Werewolf (11 Jul. 1987)

Grad student Eric Cord's roommate and best friend Ted gives Eric a gun with silver bullets and confesses that he is a werewolf, bitten while he was working on a boat owned by Captain Janos ... See full summary »

Director:

David Hemmings

Writers:

Allan Cole (head writer), Frank Lupo

Stars:

John J. York, Lance LeGault, Chuck Connors

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John J. York	...	Eric Cord
Lance LeGault	...	Alamo Joe Rogan
Chuck Connors	...	Captain Janos Skorzeny
Raphael Sbarge	...	Theodore 'Ted' Nichols
Michelle Johnson	...	Kelly Nichols
Ethan Phillips	...	Eddie Armonni
Robert Krantz	...	Rudy
Stanley Grover
John Quade	...	Storage Shed Owner
Gail O'Grady	...	Victim in VW
Linden Ashby	...	Linden Ashby (Victim 2 in VW)
Toni Attell
Andrew Magarian
Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal	...	(as Lynn Danielson)
Harold Ayer	...	Mr. Manickindam

Storyline

Grad student Eric Cord's roommate and best friend Ted gives Eric a gun with silver bullets and confesses that he is a werewolf, bitten while he was working on a boat owned by Captain Janos Skorzeney. A pentagram appears on his palm a few hours before he changes. The only way to end the curse is to kill the original werewolf in this bloodline. Eric ties Ted up but he changes, breaks free and bites Eric, who is forced to shoot him. Charged with murder, Eric jumps bail and begins searching for the werewolf who bit Ted, who turns out to be Skorzeney. Eric is pursued by "Alamo Joe" Rogan, a bounty hunter who saw Eric change and now uses silver bullets.

---

Plot Keywords:

werewolf | silver bullet | student | curse | bounty hunter | 

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1987 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name "Janos Skorzeny" was taken from The Night Stalker.

---

Quotes

Eric: I don't want to be like this!
Skorzeney: Then kill yourself. That's the way a werewolf dies. By his own hand, or by a silver bullet, or by another we-- Did you come to kill me?
[laughs]
Skorzeney: But not tonight, you don't. Because tonight, we hunt.

---

Connections

Followed by Werewolf (1987)

User Reviews

Shows promise...

"Werewolf" is a fairly okay film, but then again, it can't really hold a candle to the best 80's werewolf outings (such as "An American Werewolf In London", "The Howling" and "The Company Of Wolves"). I can't hold this against it, as we're dealing with a made-for-TV production that tells a very different story than the aforementioned classics. Sitting through "Werewolf", you'll have to be able to digest the distinctive 80's flavor it has though, especially during the first half. The werewolf suits & animatronic heads look okay, but they don't show too much of the actual transformations (just a few shots). The biggest part of the film is a bit too talkative for its own good, but the cast can handle it. David Hemmings directed, and the only times where he falls short, are - sadly - during the werewolf action scenes (not much really happens during the scarce fight & shoot scenes, and the climax against the backdrop of a burning shed is over too soon).

Now, the real pain is that this is actually a pilot movie. The story-lines of the three main characters are cut off at the end, as the film sets things up for the series. So, if you wouldn't know any better, you'd feel severely cheated having just watched the equivalent of an unfinished film. On the other hand, it did actually make me want to check out the series (of which only one season - 29 episodes - were made). Aparantly, this series has a modest cult following, who are - as with any fans - likely to over-praise things a little. I myself saw already one episode of it back in the days. Well, not a full episode, that is. As the "Werewolf" series never made it to my country's TV channels. But I did catch an episode of it on French television, however, I quickly found myself zapping to another channel as I just loath those Frenchies always having to dub everything in their own language (I do speak French - I just don't like material dubbed into any other language aside from its original). The only thing I did remember from that episode, was thinking the werewolf make-up looked neat.

One more thing I'd like to say about some people who commented on this pilot movie, is that they commented on and rated the complete series. Of course they can be a fan of the series, but they should have evaluated this movie on its own terms. I tried to do that, and one thing I did like about the ending - that sort of gives you a feel of what's to come - is that the series seems to approach the subject matter the way "The Hitchhiker" did, another fun TV-series from the early 80's (of which the quality of individual episodes are a bit of a mixed bag, I should add). Either way, worth checking out that series too. You should have fun with Page Fletcher's straight-faced shenanigans at the beginning and ending of every episode. Anyway, that's really besides the point right now. I'd like to give this "Werewolf" series a decent watch now. The complete series should be coming to DVD this Octobre (2009), if all goes well.