The Werewolf of Washington

Last updated
The Werewolf of Washington
The Werewolf of Washington FilmPoster.jpeg
DVD cover
Directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg
Written byMilton Moses Ginsberg
Produced byNina Schulman
Stephen A. Miller
Starring Dean Stockwell
Biff McGuire
Clifton James
Michael Dunn
CinematographyRobert M. Baldwin
Edited byMilton Moses Ginsberg
Music byArnold Freed
Distributed byDiplomat
Release date
  • February 20, 1973 (1973-02-20)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Hungarian

The Werewolf of Washington is a 1973 horror comedy film written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg and starring Dean Stockwell. Produced by Nina Schulman, it satirizes several individuals in Richard Nixon's administration.

Contents

Plot summary

Jack Whittier (Dean Stockwell) is the press secretary for the White House and for the President of the United States. While on assignment in Hungary, he is bitten by a wolf who actually turns out to be a man. When Jack tries to report it, he believes it is the work of Communists. He then meets a gypsy woman who tells him it was her son and he needed to die to be saved. She then gives him a charm and tells him to be careful now that he may suffer the same effects.

When he returns to Washington D.C., he is assigned to the President (Biff McGuire); he has also been having an affair with the President's daughter Marion (Jane House). Jack suddenly starts to feel different changes about him whenever the moon is full. Numerous murders suddenly occur all over Washington, all related to the President's staff. Jack is now convinced that he is a werewolf; when he tries to explain this to his superior, Commander Salmon (Beeson Carroll), the latter does not believe him. Jack then presents a pattern of where the murders have happened in the shape of a pentagram; he convinces him (Salmon) to lock him in his apartment and restrain him and also to be documented. The President needs Jack for a special interview with the Chinese prime minister; however, Jack starts to change into a werewolf and he attacks the President.

He then leaves for Marion, who then shoots him with a silver bullet, thus killing him and changing him back to his human form. Many witnesses decide to cover up the act saying Jack bravely came into the line of fire.

In audio over the closing credits, the President addresses the nation. At the very end, he starts to change into a werewolf.

Cast

Release

The film was originally released theatrically in the United States by Diplomat in 1973. After it performed underwhelmingly in initial engagements, the title was changed to Werewolf at Midnight, and ads stopped drawing attention to its political themes.

On VHS and DVD, the film has been released by various labels over the years with questionable legitimacy to the rights and subpar presentations. It was also released on DVD by Shout Factory as part of the Elvira's Movie Macabre series, hosted by Elvira, played by Cassandra Peterson.

In 2023, Kino Lorber released the film on blu-ray. The release featured the theatrical cut of the film as well as a director's cut prepared by Ginsberg shortly before his death in 2021. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Time Bandits</i> 1981 British fantasy film by Terry Gilliam

Time Bandits is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Peter Vaughan and David Warner. The film tells the story of a young boy taken on an adventure through time with a band of thieves who plunder treasure from various points in history.

<i>An American Werewolf in London</i> 1981 film by John Landis

An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 comedy werewolf film written and directed by John Landis. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne and John Woodvine. The title is a cross between An American in Paris and Werewolf of London. The film's plot follows two American backpackers, David and Jack, who are attacked by a werewolf while travelling in England, causing David to become a werewolf under the next full moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Stockwell</span> American actor (1936–2021)

Robert Dean Stockwell was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he first came to the public's attention in films including Anchors Aweigh (1945), Song of the Thin Man (1947), The Green Years (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), The Boy with Green Hair (1948), and Kim (1950). As a young adult, he had a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and 1959 screen adaptation of Compulsion; and in 1962 he played Edmund Tyrone in the film version of Long Day's Journey into Night, for which he won two Best Actor Awards at the Cannes Film Festival. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his starring role in the 1960 film version of D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers.

<i>Teen Wolf</i> 1985 American fantasy comedy film

Teen Wolf is a 1985 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is changed when he discovers that he is a werewolf. James Hampton, Scott Paulin, Susan Ursitti, Jerry Levine, Matt Adler, and Jay Tarses appear in supporting roles. Filming took place from November to December 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra Peterson</span> American actress (born 1951)

Cassandra Peterson is an American actress and former go-go dancer and showgirl. She is best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation. A member of the Los Angeles-based improvisational and sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings, Peterson based her Elvira persona in part on a "Valley girl"-type character she created while a member of the troupe.

<i>The Wolf Man</i> (1941 film) American horror film

The Wolf Man is a 1941 American horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. in the title role. Claude Rains, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers, and Maria Ouspenskaya star in supporting roles. The title character has had a great deal of influence on Hollywood's depictions of the legend of the werewolf. The film is the second Universal Pictures werewolf film, preceded six years earlier by the less commercially successful Werewolf of London (1935). This film is part of the Universal Monsters movies and is of great cinematic acclaim for its production.

<i>Silver Bullet</i> (film) 1985 film by Dan Attias

Silver Bullet is a 1985 American horror thriller film based on the 1983 Stephen King novella Cycle of the Werewolf. It stars Gary Busey, Everett McGill, and Corey Haim, with Megan Follows, Terry O'Quinn, Lawrence Tierney, Bill Smitrovich, Kent Broadhurst, David Hart, and James Gammon in supporting roles. The film is directed by Dan Attias, written by King and produced by Martha De Laurentiis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Naschy</span> Spanish actor and filmmaker (1934-2009)

Jacinto Molina Álvarez known by his stage name Paul Naschy, was a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures—The Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fu Manchu and a mummy—earned him recognition as the Spanish Lon Chaney. Naschy also starred in dozens of action films, historical dramas, crime films, TV shows and documentaries. He also wrote the screenplays for most of his films and directed a number of them as well, signing many of them "Jacinto Molina". Naschy was bestowed Spain's Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts in 2001.

<i>Christine</i> (1983 film) Supernatural film by John Carpenter

Christine is a 1983 American supernatural horror film directed by John Carpenter and starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky and Harry Dean Stanton. The film also features supporting performances from Roberts Blossom and Kelly Preston.

<i>Overboard</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by Garry Marshall

Overboard is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, written by Leslie Dixon, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, and produced by Roddy McDowall, who also co-stars alongside Edward Herrmann and Katherine Helmond. The film follows a demeaning, wealthy socialite who suffers from amnesia after falling from her yacht while vacationing on the Oregon coast, only to be taken in by a working-class carpenter whom she mistreated.

<i>Howling III</i> 1987 film by Philippe Mora

Howling III is a 1987 Australian horror film and the sequel to The Howling, directed by Philippe Mora and filmed on location in and around Sydney, Australia. Starring Barry Otto, Imogen Annesley and Max Fairchild, Howling III is the only PG-13 rated entry in the Howling film series and also the last film in the series to be released theatrically. In this sequel, werewolves have evolved, with females having marsupial-like pouches to nurse their young. Scientists attempt to study them, while soldiers try to track and kill them in the Australian Outback.

<i>Elvira: Mistress of the Dark</i> (film) 1988 film directed by James Signorelli

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by James Signorelli. It stars Cassandra Peterson as eccentric horror hostess Elvira, a character previously established in the television program Elvira's Movie Macabre. The character's feature film debut, the film's plot centers on Elvira inheriting a house that is nestled in the heart of an overtly prudish community. The film's screenplay was written by Peterson, John Paragon, and Sam Egan.

<i>Sssssss</i> 1973 film by Bernard L. Kowalski

Sssssss is a 1973 American horror film starring Strother Martin, Dirk Benedict and Heather Menzies. It was directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and written by Hal Dresner and Daniel C. Striepeke, the latter of whom also produced the film. The make-up effects were created by John Chambers and Nick Marcellino. It received a nomination for the Best Science Fiction Film award of the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 1975.

The Stooge is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis alongside Polly Bergen and Marion Marshall. The film was released nationally in the United States in February 1953 by Paramount Pictures.

William "Biff" McGuire was an American actor, best known as Inspector Kramer in Nero Wolfe (1979).

<i>Elviras Movie Macabre</i> American hosted horror movie television program

Elvira's Movie Macabre, or simply Movie Macabre, is an American hosted horror movie television program that originally aired locally from 1981 to 1986. The show features B movies, particularly those in the horror and science fiction genres, and is hosted by Elvira, a character with a black dress and heaven bump hairstyle, played by Cassandra Peterson. Elvira occasionally interrupts the films with comments and jokes, and in some episodes receives phone calls from a character called "the Breather".

<i>The Dunwich Horror</i> (film) 1970 film by Daniel Haller

The Dunwich Horror is a 1970 American supernatural horror film directed by Daniel Haller, and starring Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, and Ed Begley. A loose adaptation of the short story of the same name by H.P. Lovecraft, the film concerns a young female graduate student who is targeted by a man attempting to use her in an occult ritual taken from the Necronomicon. The screenplay was co-written by Curtis Hanson, while Roger Corman served as an executive producer on the film.

Milton Moses Ginsberg was an American film director and editor. He was noted for writing and directing Coming Apart, a 1969 film starring Rip Torn and Sally Kirkland, and The Werewolf of Washington starring Dean Stockwell.

<i>The Howling: Reborn</i> 2011 film

The Howling: Reborn is a 2011 teen horror film directed by Joe Nimziki and starring Lindsey Shaw, Landon Liboiron and Ivana Miličević. It is the eighth film and a reboot of The Howling film series. The film was released on DVD on October 18, 2011.

<i>Kill Your Darlings</i> (2013 film) 2013 American biographical drama film directed by John Krokidas

Kill Your Darlings is a 2013 American biographical drama film written by Austin Bunn and directed by John Krokidas in his feature film directorial debut. The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, garnering positive first reactions. It was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and it had a limited theatrical North American release from October 16, 2013. Kill Your Darlings became available on Blu-ray and DVD, March 18, 2014 in the US, followed by its UK release on April 21, 2014.

References

It was released recenetly on the K/L label: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Werewolf-of-Washington-Blu-ray/309614/