Scream of the Wolf (1974)

Adventure writer John Weatherby played by Peter Graves (Mission Impossible) is called in to investigate a series of brutal murders that has investigators confused. The clues are not clear and leave no clear trail. The tracks left at the murder site appear to be that of a wolf a man or both! Lost in his search for answers Weatherby contacts his old friend Bryon played by Clint Walker a mysterious hunter and a recluse to help him track this unknown killer. His friend is not much help but may know more than he's willing to say. The suspense and terror builds as danger lurks in the shadows of the night. SCREAM OF THE WOLF will keep you on the edge of your seat and remind you to stay in at night and lock your doors because you never know what could be lurking in the shadows of the night!System Requirements: Running Time 80 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 787364409099 Manufacturer No: 44090-9 Product Description

Another Dan Curtis Classic!

I won't go into the whole plot of this movie but I will say that there is a twist at the end.

If you grew up with Curtis's other classic flicks such as The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler, and The Norliss Tapes, then you'll appreciate the job he's done on this film. A bonus I didn't even know about until I saw the opening credits was Richard Matheson did the teleplay for this made-for-TV movie.

But I have to agree with the other reviewers that the video quality is pretty weak. A fair amount of grain and other digital artifacts can be found throughout the film. Not enough to get on a person's nerves, though. But, at least Brentwood/BCI released this classic on DVD.

Here's a tip: Don't buy the more expensive title above with the wolf on the cover. Buy Brentwood's "Beasts of Terror" package which gives you four movies for under ten dollars! You get "Scream of the Wolf" included plus some other interesting horror films. Makes sense. Right?

Thumbs up! I only wish they'd pull out all the stops one day and release a comprehensive package covering Dan Curtis's horror films. Maybe one day while I'm still around. ;-) September 18, 2007

Clint Walker is chilling in this film

I have always loved werewolves, but this one has a twist. Won't give the movie away, but Clint Walker spent 20 years playing goody two shoes roles in Hollywood, like WB's and ABC's "Cheyenne" and he did a lot of great films where he wasn't quite the good guy, "Fort Dobbs" sticks out. But overall, he played a Saint. This movie he doesn't. He's a bit older in it and so is Peter Graves. But the movie is well worth seeing. I loved every chilling moment of it, with the shocking ending. I suggest you buy it if you are a fan of Walker's, Graves' or Werewolf genre. May 13, 2007

Decent 1970s TV move -- but crappy DVD

The 1970s was a Golden Age of TV horror, most of it broadcast on ABC.

SCREAM OF THE WOLF does have some good creative lineage. Written & directed by Dan Curtis. Music by Robert Corbert (both men were behind DARK SHADOWS and NIGHT STALKER). For that matter, SCREAM OF THE WOLF also features Jo Ann Pflug, the female lead in NIGHT STRANGLER.

But SCREAM OF THE WOLF is not one of the better 1970s TV horror films. It's not even supernatural horror. I won't spoil the ending, but there's nothing supernatural in this "werewolf" film. It turns out to be a suspense film.

Of course, many supernatural horror fans also enjoy suspense films (e.g., PSYCHO). But SCREAM OF THE WOLF is not a great suspense film, either. It's okay, but very low budget, not too surprising or original, and not very interesting.

And this DVD leaves much to be desired. It looks struck from an old 16mm film print, the kind distributed to TV stations. Scratch marks show up throughout the film. There are even GREASE PENCIL MARKS!

What are those? Editors would often write on film strips with grease pencils. Notations, such as where to trim, or fix a broken or torn film. They wrote with grease pencils, because the grease could easily be erased afterwards.

However, this DVD's SCREAM OF THE WOLF transfer still has those grease pencil marks, which flash by on occasion, along with the scratches. This is not a clean, digitally remastered print.

I've seen this film selling on Amazon -- this very same DVD -- for over $70. Please! Save your money. It's worth a few bucks if you're a hardcore horror/suspense film fan. Or a completist for any of the principal creative people involved. But this is not a seminal work in horror film history. It's hardly the best of the genre, or even of the genre's period. Buy it for a few bucks, otherwise wait a decent price. May 13, 2007

"Tonight on the A.B.C. Tuesday Movie Of The Week!" Part 3

Wow, did I ever really like this one. Just not up to the memory that I had of this one. Really just a a live action version of "Scooby Doo" without the humor. really shows it's age now. April 18, 2007

Well-Done Horror From The 70s' TV Movies

I first watched this alone at night when I was a teenage college student and it scared the HECK out of me! Of course it doesn't have the same impact 30 years later, but if viewed in the context of the time period and cinematic limitations of TV in the pre-Disco era, it is a well-done horror flic with Dan Curtis's inimitable mark on it (and Robert Colbert's unmistakable albeit a tad repetitive soundtrack: virtually identical to The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler and The Norliss Tapes - now THAT needs to come out on DVD!!!). The 'bad guy' is clear-cut from almost the very beginning - no surprises there, but the nighttime cinematography is excellent, and it's always a pleasure to see the cars, clothes and hairstyles of my old college years. Now, Hollywood come on: PLEASE get the wonderful suite of Movies Of The Week onto DVD, like Norliss, The Love War, Night Slaves, etc. - the nostalgic Baby Boomers are primed and waiting!! :) December 20, 2004

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