Meine Mutter ist ein Werwolf

Ah yes, My Mom's A Werewolf. Every time I see this movie I see all the stuff that made the 80's everyone's joke once the 90's came around.

Here's the story:

A mild-mannered suburban housewife goes out one day and meets up with a strange, dark, but quite handsome man, played by John Saxon. One thing leads to another and they end up at his apartment for a little "afternoon delight." He nibbles on her toe, and she screams out in pain and takes off.

What she didn't know was her afternoon playmate was a werewolf, and the bite has caused her to slowly transform into one. A previous review already mentioned the were-wife, were-house (warehouse) joke, which was quite corny but it sure did make me chuckle.

Now she has to hide her "hairy" situation from her husband, her daughter, and her daughter's best friend. I can sense the laughter coming. For the next hour or so, she succeeds.....but she can't hide it forever, you know.

In short, a great "USA Up All Night" kind of movie. A little screaming, some comedy, and a few tasteless jokes here and there.

Story: C Laugh Factor: B Acting: B- Overall: B

The housewife Leslie Shaber (Susan Blakely) has a boring marriage since she is neglected by her husband Howard Shaber (John Schuck) that spends his nights with his friends that are also football fans. Her teenage daughter Jennifer Shaber (Katrina Caspary) and her best friend Stacey Pubah (Diana Barrows) decide to meet Leslie is the restaurant where she usually has lunch to give flowers to her as if it was from Howard, expecting to rekindle their marriage. Meanwhile Leslie goes to a pet shop to buy a flea-collar and her purse is robbed by a thief. The pet shop owner Harry Thropen (John Saxon) chases the criminal and retrieves her purse. Thropen, who is a werewolf, invites Leslie to have lunch with him and Jennifer and Stacey believe they are lovers. Later Harry uses his power to bring Leslie to his apartment where he bite her toe. Leslie turns into a werewolf bringing havoc to her home, while Jennifer and Stacey try to revert the process.

"My Mom's a Werewolf" is an entertaining B-movie, with a silly but funny storyline. The direction, the screenplay, the dialogues, the performances are typical for a low-budget film. But there are many funny moments that will probably make you laugh. Therefore, a reasonable film to be watched at home in a rainy Saturday afternoon. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Minha Mãe é um Lobisomem" ("My Mom is a Werewolf")

The frustrated housewife Leslie Shaber (Susan Blakely) visits an animal shop to purchase a flea-collar. Unknowing that the owner (John Saxon) is a werewolf...

Diana Barrows (a "Friday the 13th" veteran) is a bit over-excited, but has the part of the die-hard horror fan. (I go to conventions, but I have no interest in every little thing like she does... that would be crazy.) Her presence cues us in from the beginning that this film is not a horror film so much as it is a love letter to horror fans.

John Saxon is great. While known best (probably) as the father from "Nightmare on Elm Street", he does a fine job as the werewolf, being both creepy and... well... more creepy. His scenes are really only beat by possibly the nightmare scene or the dentist scene, but Saxon steals the show.

Nice tip of the hat to "Prime Evil", whose poster shows up not once, but twice -- at the horror convention and in the girl's room.

This is a "does what it says on the tin" type of comedy horror. It's about a suburban housewife who finds herself bitten by a werewolf and subsequently transforms into a hairy beast. There's little plotting here and zero characterisation, just a series of lame jokes and set-ups which have dated badly since first release.

I'm not sure whether this broad, scattershot spoof would have been funny at the time anyway. Crown International Pictures certainly had a history of churning out cheap-looking, poorly-acted movies and MY MOM'S A WEREWOLF is no exception. Susan Blakely was once a starlet in the likes of THE TOWERING INFERNO but is pretty poor in the titular role, it has to be said. John Saxon plays the urbane werewolf catalyst and is a lot better, even if you do feel a bit embarrassed for him.

One of the best things about this film is the inclusion of a horror-loving character who has all kinds of movie posters in their bedroom. Forrest J. Ackerman cameos and there's even a highlight in the form of an early visit to a horror store where cheesy old movies are discussed. This alone is what lifts MY MOM'S A WEREWOLF from the doldrums into a merely bad film. Check out the werewolf costumes, which are among the worst ever put up on screen.

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.