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

One of the most successful films ever released by American International Pictures.

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Goofs

The night-time stalking scenes obviously were shot during daylight, like when the teenager leaves the party at night and walks in the forest. This is often done in film and television - it's a technique known as "Day-for-night". However, it is often done better in some films than in others. When it's obvious that the "night" scene was filmed in the daytime, you KNOW it was not one of the better "day-for-night" efforts.

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Quotes

Dr Alfred Brandon: I'm going to TRANSFORM him, and unleash the savage instincts that lie hidden within... and then I'll be judged the benefactor. Mankind is on the verge of destroying itself. The only hope for the human race is to hurl it back into its primitive norm, to start all over again. What's one life compared to such a triumph?

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Connections

Featured in Gorp (1980)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Best 50's Werewolf

In between Lon Chaney Jr.(40's) and Oliver Reed (60's), I give Michael Landon a slight edge over Steven Ritch (The Werewolf 1956) as favorite werewolf of the 50's. The high school jacket and occasional drool give this werewolf a different slant. I notice this was directed by Gene Fowler who did I Married A Monster From Outer Space (another great title)in which, like this movie, the monster gets attacked by a dog. I still like the fight, woods scene, and gymnasium scene. A previous reviewer mentioned that Elvis was dating Yvonne Lime around this time and visited the set. This WOULD have been a great Elvis vehicle. 'He rocks He sings He Howls!'. Ah what could have been. Also another reviewer mentions that Michael Landon's character was too self-assured and that an unassured and unconfident teenager misled by the good doctor in hope of the teenager being more confident and popular would have been better. I agree, that would have been more plausible than Whit Bissell's ridiculous reasons and maybe more involving to the viewer. Still, I like Michael's performance (I'll take this over a Highway To Heaven rerun)and regard this as the best AIP horror picture(For whatever that's worth). The movie doesn't drag too much, though,I don't think ** out of *****