Wolfman

Earl is a low-key and likable actor, the storyline is basic and takes some care in introducing the characters before going into the Wolfman scenes. Some over-the-top maniacal laughter on the bad guys part early on is a riot, and shows you where they stand! It must be me but every time I watch it I think it's set in Olde England, until the Sheriff shows up and I realize it's set in the US. The name Colin Glascow doesn't help! It's not going to terrify anyone but few horror films do any more which is why plot and character is important. This gives me the feel of a retro monster mash type flick. Simplicity, the kind of film I'd make if I had a little money. Better to make an effort like this than nothing at all! It's not laughable in an Ed Wood type way, at least not to me. Maybe it's just the anti-Twilight male models, anti-CGI aspect that makes this a nostalgic nice little flick.

Look, give Earl Owensby some credit... the guy's a tool salesman, had a movie dream and is living it. Sure his pictures suck, but that's part of the charm. This mish mash has Earl (with his Elvis like accent) playing a Colin, a guy who comes back to his hometown in 1910 and becomes sort of a werewolf. There is something compelling about Owensby's movies because it looks like the kind of thing that you or I'd do if we had some rough film stock, a couple of cameras and a weekend to shoot a flick. Considering this, it's not quite as bad as it could have been. The female actresses are quite good, although our pudgy star is very hard to take as the hero. His wooden acting skills, monotone delivery and silly dialogue ruin any chance this film had. On the plus side though, the musical accents are quite effective and some of the shots are set up pretty well. There are far to many continuity mistakes, but Owensby does know a little bit about film making and sets up his shots pretty well. There is, at least, a genesis of what a film should be about here, and Earl clearly enjoys what he's doing. As far as EO Studios in North Carolina, it would appear that it is an adequate film making venture and has been used by some "A" list pictures, including "The Abyss", where the many of the underwater scenes were filmed. The highlights are ruined by bad acting and script problems however. There was just enough atmosphere to keep me watching to see how this train wreck would resolve itself. Owensby's films are unintentionally good in enough areas to keep it going along as a low-budget time filler. Go into this kind of thing with the right attitude and you won't be disappointed. Owensby does know his way around a camera.

Earl Owensby is a guy who made a fortune with films aimed at the drive in circuits in the south. He parlayed that into some big budget films before it all going wrong when he built a studio that was the site of the under water filming of The Abyss. Before his semi leap to the big time Owensby produced and starred in a number of action and horror films that pretty much only played south of the Mason Dixon Line. Until Wolfman I had never seen one of his films. Watching it I really don't understand why he made as much money as he did. The plot of the film has a miscast Owensby returning home when he is told that his father has died. Actually his father didn't die until his scheming relatives were certain that he was on his way home, at which time they killed him so that the werewolf curse would pass on to Owensby. Filmed with models and (somewhat) obvious sets the film looks cheap but serviceable. The performances are all over the place with actors and non-actors mixing freely. Owensby isn't a bad actor as such but he is so low key as to be almost invisible. He conveys none of the intensity needed for the role. It doesn't help that the pacing is so slack as to be near catatonic with there being a good chance you'll nod off before the wolfman (of the Lon Chaney variety) shows up. Something for the insomniacs or those wanting to see what a footnote filmmaker made his fortune on. 3 out of 10.

Well, it looks like there's another contender here for the "so bad it's good" category. This is a werewolf movie that was made towards the end of a very long dry spell, after the glory days of Universal's "Wolf Man" series, and before the year 1981 brought us several great werewolf movies ("American Werewolf", "The Howling" and "Wolfen").

A man returns to his home town when his uncle dies (or, or more accurately, is murdered -- as we know from the first scene). He soon finds out that there is some kind of a curse on his family, which his grandmother is aware of and which involves some kind of an evil priest. The plot after this point is fairly predictable and straightforward. It's film-making for the sake of film-making, and there aren't very many original ideas. However, the look of the film is quite cool, and clearly it's inspired by the "Hammer Studios" productions, in which everything looks kind of like a set but has a very creepy feel to it.

The cast are generally pretty laughable. Seriously, there's no excuse for acting this bad -- hell, I've seen much better actors in local theatrical productions. The leading man has zero charisma, and even less acting ability, as clearly he was cast simply for his 'Wolf Man' appearance. This leads to some pretty hilarious scenes, for example when he delivers sentences along the lines of "Doctor, my grandmother told me that my father was a werewolf and a priest stabbed him in the heart with a silver dagger", in a complete monotone with a straight face and absolutely no emotion, you just can't help but laugh. He doesn't get a whole lot of help from the supporting male cast, but most of the female members actually seem quite competent actresses. Not that it helps much.

On the other hand, there is a sub-culture of people out there who will really enjoy this movie. If you're one of those people that collects Edward D Wood Jr's movies, or if your idea of a good time is to stay in and laugh your way through "Manos: Hands of Fate", odds are you'll really appreciate much of the badness in this movie.

It's bad. It's very, very bad. But if you're a fan of those terrible B-pictures, you'll probably find something to enjoy here.

if you rent this movie, do it solely for a laugh, as it is one of theeee worst flicks i have ever seen. the acting is way below sub par. look for a story set in the civil war era, where you use a kerosine lamp at night but when colin goes into the toolshed, he turns on a lightbulb!!!! also look for the main actors to be dressed in period attire except the village mob who are all dressed in somewhat current fashions. (did they really have nylon windbreakers during the civil war??) smoking monkeys could have done a better job.....and what's with the doctor with his borscht belt accent????