overview of tv werewolf

Horrorphile

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Werewolf

July 20th 2007 02:03

I’ve got lycanthropy on the mind, images of coarse body hair, close-knit eyebrows, mouth fulla big sharp teeth, thick padded paws, a tail that never wags … I’m a werewolf. Honest. But tonight’s not the full moon.

I’m gonna write my own werewolf movie, so I’ve been diggin’ around like an excited puppy. Back in the late 80s there was a television programme I’d watch sporadically. I never gave it my undivided attention because it wasn’t that good, but it did provide some cheap late night thrills. The show was called Werewolf, a low-budget nocturnal affair aimed at those who favoured exploitation fare (not that it was truly adult, more mature), but it was far more brooding and menacing than, say, Lucan (1977). It was ultimately trashier though.

Werewolf only ran for two seasons (1987-88, two-hour pilot and 28 half-hour episodes) before it was shot down with a silver bullet. It co-starred the late great veteran of B-movies Chuck Conners as a thoroughly creepy-nasty one-eyed werewolf known as Captain Janos Skorzeny. Conners only appeared in a few of the episodes, but his presence was always felt.

John J. York as hapless Eric Cord

The thrust of the story, told in classic on-the-run fugitive style, followed Eric Cord (John J. York), a young man trying to escape a bounty hunter, “Alamo Joe” Rogan (the excellent Lance LeGault), avoid the clutches of Skorzeny, and sever the bloodline because he has been bitten by a werewolf (his dead best friend Ted), and so every full moon he changes into a snarling hulk of a beast (yes, deep shades of The Incredible Hulk, of course).

Chuck Conners as Skorzeny

Eventually Cord tracks down the head werewolf only to discover it isn’t Skorzeny, but in fact a 2000-year old French dude called Nicolas Remy (Brian Thompson) hiding out in the guise of a professor. Assuming the series was to continue into a third season the producers didn’t bother to wrap things up. However the programme was ditched straight after series two.

Brian Thompson as Remy

Lance LeGault as Alamo Joe

The show’s creator was Frank Lupo (what a surname!), who had found huge success with his show The A Team. Werewolf’s pilot and several other episodes were directed by David Hemmings, the British acting ham famous for photographing swinging London in Blow-Up and trying to solve a most bizarre murder mystery in Deep Red (1975), and set the tone for the entire series; a stealthy, smoky, shadowy, supernatural soap for adults - due to its violence more than anything else.

Rick Baker and Greg Cannom were brought on board to conjure the werewolves’ appearance, and they did well: a more convincing version than the fully-transformed lycanthrope Baker made for An American Werewolf in London (1981). The TV werewolf looks more like the one Rob Bottin created for The Howling (1981); a longer thinner snout, longer hair, bigger ears. It was a fine achievement considering Baker and Cannom were working on a miniscule television budget. The directors always seemed to have the werewolf moving in slow-motion (perhaps a Frank Lupo decision, but it added to the trashy element of the show).

The grainy, thick 80s coloured look of the show with its bulging hairstyles and pastel-coloured clothes, and loaded soapy dialogue kept the show from ever being taken seriously by critics, but over the years it garnered a small cult following, partially due to the fact that the American Fox network which first aired it, screened the series once again a few years later, then never again. Some non-US retro cable channels occasionally run the show

Werewolf has never been released on DVD, but if you’re hungry check out this fan created website for the complete hairy lowdown.

Here’s the prelude teaser:

And here’s scary Janos Skorzeny in action:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

13 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Terry

July 20th 2007 05:07

MysTerry's Mansion
Theatre of the mind

The best one eyed werewolf I remember is Reverend Lowe from Silver Bullet.

That movie and An American Werewolf in London scared the snot out of me.

Keep up the good work.

Hurdy Gur

Terry

Comment by Bryn

July 20th 2007 05:35

Horrorphile

Hey Terry,
I loved the Stephen King pictorial book Cycle of the Werewolf, which is what Silver Bullet is based upon. And An American Werewolf in London is in my top ten fave horrors of all-time ...
Werewolf the tv show doesn't come close to American Werewolf, but as 80s television fodder it wasn't half bad ...

Comment by Damo

July 20th 2007 07:33

Now I have never heard of this.
Damn you must watched a lot of TV in the eighties.

Comment by Bryn

July 20th 2007 09:46

Horrorphile

Damo, don't be too suprised ... It didn't run for very long, and in NZ it was shunted into a late night slot, probably the same here in Australia ...
No, I didn't watch a lot of TV ... I watched a fair bit, like any teenager ... But it never ruled my life, thankfully. When I have kids I plan to make sure TV doesn't have dominance. Nor video games for that matter. I can't stand them. Movies are different. (and select TV shows), I'll be able to empart some wisdom and judicious recommendation there.

Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner

July 20th 2007 14:20

Bryn,

I remember this tv show...I kinda liked it even at times when I thought it was campy, it was usually pretty damned scary!

One of my favorite series too was American Gothic...that was such a darned good show, but they too, took it off the air after only one season...

Crap, and it was damned good too...But no fear I have the complete collection now!

LOL

Yeah, Werewolf was pretty damned good...

Great review and videos!

Take care,

Nick

Comment by Damo

July 20th 2007 23:50

Bryn
You sound just like me before I had kids.

But I still think you will make a good father one day.

Comment by Chic Critique

July 22nd 2007 09:39

Is that Brian Thompson the morphing alien dude from the x-files?

My favourite tv werewolf was Oz. From Buffy. That's probably lame to you. Lame lycan.

Comment by Bryn

July 22nd 2007 23:05

Horrorphile

Nick, I never got to see American Gothic, but it looked good. That show Millennium was around the same time I remember ...

Damo, yeah my fiance seems to think so too ... lol

Chic, yes, I think it is Brian from X-Files. I never really watched Buffy so I'm not familiar with a werewolf called Oz. The only character that really grabbed my attention form that show was the uber-spunk Faith (Eliza Dushku) ... "lame lycan" ... lol

Comment by Chic Critique

July 22nd 2007 23:23

Yep, she was a super hottie she was, that Faith.

Oz was the Seth Green character. He was a werewolf. I guess you picked that up from my last blog though. Sorry, it's still early in the morning to me.

Yaaaawn. ......streeeeetch......zzzzzz zzzzz.....

Comment by KylieW

July 23rd 2007 00:54

Celebrity Obsession

Writing a werewolf movie sounds very cool!

I haven't heard of this show before. It was obviously before my insomniac ways kicked in.....now there's nothing I like better than flicking round watching bad late night tv shows (sadly, there are very few good ones, but you occasionally get good re-runs!).

Comment by Bryn

July 23rd 2007 02:03

Horrorphile

Chic,
Ahhh, yes Seth Green's character, I do remember him now! I'm fond of Seth as an actor.

Kylie, not many people do remember this show, it wasn't promoted very well and shunted into late night slots with the likes of Silk Stalkings, etc ...