Werwolf wider Willen

So I just finished watching "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf", a movie on Nickelodeon. It's about a family in California who is surprised to find out that an Uncle has died and left them a castle in Romania. This is especially exciting to the son, who is obsessed with monsters. The movie takes place mostly on the family's trip to Romania, where they travel to presumably to sell the castle. Upon arrival they meet an interesting cast of characters, including a creepy castle caretaker and an enthusiastic real estate agent who makes cookies with her face on them. Well, the kids soon discover some secrets in the castle, involving the family history. You can probably guess what happens next, you'll have to watch the movie. This movie MIGHT be a little bit scary for very young kids, considering there are monsters involved, with very well done special effects.

This is top notch made for TV movie. It's exciting, funny, and well written. All the acting is great, especially the kids and Madame V. I would say it is better than most Disney Channel Originals (which I love, usually).

I hope to see more movies from Nickelodeon- this one shows they definitely have some real acting talent on the network. Victoria Justice especially, super talented. Congrats to everyone involved with this movie!

Boy Who Cried Werewolf, The (2010)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Silly made-for-TV "horror" film has a father and his two kids traveling to Romania after a relative dies and leaves them her castle. Once there the teenage girl eventually becomes a werewolf and her little brother is the only one who knows it but no one will believe him because of his wild imagination. A weird housekeeper (Brooke Shields) is the only other who might know the secrets of the beast. This was partially influenced by the 1973 film of the same name, which featured a father turning into a werewolf and only his son knowing but no one believing him. Things have certainly changed in this new version and not a single thing was done for the better. That 1973 film is far from a classic but it looks like 1941's THE WOLF MAN compared to this junk. Yes, it's clear that I wasn't the target audience for this film but I'm scared to think of who exactly this thing was made for. The biggest problem is the horrid screenplay that doesn't seem to know what type of story it wants to tell. TO appeal to the teen girls we have countless subplots with the girl here not being good enough for the hunk at school plus she's having to deal with the loss of her mother. With all of that said you'd think the film was about her but we get countless other subplots including one with the father dating and all sorts of stuff with the younger brother and his obsession with monsters. We even get more subplots dealing with the curse of this castle. You have so many subplots running at once that it's clear everyone involved simply forgot what they were trying to do. I mean, "werewolf" is in the title yet this portion of the film doesn't start until everything's half over and by then you're either going to be hitting your head against the wall or wondering why on Earth you started the film at all. The performances are all pretty good with Shields standing out as the creepy housekeeper. The make-up effects are all pretty good as well but it's just a shame we didn't get to see much of it. I'm sure this thing might appeal to some very young teens but let's hope their parents keep them away from this and show them some better werewolf picture.

After inheriting a family castle in Romania, a family discovers the dark secret behind the local legend of a vicious beast roaming the city as they race to stop a horde of vampires from taking control of the castle.

This here turned out to be quite an enjoyable and entertaining kiddie-centered horror-comedy. There's a lot of good in this about making an even mix between tween-inspired parts and more normal horror motifs, and there's plenty to both sides in here. The tween backbone here is all well-handled with the different attitudes toward the single father dating, the romance for once isn't obtrusive to the story in detriment for the actual horror, and the beginning where they explore the castle is just filled with some quality gags that really showcase the goofier humor present that really appeals to kids. From the gags trying to scare the sister to the constant sibling-like digs on each other and the side-splitting recurring gag with a character's name, there's some really funny stuff in here and it gets better once the transformation occurs. The antics that depict the transformation, from the heightened sense and reactions to the lessening of objection towards previously-objectionable attitudes and how their date goes which is constantly threatened by her burgeoning abilities for some nice laughs but knows to transition into horror territory nicely as once those abilities creep in, the explanation and back-story about the creature amongst the town's history is wonderfully handled. It makes for a pretty enjoyable time by creating a pretty strong connection through the twisted mythology with the action in the last half which is just non-stop brawling between the two werewolves and the vampire clan through the catacombs under the castle, through the cemetery and finally into the neighboring warehouse providing plenty of fun times as the fight progresses, and overall this is mixed quite nicely with the humorous aspects of the story. The fact that the creatures are done with practical make-up effects that look rather impressive for the realism and great they look in design and movement is another key factor here, and the only real flaws come from the beginnings of their life. The trouble it goes to set her up as a goofy klutz only to be saved by the werewolf curse is way too clichéd and feels too overwrought to be of much originality. As well, the whole thing is dropped once they get to the castle anyway, leaving the inclusion rather curious. Otherwise, there's not much to dislike here.

Rated Unrated/PG: Violence.

Going into this on a rewatch, I wasn't expecting much especially since this is a Nickelodeon TV movie and at best, it's okay, and at worse, it's kinda bad. But this movie was better than I remembered, though it's not flawless.

BTW, I have no nostalgia for this movie cuz I first watched it on Netflix back in 2021 or 2022 during the night and barley remembered anything, so this is completely a nostalgialess review.

The things I liked was the acting was solid for the most part (though some places were not that good), the story (while pretty generic and simple) was entertaining enough, the characters are decent, the effects were fine enough and the pacing was surprisingly very well done.

The cons were they were some cringy, annoying and predictable moments, some clichés and the writing could've been better.

Honestly, I would say Brooke Shields as Madame Varcolac carried this movie hard honestly, she probably had the best acting out of everyone else.

Also 2 things, the constant howling effects when any of the characters what Madame Varcolac was MAD annoying and how did Paulina survive at the end when she clearly was burned by the sun?!

But overall, good solid movie to pass the time, but could've been better.

Having sat through this movie, as an adult, I have to say that "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" is actually quite surprisingly good. I had expected it to be more of a sassy family movie.

First of all, though being a Nickelodeon movie, the story was rather interesting, with just enough action and suspense to keep it all going. Sure, the movie borrows heavily on the old classic werewolf movies, but it does so in a good manner. And it is a good way for younger viewers to get introduced to the werewolves in movies.

And the cast was superb, especially Brooke Shields. She was really good in the role of Madame V, and it was actually sort of refreshing in a way to see her in a role as bizarre as this one was. Victoria Justice, in the role of Jordan Sands, was the one carrying the movie though, being the central character and all, and she did so nicely. But also hats off to Chase Ellison, playing Hunter Sands, he came off very energetic and believable in the role he was given.

The effects in the movie were actually quite good, especially for a movie of this caliber, being Nickelodeon and all. But I suspect it is because the legendary Greg Nicotero had a finger to play here. Whenever he is part of some production, it always turns out great.

Oh, and before I forget. The sets and backgrounds were awesome. There were so many small and fantastic details to everything. From the town square, to the castle, and such. I love small details in movies, and the ones in "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" actually showed there had been put a lot of effort into the production.

I think "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" actually is quite suitable for young and mature audiences alike. For the youngsters, there is a lot of action and thrills going on, and the mood is kind of brooding and dark. And for us adults, well, I thought this movie brought a light-hearted and fun take on the werewolf genre, bringing the genre out to a new audience. The story was fast paced, predictable of course, but still it kept a good pace.

I was thoroughly amused throughout the entire movie, and I am sure that it will be a hit with many younger viewers.