stop and everything, including the kitchen sink, has been thrown in. The ironic tone is very similar to that of "Back to the Future."

Some people (i.e. almost every reviewer here) must have been turned off by the spirit of anarchy here, but I almost died of laughter, and this is one of those movies in which you never know what kind of insane situation will transpire next. Since B-movie extraordinaire Larry Cohen had not made a straight comedy before this, one gets the sense that he was making up for lost time by including any joke he or his collaborators could think of. If Mel Brooks had made this, the critics would have labelled it a comic masterpiece, but because it was made by Cohen, it has been dismissed as schlock. Critical reviews have called this movie too "silly." SILLY? What is a comedy supposed to be - serious?! Anyway, I laughed out loud more for this movie than any other I can think of. Cohen makes fun of everyone - himself included, with plenty of references to his usual brand of low-rent film-making; he and the actors must have had a complete blast making this.

The humor is very Mel Brooks-ish, and anyone who loves Jewish humor or watches a lot of B-movies (especially horror) will love this. Trust me: the movie isn't too hard to find, and as long as you accept it for what it is - a roller-coaster of belly laughs with no pretense of social value whatsoever - then you'll truly enjoy it!!

One sidenote: this movie should somehow go down in history as the one thing Bob Saget ever starred in (albeit briefly) that was actually funny.