O Uivo do Lobisomem

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Henry Levin; Produced by Wallace MacDonald for Columbia Pictures release. Screenplay by Griffin Jay and Charles O'Neal; Photography by L. W. O'Connell; Edited by Reg Browne; Musical Director: Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Starring: Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, Osa Massen, Barton MacLane, Blanche Yurka, John Abbott and Fritz Leiber.

Good use of the supernatural werewolf legend in this tale of a gypsy girl haunted by her dark destiny. The film takes a healthy "oral history" approach towards the supernatural element. Special effects money is saved by having the werewolf look exactly like a wolf rather than like a wolfman.

CRY OF THE WEREWOLF is about a legend, a family secret, and a curse. There are gypsies, a devil doll, and a Transylvanian connection! Is the gypsy princess Celeste (Nina Foch) more than she appears to be? Of course, there's a werewolf as well, with a bit of a twist. Several deaths occur as the beast tracks down those who could expose the gypsy tribe.

Police Lt. Barry Lane (Barton Maclane) is stumped, while Bob Morris (Stephen Crane) does some snooping of his own. One of the best parts has him sneaking around the basement vaults at a mortuary, while the werewolf pursues him. Will Bob uncover the truth, before his fiancee, Elsa (Ossa Massen) becomes part of the tribe?

Indeed, there's a certain CAT PEOPLE vibe to this movie. Suspenseful and mysterious, COTW is a very entertaining entry in its sub-genre..

EXTRA POINTS FOR: Viewers spotting the rubber band around the poor wolf's snout to make him look more fierce! It sort of works, until it becomes obvious he's just trying to get it off!...

Apparently werewolf genes are inheritable as a young woman becomes one because of her mom; then, in a hairy mood, she goes after nice young couple who know about her problem.

This Columbia studio production shows why Universal had the franchise on the half-human half-wolf. Instead of going the Universal route by using big-time make-up and blended dissolves, Columbia employs an actual German Shepherd dog, (not even a real wolf, mind you), as the fanged menace. And the nice doggie all but wags his tail while "menacing" the humans. Needless to say, this turns a potential horror movie into a version of Lassie Goes Bad, despite the best efforts of a strong supporting cast— e.g. Abbott, Leiber, Yurka.

Then too, the war thinned out the ranks of Hollywood leading men, leaving lightweights such as Stephen Crane to haul the goods. Good thing he went into the restaurant business instead of staying on the stage. And what a waste of the talented Nina Foch who doesn't get nearly the screen time her character deserves. Instead, that goes to Osa Massen, a decent enough actress, but without Foch's special brand of haughty disdain.

No need to waste time on this B-movie disappointment. Columbia simply cut too many budgetary corners with not enough imagination to produce anything more than a sometimes amusing misfire and a general waste of acting talent.

There are some good moments in this film. At the center is Nina Foch who plays a gypsy princess who can become a wolf at will. It is her purpose to keep the gypsy band together by killing off those who know about her abilities. But a scientist begins to invade their domain. He is killed but it leads to his son and fiancee trying to figure out what happened. One down side is the keystone kops police force. Even if they don't believe in werewolves, they could be a tad more competent.

There are far worse ways to spend an hour or so of your time. This movie was more than likely made for pocket change and contractual obligations, true; but despite not having someone like Val Lewton (who could conjure up palaces out of orange crates) behind it, this isn't at all bad. Nina Foch is quite capable and sympathetic, and ably supported by a raft of character actors who are old hands at this sort of thing.

There's plenty of atmosphere and suspense, with just enough mystery to keep your attention. As with some of the best of the afore-mentioned Lewton's work, until the denouement, you're never quite sure whether this is all in someone's mind or if there's a real bogeyman (or bogeywoman) stalking the night. Lon Chaney Jr's reputation is safe - or even Henry Hull - but the mug who called this the nadir of werewolfery is being a little harsh. With THE WOLF-MAN, Universal set the bar pretty high, after all. But if you're looking for some good old-fashioned fun, you could do much worse. If nothing else, it's an entertaining example of what can be done with some talent, care and craftsmanship, even if you couldn't quite buy dinner for a family of four to six people with the existing budget. Definitely check it out!