L'uomo lupo

Oh yeah, this absolutely looks and feels like the TV movie that it is, from the moment it begins. Modest production values, overwrought presentation, and as we almost always inevitably discover, a declination of the same level of violence and darkness that would surely characterize a theatrical release of the same material. For good measure find a VHS (or digitization thereof), making the 70s aesthetics and production sensibilities all the more endearing. Of course, that the premise effectively amounts to "Werewolf in Paradise" really says a lot about what producer Jay Benson concocted to air on CBS; moreover, there's nothing particularly new or original here, with the vibes and the story being very familiar. Yet that's the nature of this format, and if you're looking for something that ostensibly fits into the "horror" genre but which is on the much lighter side of things, you could do worse than 'Deathmoon.'

Filmed in Kaua'i, we get a lot of footage of the beautiful surroundings, a fair amount of footage of beautiful and scantily clad women, and a very light, carefree tone that dominates for a long time in these ninety minutes. There are some extra nice touches throughout, even in the extra insouciant first act, but it's not until one-third of the runtime has elapsed that the story especially starts moving. This picture isn't the place to find a majorly gripping narrative, let alone thrills, but the tale is suitably engaging as workaholic Jason is directed to vacation by his doctor, and he discovers something about himself while in Hawaii as strange goings-on mount at the resort where he's staying. Benson and George Schenck's screenplay could have been more dramatic and impactful, yes, and likewise the realization by director Bruce Kessler, but the foundations are solid enough, and there's just enough strength in this iteration to keep us watching.

Paul Chihara's music is one of the more plainly admirable elements on hand. The score is sometimes varied to the point of being kind of scattered, but it helps to lend some atmosphere to the proceedings. That's helpful, in this case, since the title mostly operates as a mystery, and even though there's one attack earlier and hints of more substantive plot, it's not until the end of the second act that we're first treated to a scene which notably carries itself with more vibrancy. Nonetheless the narrative and scene writing is capable such as it is, and Kessler - and his cast - do as much as they can to facilitate the sobriety and vitality, lesser but still present, that this does boast. Among others, this is certainly a credit to lead Robert Foxworth, and co-stars including Joe Penny and Barbara Trentham. Furthermore, I appreciate the lighting that lends ambience while allowing nighttime shoots to remain duly discernible, and some sharp instances of editing, and in broad terms this is basically as well made as we'd suppose of like contemporary fare, including production design and art direction.

Among other tidbits, the feature could have done more to explore and play with the origins of Jason's condition, and more generally the angle of supernatural doings. I can understand violence being downplayed given the television format, but it's pushed to an unusually small corner even for that medium. It's also noteworthy how very, very little we see of the transformed werewolf - mere flashes, really - though in fairness that may be for the best, since the "special makeup" in this example is all but the absolute minimum. Still, for all the many shortcomings in 'Deathmoon,' it's not as if the flick is specifically flawed. It's ably made, at large, and at its best, it's fairly sharp with a minor buzz of electricity. By no means is this something that demands viewership, and anyone who has a hard time abiding TV movies won't find anything here to change their mind. For all that it is, though, 'Deathmoon' is reasonably enjoyable, and it's worth checking out if one happens to come across it.

In the 1970s, Robert Foxworth made a mini-career out of starring in such horror films as Prophecy, Incident at Lakewood Manor, The Omen II, and Invisible Strangler. Death Moon was his foray into classic monster film territory, and the film represents most of the elements that make made-for-TV 70's horror flicks so darn much fun.

Foxworth plays an overworked man who begins to have unsettling dreams. Taking a vacation to a Hawaiian resort, he discovers that the sins of his ancestors have been passed down to him as a blood curse. Under the full moon, he turns into a werewolf who chews his way through the resort's guests before a final confrontation in a lonely jungle hideaway.

Death Moon might not be great cinema, but it certainly is enjoyable for fans of 70's monster flicks. The werewolf effects are quite laughable, but that's part of the fun. This film will certainly disappoint fans of splatter and gore, as well as folks with high expectations of state-of-the-art special effects. But with its emphasis on character development and some winning supporting performances, this is a perfect film for a late-night, a bowl of popcorn, and a group of friends who grew up in the era of disco and leisure suits.

Deathmoon (1978) - I've gotta say, Jason Palmer (Robert Foxworth) is one really nice guy.

But boy, does he make dumb decisions.

I mean, the poor guy is completely stressed out at work, and he's having vague, sweaty nightmares about crazy voodoo ceremonies on an island.

His doctor tells him it's time to chill out. Urges him to take a nice vacation.

And what does Jason do?

He sees a poster for Hawaii, and one of the images on it is a voodoo mask.

Sure, why not? Sold.

Now to be fair, Jason also goes to Hawaii because his grandfather was a missionary worker there back in the day. It was a bit of a nostalgia trip for him. He isn't aware, though, that the old man ran afoul of a voodoo priestess, who put a curse on the family.

I'm not sure that if Jason had just stayed in California - or gone to chill in, like, Vegas, he'd have started sprouting extraneous hair and fangs. But when he goes to grandpa's old stomping grounds, it sure brings out the beast in him.

This kind of throws a monkey wrench into a budding romance Jason has with a woman he meets at the resort named Diane (Barbara Trentham). Needless to say, he becomes a pain in the neck as well for the other vacationing guests on the island.

Lieutenant Russ Cort (Dolph Sweet) and out-of-sight ladies man and hotel detective/handyman Rick Bladen (Joe Penny), meanwhile, have their hands full trying to sort things out.

We're talking Made-for-TV here, so the gore is at a minimum, and the naughty bits are very, very, very tame. I wasn't on the edge of my seat very often, either. But there were some cool werewolf attack scenes in between the filler romantic overtures between Jason and Diane.

I've read a few complaints about wolfie's "look," but quite honestly, I didn't have a problem with it. There was one full transformation scene, and again, I liked it better than most. I guess I'm easy to please.

One bonus for me was that Debralee Scott made an appearance as a vacationing stewardess named Sherry Weston. Such an appealing, wonderful performer. Left acting too early and died too soon.

Oh my God, this movie stars Joe Penny!! I thought he never did anything apart from that horrendous cop show "Jake and the Fatman" and maybe some other cheesy TV-crap! Even in the late 70's already, he was a lousy and stupid-looking actor who exclusively portrayed womanizing macho men with limited brain capacity. And "Deathmoon" is everything you expect from a cheap and anonymous 70's TV-production! It's really boring with an incoherent plot and a complete lack of excitement! The basic given is perhaps original – werewolves in Hawaï – but the elaboration is truly poor and amateurish. Robert Foxworth (another antipathetic TV-actor) plays a overstressed businessman on vacation in Hawaï, but there he transforms into a hungry werewolf and kills fellow hotel guests. Apparently the reasons for all this is that his ancestor the missionary upset some of the aboriginals back in 1870 and they placed a werewolf curse upon his bloodline. Joe 'Jake' Penny plays the hunky hotel security guard who seduces stewardesses and wears idiotic shirts. The wolf make-up effects are miserable and there's absolutely no action on screen. Everyone always talks about horribly torn apart corpses, yet we don't get to see a single drop of blood. That's just unforgivably weak, even for a TV-movie. There's too much tedious exotic dancing going on and the dialogs are dreadful! Pure crap, avoid it like the plague.

Death Moon (1978) is an awful movie that is boring and a tedious watch. I had the unfortunate opportunity was actually renting this garbage a while back. The videotape cover tricked me. It promised me a straight forward horror flick. All I got was a snooze fest of a television movie that was the same tired old tripe. I thought I saw some bad productions in the past but this has to rank with the worst of the bunch.

A dude is vacationing in Hawaii (I guess that's where they spent the budget) and is troubled by the natives. He infuriates them with his presence. One night he wakes up and discovers he's been cursed. By whom or what we don't know. If you want to find out why or what he's cursed with (one is appearing in this stupid movie) you'll have to go to your local independent video store and find out for yourself. Be warned this movie stinks on ice.

Not recommended. It'll neither please werewolf fans or bad movie lovers.