Meine Mutter ist ein Werwolf

I enjoyed this movie. Sure, it was bad at times, and the plot is a bit contrived, but in the badness comes the true comedy. There's a part in the movie where the mom (played by Susan Blakely) comes to terms with her slow transformation into a werewolf. The man who woos her with his charms (played by John Saxon) explains her unusual condition. "I am a werewolf, and I need a were-wife." She replies, "Let me guess, we're going to live in a were-house (as in warehouse)." Yeah, it's a corny joke, but that's pretty much how this movie pounds along. Visions of the 80's will pop in your head as you watch this film, let it soak your brain and give you a spook or two.

Leslie Shabor is tired of being under-appreciated by her husband and goes to a pet store to buy a flea collar for her dog and meets a handsome and mysterious man (John Saxon) and has a tryst with him, and over the next few days, she slowly transforms into a werewolf. John did a great job as the mysterious and handsome werewolf.

My Mom's a Werewolf is clearly an example of a film that came out in the wake of the success of Teen Wolf (1985). That latter film had been released with little fanfare only to become a surprise hit once Michael J. Fox became a superstar off the back of Back to the Future (1985). In fairness, Teen Wolf was a pretty clunky movie with an alarmingly stupid premise and quite a lot of general lameness about it. Yet it had a certain charm nevertheless, My Mom's a Werewolf also has some 80's appeal about it too, yet it's really not very good.

It's about a housewife who is transformed into a werewolf by a mysterious debonair stranger. Once she discovers her condition she tries to conceal her secret from her husband and daughter. The latter joins forces with her horror geek best friend to find a cure.

This one benefits from the presence of one of the all-time b-movie kings, John Saxon, in the role of the smooth werewolf stranger. Like he always does, he again brings some commitment and class to proceedings. It's technically a horror-comedy that definitely focuses on the comedy at the expense of the horror. Mainly, it is full of what can best be described as '80's cheese'. I can't pretend to think this is very successful as a comedy, yet it has a certain likableness about it that prevents me from actively disliking it.

In continuing to review werewolf movies chronologically, we're at 1989 with this Crown International Pictures flick. Susan Blakely is a neglected woman since her hubby John Schuck usually stays at work and when he's at home, he's always watching football on TV with friends. So the wife meets a man at a pet shop who manages to make her feel like a woman again but there's a price...The man is played by John Saxon and he and Ms. Blakely are probably the funniest things in the film but the script seems to go everywhere and nowhere at the same time as you both laugh and cringe at how funny some scenes are and how unfunny others are despite some good comediennes like Ruth Buzzi and Marcia Wallace (Ms. Wallace does provide some amusement while Ms. Buzzi does not). Also, singer Marilyn McCoo appears in a straight role as a reporter and she doesn't do much either. There's also a couple of teen girls-one of whom is the daughter of Blakely and Schuck and the other is a horror movie fan-who aren't very funny either but they both have some energy so there's that. So on that note, My Mom's a Werewolf is partly amusing, partly not so it's at least worth a look if you're curious enough...

My Mom's a Werewolf (1989)

** (out of 4)

Susan Blakely plays Leslie Shaber, a bored housewife whose husband doesn't pay too much attention to her. One day she stops into a pet store where the owner (John Saxon) comes onto her and after a couple drinks the housewife is seduced and bitten. Before long the mom starts to turn into a werewolf so it's up to her daughter and her friend to save her.

MY MOM'S A WEREWOLF comes from Crown International so one shouldn't expect too much. I've heard this film described as a kid's movie and perhaps that's true to a point. There's certainly nothing scary or shocking here and it's got a fun nature to it but at the same time there's a lot of sexual innuendo so I'm not sure this is for really young kids. With that said, there's certainly nothing special to be found here but there are two fun performances that will make it appealing to horror fans.

Both Blakely and Saxon are very good in their roles and I thought a better screenplay really could have made for a much better picture. The two actors are fun in their roles and especially Saxon who gets to play a romantic lover who of course is a werewolf. The werewolf effects are what you'd expect from a low-budget movie like this. Horror fans will enjoy some of the friend's nerd talk dealing with various horror magazines and movies.

In the end, MY MOM'S A WEREWOLF certainly isn't a classic but then again it's not the worst werewolf movie to come from the 80s.