Der Werwolf von Washington

Here's an oddity. It's a werewolf movie which operates as a comedy about a Whitehouse press secretary who is bitten by a lycanthrope while stationed in Hungary. He is recalled to Washington and winds up killing a bunch of people connected to the President. This came out during the Watergate scandal and the main character does stay in that famous hotel but I think it would be a stretch to push this one too far as a satire, as the material is a bit thin for that; after all, one of the best gags has our hero getting his fingers jammed in a ball while bowling pre-full moon. Its still kind of hard to dislike though, and I am always a sucker for werewolf make-up. The transformation scenes were actually not bad and Dean Stockwell is pretty committed in the main role - he looked wired to be perfectly honest. Overall, a fun 90 mins for werewolf fans.

This is a sometimes slow-moving, sometimes cheap-looking but always a what- the-HELL-am-I-watching?! kind of a film. Dean Stockwell, who seems to have walked onto the set of "The Wolfman" at films beginning, gets a silver headed walking stick, encounters some weird gypsy types and becomes cursed with lycanthropy. Part werewolf film, part Watergate satire, Stockwell looks pretty cool with his full wolf make-up on and shows a talent for physical comedy as well. The scene where he gets his hand stuck in a bowling ball, whilst the clueless President fails to notice, is hysterical. This really isn't meant to be a thrilling chiller, but the scene with a girl trapped by the werewolf inside of an overturned phone booth is rather tense and well done. Yes, it's cheap, the acting isn't that great (outside of Stockwell's performance) the sets are lousy and everything screams 70S!!! in all of its tacky hideousness (the flowered wallpaper in the heroine's bedroom is by far the scariest thing about this film) but it's not a total loss. Its a sharp, clever and sometimes very black comedy with some nice make-up effects. It's worth seeing for Stockwell's manic performance alone.

Dean Stockwell plays a White House Press secretary on assignment in Hungary when he finds himself bitten by a wolfman(werewolf - whichever you prefer)and then is asked to leave quite quickly with no investigation from the Hungarian police for the crime of murder that Stockwell claims to have performed on his assailant. Whew! Anyway, Stockwell returns to Washington and soon sees those nasty little signs that something is going horribly wrong. You know those signs - heavy hair growing on your hands, seeing a five-sided star on the hands of women with whom he will soon have a killer relationship with, and not remembering large chunks of evenings when the moon is full. The story for this film is surprisingly faithful to that of the original The Wolfman in terms of story but lacks that film's sophistication and budget. This is a cheaply-made film, a poorly directed film, an incredibly drearily written film, and, finally, acted with no real sense of purpose. The final product, though for sure going for some intended laughs at times, ends of being rather funny in spite of its ineptitude. There are some stand out scenes for this perverse pleasure of watching a cinematic car wreck. How about the phone booth scene - a real hoot and oh so terrifying! Watching the president of the United States in a cheap looking bowling alley or in a bathroom with a page or something. In fact any scenes with Biff McGuire as the president are gold. He appears so incompetent and yet conveys some realism to that role in a certain way - scary. Dean Stockwell can get worked up real good too in his scenes and the transformation scenes, when we finally get to see them, are bad. Bad. Bad. And what about the lilliputian Michael Dunn as Dr. Kiss? What was all that about? Just bizarre and ludicrous. The Werewolf of Washington is a bad picture on so many levels but is also highly enjoyable if you are a fan of le bad cinema - as I am - especially of the best decade for le bad cinema - the 1970s. You couldn't make this stuff up if you sat down right now and tried. Believe me. To even further enhance your viewing pleasure, check out the version with bosomy seductress Elvira chiming in periodically. She can be quite clever and amusing and always abreast of what is going on in the film.

Werewolf of Washington, The (1973)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Washington Press Secretary (Dean Stockwell) is banging the President's daughter when he is sent to Transylvania where he is bitten by a werewolf. He returns to Washington and starts killing off various members of congress. This could certainly benefit from the "so bad it's good" thing because this turkey is all over the map. The director doesn't seem to know if he wants to make a political satire, a horror spoof or an actual horror film. The werewolf makeup is rather pathetic but there are a few funny spoofs including the wolf constantly acting like a dog. One scene has the werewolf licking up a dwarf, which must be a first for werewolf films.

This thing is all tongue in cheek. And in some ways it's a bit charming. The president and all his people are a bunch of clueless idiots. If it weren't for six years ago, I would have said this was impossible. Of course, it was 1973 and the country was reeling from Watergate. There was racial tension and distrust. Now we have Dean Stockwell whose career has been dotted with psychos and weirdos. He finds himself at the end of the werewolf chain, having been bitten in Hungary. He serves as press secretary with the mild inconvenience of turning into a werewolf when the moon is full. He kills a little, bowls a little, terrorizes people in telephone booths. He suspects what has happened to him but, of course. no one will buy it. To the bitter end, the President of the United States is insincere and manipulative (and stupid). The film is pretty predictable, but its comic moments are the best. Don't expect to take this seriously. Maybe a scholar will look at it and see it as pure satire. Unfortunately, it's not that good.