I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)

A hypnotherapist uses a temperamental teenager as guinea pig for a serum which transforms him into a vicious werewolf.

Director:

Gene Fowler Jr.

Writers:

Herman Cohen (original story) (as Ralph Thornton), Aben Kandel (original story) (as Ralph Thornton)

Stars:

Michael Landon, Yvonne Lime, Whit Bissell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Landon	...	Tony Rivers
Yvonne Lime	...	Arlene Logan
Whit Bissell	...	Dr. Alfred Brandon
Charles Willcox	...	Jimmy (as Tony Marshall)
Dawn Richard	...	Theresa
Barney Phillips	...	Detective Donovan
Ken Miller	...	Vic
Cynthia Chenault	...	Pearl (as Cindy Robbins)
Michael Rougas	...	Frank
Robert Griffin	...	Police Chief P.F. Baker
Joseph Mell	...	Dr. Hugo Wagner
Malcolm Atterbury	...	Charles Rivers
Eddie Marr	...	Doyle
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Pepe the Janitor
Louise Lewis	...	Principal Ferguson

Storyline

A troubled teenager seeks help through hypnotherapy, but his evil doctor uses him for regression experiments that transform him into a rampaging werewolf.

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Plot Keywords:

werewolf | cult film | experiment | teenager | teen angst | 

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Taglines:

Explosive! Amazing! Terrifying! You won't believe your eyes!

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood of the Werewolf

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$82,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sunset Productions (III)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Guy Williams (Officer Stanley) would reunite with Michael Landon on several episodes of Bonanza (1959) as his cousin Will.

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Goofs

The principal's office is the same set as the doctor's office.

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Quotes

Bill Logan: You've gotta *bow* to authority!

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Connections

Spoofed in Little House on the Prairie: The Werewolf of Walnut Grove (1980)

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Soundtracks

Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Blaine
Sung by Ken Miller (uncredited)

User Reviews

Whit Bissel tries again to make medical history. Won't he ever learn?

The old monsters all got done over with "atom age" audiences (read: teenagers) and new legends replaced the old. In this one a werewolf is created not by the force of the full moon but purely via psychology. Dr. Brandon (the ever popular Whit Bissel) wants to save mankind from itself by showing that inside every human mind is a beast capable of greater destruction than an atom bomb (huh?). Using hypnosis and a drug called "Scopalomine" he regresses a troubled teen (Michael Landon, in a role he actually had fond memories of) to a past, primordial life as a . ..werewolf? Is this supposed to imply that the human race started out as shapeshifting werewolves millions of years ago? Oh well, it's an American International Picture so expects lots of thrills and almost no logic.

Actually this is a fun film to watch even all these decades later. Kenny Miller, who does the requisite musical number, recalled in a 1990's interview that when the scene was shot he had to sing a capella and the music was added later. When he finally saw the finished film he was shocked to hear the music a full 2 beats BEHIND his singing!

Has anyone else noticed that in most of the AIP teenage monster movies there is always one character named "Rivers" and one girl named "Arlene"? Was Sam Arkoff or Jim Nicholson recalling their own teen years and perhaps a girl he had loved and lost? We may never know.