Moon of the Wolf

This film begins with an old man known simply as "Tom Sr." (Royal Dano) and his adult son "Tom Jr." (John Davis Chandler) being woken up one night in their shack on the Louisiana bayou by the barking of their dogs. Not knowing what is causing the commotion, they both grab their guns and head out with the dogs in search of the culprit. To their shock, what they find is the body of a young woman who has apparently been half eaten by wild dogs. Naturally, they immediately call the local sheriff "Aaron Whitaker" (David Janssen) who comes out to investigate. What he discovers, however, is that the young lady was murdered and that the killer was apparently left-handed. At least, that is what he initially believes--and then things take an alarming turn for the worse. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this made-for-television movie started out really well due in large part to the mysterious undertones and the relatively solid cast. Admittedly, the film seems to deflate a bit once the killer is revealed but all things considered it managed to hold my interest for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Set in and near the bayou community of Marsh Island, Louisiana, "Moon of the Wolf" starts with the body of a young woman named Ellie being discovered by two locals. Though it appears she was mauled to death by wild dogs, the medical examiner (Beradino) soon determines that she was murdered. The sheriff (Janssen) is faced with the unfortunate task of determining which of his longtime friends or associates in this small, close-knit community are responsible for the brutal killing. His investigation soon leads him into some of the town's little known secrets.

"Moon of the Wolf" is a well shot, well acted film that seems to have been made on location in an actual swamp or wetlands. The storyline is logical and well-presented and an effort was made to employ real-life lycanthropy folklore (the loup-garou of France) rather than some contrived Hollywood creation. The makeup effects for the werewolf are not particularly high tech, but this should not be expected for a made-for-television film of this period. Viewers should expect more mystery than action, but there is a fair amount of suspense.

This film, for me, earns high marks. Fans of similar made-for-television films of the early to mid-1970s will not be disappointed. It rivals some of the best Dan Curtis productions in many ways yet is not as over-the-top as some of Curtis' material is. This is a must-see for die-hard fans of werewolf films.

After several locals are viciously murdered, a Louisiana sheriff (David Janssen) starts to suspect he may be dealing with a werewolf.

Films like this one (as well as "Dark Night of the Scarecrow") prove that once upon a time, movies on television could actually be good. Today, that may be true, but in my opinion far less often. (The SyFy channel single-handedly lowers the bar on made-for-TV movies.)

This film introduced me to the term "loup-garou", a type of werewolf that is common in the culture of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius. I do love how a plot point is that the townspeople do not know the term or even how to say it, with "loukarook" and other variations being used.

This also taught me about the fictional "Seibert's syndrome", an offshoot of blackwater fever. That fever releases hemoglobin directly into the blood vessels and into the urine, frequently leading to kidney failure. Pretty sure that the guy allegedly suffering from it in this movie does not know what he is talking about.

Sure, the werewolf (when we finally get a good glimpse) is a bit cheesy. But that is fine by me. Give me a well-crafted 1970s film over today's version of werewolves any day of the week. I would rather see a guy with a decent five o'clock shadow running amok than Taylor Lautner and his washboard abs sulking.

David Janssen and Barbara Rush lead a cast of characters as a southern Louisiana town is suddenly struck by a series of lycanthropic murders. With no rhyme or reason behind the killing, and with a raving old bed-ridden cajun seeming to be the only person who fully understands what's going on, Janssen, the town's sheriff, seems to have his work cut out for him.

Aided by an old friend with old money (Rush), and a posse of would-be wolf hunters, Janssen does not seem to know where to turn. But soon enough, he no longer needs to navigate at all - as the problem comes to him.

Though the plot is not terribly original, the setting and characters certainly are. Also, Moon of the wolf is particularly well acted for its genre and better directed and filmed than most of its competitors. Dan Petrie certainly has made his share of good TV movies, and this, despite its pedigree, is no exception

Creepy little tele-movie concerning a highborn Louisiana family with a dark secret. After a local girl is found mutilated in a nearby bayou, local sheriff (Janssen) must use all his detective skills to solve the crime. His investigation leads him to an old flame (Rush) and her aristocratic brother (Dillman) who are both keen for the culprit to be caught, but for different reasons. Everyone's a suspect including the local medical examiner (Beradino), who can't seem to determine the cause of death, while the paranormal activity leads to more mysterious victims. Tense, with a sometimes unsettling mood, the southern tones and textures make this an offbeat little suspender that belies its meagre TV budget.

The leading trio succeed with their characterisations and experienced feature director Petrie constructs an intelligent plot woven with effective twists and surprises. Appropriately, the romantic undertones between Janssen and Rush fail to flourish, and so the core narrative never loses momentum. Able support from Lewis, Dano and Chandler in particular, as the oafish yokels, suspects and victims, add capable depth to the cast & characters. Decent cinematography, apt dialogue and some effective chills ensure the end product is beyond the typical mid week tele-movie experience, and although the make-up effects are 'limited', this doesn't undermine the picture.

Lycanthropy devotee or not, the occult themes shouldn't deter you from investing 74 minutes in this modest mystery, entertaining despite its small screen threshold.