I don’t know if a lot of people were clamoring for The Boy Who Cried Werewolf on Blu-ray, but here it is in my hands from Scream Factory. If you haven’t heard of the movie before, it’s probably because it wasn’t made available on any home format until now. Why, I don’t know, because the movie was an enjoyable werewolf tale with solid acting, special effects and a nice dash of laughs. If the movie looks like it may interest you, read on for the full review…
Product Information
DISCS: 1
RUN-TIME: 93 min
ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1
RESOLUTION: 1080p
AUDIO: English 2.0 DTS-HD MA
LANGUAGE: English
SUBTITLES: English
REGION: A/1
RATING: R
PRODUCTION DATE: 1973
RELEASE DATE: July 26, 2016
Plot Summary
Richie Bridgestone’s parents are getting a divorce, but that’s the least of his problems at the moment. Richie is hoping his parents will reconsider and on a visit to his father ’s secluded cabin, he witnesses his dad being attacked by a werewolf. Much like the tale of the boy who cried wolf, no one in the town will believe Richie’s claims that his father will change into a werewolf at the next full moon.
Movie Review
We’ve all been here before. You and your father fight off a werewolf and you go crying to the Sheriff and no one believes you. Not even your father believes you and he is the one that actually fought the damn thing and got bit. Richie (Scott Sealey) just can’t seem to catch a break. He is screaming at the top of his lungs that a werewolf is running around and said werewolf is now his father, Robert (Kerwin Mathews). Robert doesn’t remember his nightly escapades, which usually end with him chomping on poor helpless campers. However, Richie saw everything.
Richie hopes he can convince his mother (the beautiful Elaine Devry) that her ex-husband is a werewolf, but of course, she doesn’t believe the poor kid, which could be a big mistake as they are all staying at the cottage during a full moon. Maybe the Jesus loving hippies that are staying next door could help Robert break the curse of the werewolf or maybe they’ll just end up as food for the beast. Either way, things aren’t looking good for Robert, as the Sheriff (Robert J. Wilke) is investigating and starting to suspect something isn’t right and he is the kind of guy that shoots first and asks questions later.
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf is a nice little werewolf tale that doesn’t do a lot new for the legend, but does serve up a fun time. The acting from everyone, even the boy who cried is solid. There are a lot of laughs coming from the Jesus loving leader Brother Christopher (Bob Homel). Also, the special effects for the werewolf are pretty solid for the time period. There was an issue with the anatomically incorrect mouth of the wolf, with the actors’ lips clearly visible, but I was willing to let it slide.
If there was anything that I could complain about with The Boy Who Cried Werewolf, it would be the padding of the time. It clocks in at 93 minutes, but I felt they could have done some trimming to make the film play out a bit better. Overall, though, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf is a worthwhile watch.
Blu-ray Opinion
Scream Factory presents The Boy Who Cried Werewolf on Blu-ray in an okay package. The special features are nonexistent, with only a combo trailer for The Boy Who Cried Werewolf and Sssssss. You also get a gallery. That’s it, that’s all. The video, however, is sufficient for the most part. There is a bit of dirt and debris present and a few rough areas, but it’s cleaned up pretty nice and I think any videophile will be happy with the quality. The same goes for the English DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio.
Special Features
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Still Gallery
Verdict
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf is an enjoyable time waster, but if the price isn’t right for the Blu-ray it might be a hard sell. I say if you find it for cheap and are even the least bit interested, you won’t be crying if you decide to pick up the Scream Factory Blu.