Le notti del lupo

I remember this show from my youth. I remember being pretty into it. The werewolf transformations were incredibly well done... the work by Baker fantastic. I also remember Skorzeny scaring the crap out of me as an impressionable youngster. Really, really creepy character. A shame the show didn't last longer.

Back in 1988, kids and adults all over America would sit down on those long weekend nights to watch the latest episode of "Werewolf", the new horror series from the creators of "The A-Team". It tells the story of Eric Cord (John J. York), a college kid whose world is ripped apart when his roommate tells him that he is a murderous werewolf and asks to be shot with a silver bullet. Despite his initial scepticism, Eric witnesses his friend change into the beast and is forced to shoot him -- but not before he gets bitten by the monster.

Now he knows that in order to break the curse he must severe the bloodline by killing the original werewolf, an insane sea captain called Skorzeny (Chuck Connors, replaced by a stand-in for the later episodes), while he is also chased by a relentless part-Indian bounty hunter, Alamo Joe Rogan (Lance LeGault). On his travels, hitchhiking his way from job to job while hunting Skorzeny, he finds that ordinary humans can be even more evil than the beast inside of him, but there are also those who try to help and understand him. He even meets others like himself, although they are almost always insane or evil, or both. Later he discovers that his true nemesis is actually a particularly powerful and ancient werewolf named Nicholas Remy (Brian Thompson).

While for the most part this was a fairly lighthearted thriller series at least partly aimed at children, there is also some truly dark subject matter in some of the episodes, and it becomes genuinely more and more surreal as it goes on. It has a great eighties-style soundtrack, although the constant guitar solo in the background becomes a little intrusive in some episodes ... is this a horror show or a Guns n' Roses music video? The episodes themselves are only thirty minutes long, which often feels too short. Many of the episodes could easily have stood being extended to an hour -- the standard length for most series of this type.

After the feature length pilot episode, there were a total of twenty eight episodes that were produced. It also sparked a six-issue comic book adaptation, although that's difficult to find these days. Fox, still in it's early years, cancelled the show after one season -- regardless of the superb quality of the later episodes (it's slot was taken by "Married with Children"). Since then, the show has been completely neglected. Due to the lack of reruns and the fact that it still hasn't been released on DVD, hardly anyone knows about it except those who loved it during it's initial run. This series remains a forgotten gem.

Werewolf. Almost no one remembers this little gem of the 80's! It was a breakthrough in special effects! Especially since it was a television series. It was definitely movie quality at the time and can stand on it's own today. The story was so engrossing that I remember planting myself in front of the television, guarding the dial like a rabid dog, just so no one changed the channel as I waited for the show to come on. I would love to see this on DVD in the near future. That heaven seems to be fading by the day. I;m keeping my fingers crossed! C'Mon Fox or Tristar or whoever has the rights to this show... How about Frank Lupo? Is he still alive? I'd love to spread knowledge about this great series... but I can't even find it on VHS!!! All i ask is for this to be brought back into the spotlight where it belongs.

This has to be one of the most creative and imaginative television shows of the 1980's. It's incredible to believe that there were only five postings before this one. Previous reviews have already outlined the plot so it won't be repeated here. Some reviews (here and elsewhere) tend to unjustly compare this series to 'The Fugitive' and 'The Incredible Hulk', as if those are the only two shows centering on a man on the run. Truth to tell, there was a show even called 'Man On The Run' well before the Hulk series, and there were other similarly-themed series like 'Starman', 'The Immortal', 'Otherworld', 'Logan's Run', and even the 'Planet of the Apes' TV series, as well as a parody of 'The Fugitive' that aired at the same time as it did. The idea of a "man on the run" show is as valid as a "hospital show" or a "lawyer show" or "ship in space show" or what have you. It is unfair to simply dismiss 'Werewolf' as just a copy of any similar show that preceded it.

'Werewolf' possessed many original features that separates it from the untold number of horror-themed shows that now flood the channels. Remember, there weren't many shows even like this at the time or before. The driving electric-guitar music, the graphic violence, and the mature themes (for a non-'dramatic' show) make every episode something new to enjoy. This series was the first in a long time, if not the very first, to have a weekly show deal with regular ongoing horror characters in a serious way. There were other shows that dealt with the supernatural, but they were anthologies like 'The Outer Limits'. The original nemesis for 'Werewolf' was played by Chuck Connors, who, through disputes with the producers, was written out and replaced with a new villain called 'Nicholas Remy'. Unfortunately the series was canceled shortly after this occurred and the final resolution has never been told (Sci-Fi Channel, where are you?!). Episodes such as 'The Wolf Who Thought He Was A Man', 'Running With The Pack', 'A World of Difference', 'Nightmare in Blue', and 'To Dream of Wolves' represent some of the best episodes of this too-short series.

Some previous reviewers have complained about the supposed 'inconsistencies' with werewolf lore, like seeing the pentagram on his own palm as opposed to the palm of his next victim. These people obviously know nothing of historical werewolf lore outside of film or else they would realize that the whole palm thing was created by Hollywood in the first place. Almost every culture on earth has legends regarding people transforming into animal form, be it wolf or fox or bear, dating back to the ancient Greek story of King Lycos. ANY Hollywood story must be viewed like any other adaptation, in that the 'facts' were changed where deemed necessary. It is doubtful that any film or television series has followed the historical rules regarding lycanthropy.

The 'Werewolf' TV series was no more accurate or inaccurate than 'The Howling' or 'An American Werewolf in London' regarding established werewolf lore, but it presented a new and creative series that attempted to bring to the screen the best of everything that happened before while not being simply a copy-cat of those stories. This series has many fascinating and compelling levels working in its favor, and it only takes the attention of the viewer to appreciate them.

I watched Werewolf as a young boy, and was fascinated with it, wholly. It was a great show, featuring make up and special effects by monster master, Rick Baker. The story was a re-tread of Bill Bixby's Incredible Hulk, but wherein that beast was a heart of gold, in lies Eric Cord's chest beats the heart of a beast. Cord journeys to find the malevolent sea captain, Janos Skorzeny, portrayed by the late, great Chuck Connors, who was responsible for his transformation. Connors' metamorphosis into his lycanthrope form is second only to An American Werewolf In London. Alas, Werewolf died after only 28 episodes, not the victim of a silver bullet or blade, but the pen stroke of wary Fox executives, who decided Married With Children is better Sunday night fare.