Teen Wolf (1985)

An ordinary high school student discovers that his family has an unusual pedigree when he finds himself turning into a werewolf.

Director:

Rod Daniel

Writers:

Jeph Loeb (as Joseph Loeb III), Matthew Weisman

Stars:

Michael J. Fox, James Hampton, Susan Ursitti

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael J. Fox	...	Scott Howard
James Hampton	...	Harold Howard
Susan Ursitti	...	Boof
Jerry Levine	...	Stiles
Matt Adler	...	Lewis
Lorie Griffin	...	Pamela
James MacKrell	...	Mr. Thorne (as Jim MacKrell)
Mark Arnold	...	Mick
Jay Tarses	...	Coach Finstock
Mark Holton	...	Chubby
Scott Paulin	...	Kirk Lolley
Elizabeth Gorcey	...	Tina
Melanie Manos	...	Gina
Doug Savant	...	Brad
Charles Zucker	...	Malcolm

Storyline

Meet Scott Howard, a struggling high school student with problems. He is on a lackluster basketball team with a lame duck coach, he is having problems getting noticed by the prettiest girl in his school, Pamela Wells (who already has a boyfriend who wants to ruin Scott's life named Mick McAllister). But in the middle of it all, he feels an effects of a dog whistle and he itches everywhere and even discovers that his nails are longer and sharp. When he came home from a party, he discovers his new problem. He is a half human-wolf hybrid. He tries to keep this a secret, but during a basketball game the secret comes out and it helped Scott to turn his life around, the basketball team starts to become a contender for the state championships. He became very popular, and he was discovered by Pamela, and begin to go out with each other (despite that Pamela is still going out with Mick). However, Scott's father warns him about turning into the wolf out of anger. Scott must watch his anger as ...

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | homophobia | homophobic slur | woman wrapped in a towel | side boob | 

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Taglines:

MICHAEL J. FOX is back from the future in a NEW COMEDY...

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Teen Wolf

Filming Locations:

1727 Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,120,348, 25 August 1985

Gross USA:

$33,086,611

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,086,611

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolfkill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "wolf transition" shots were filmed last.

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Goofs

There are no palm trees in Nebraska.

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Quotes

Scott Howard: Styles, I got something to tell you. It's kind of hard, but...
Stiles: Look, are you gonna tell me you're a fag because if you're gonna tell me you're a fag, I don't think I can handle it.
Scott Howard: I'm not a fag. I'm... a werewolf.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits are shown as the crowd cheers and celebrates in slow motion.

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Alternate Versions

The cable TV version includes all four of the alternate scenes.

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Connections

Referenced in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: Who Killed Who?/Tween Wolf (2003)

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Soundtracks

SHOOTING FOR THE MOON
Music by Miles Goodman (uncredited)
Lyrics by Douglas Brayfield (uncredited)
Performed by Amy Holland

User Reviews

Not great but has a certain charm thanks mainly to a solid script and typical charm from Fox

Scott Howard is on a basketball team of no-hopers (himself included), is outside of the "cool pack" at highschool and can't seem to even get close to the girls he is interested in. He also is going through some "changes" in his life – with his body doing odd things. The nature of these become clear to him when he transforms into a werewolf. Horrified to find that this runs in his family, Scott tries to control it but when he loses his temper in a basketball game he changes – to the stunned silence of the crowd and players. When he then wins the game he wins everyone over (well, most of them) and finds that the attention, acceptance and coolness that he craved are now his to have. However can he have this without it going to his head or becoming a novelty more than a person?

My girlfriend insisted that we watch Teen Wolf Too recently because neither of us had seen it. Having suffered through that I then rewatched the original film as it had been about twenty years since I last saw it. This should be kept in mind because, my enjoyment of the first film was unquestionably influenced by how poor the sequel was – indeed I need to keep this in mind while writing because I should not be praising Teen Wolf simply for not being as bad as the film that followed it. So, Teen Wolf is not a great film. It is a basic story that mixes teen coming-of-age films with the sports cliché and throws in the werewolf legend to make it a bit different. It does what you expect it to, ending with the moral lesson and sporting climax that you know is coming from about 10 minutes into it. Unlike the sequel though the film does have scenes that link the various stages of the film, so it feels like a story rather than squares on a board game where you are either in one or the other, never between. This gives it a better flow and makes it feel like we have something to go along with rather than making jumps.

The film is never really hilarious but it does have a certain charm to it that makes it quite fun to watch. It badly needs laughs but the set-pieces and the moments of plot do help keep it engaging. A big part of this is Fox himself – he is a personable actor and he brings that easy charm to this film. He works well and is well supported by the cute Ursitti, while Levine's Styles works a bit better than his counterpart in the sequel – ie he is less annoying even if he is not really funnier. Holton is just a comedy fat guy with no comedy to deliver while Hampton is just solid as the father. Nobody si brilliant but they are OK, with Fox leading the way well.

Not a great film by any means, Teen Wolf does have a certain charm to it. It needs more laughs to it but there is fun to be had and the plot at least flows rather than stutters and, in Fox and Ursitti, the cast make it a bit more engaging than the material should be.