The Werewolf of Washington
The Werewolf of Washington | |
---|---|
The Werewolf of Washington | |
Directed by | Milton Moses Ginsberg |
Produced by |
Nina Schulman Stephen A. Miller |
Written by | Milton Moses Ginsberg |
Starring |
Dean Stockwell Biff McGuire Clifton James Beeson Carroll Michael Dunn Jacqueline Brookes Jane House Ben Yaffee |
Music by | Arnold Freed |
Cinematography | Robert M. Baldwin |
Edited by | Milton Moses Ginsberg |
Distributed by | Shout Factory (DVD) |
Release date | Octoer 1973 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | U.S. |
Language |
English Hungarian |
The Werewolf of Washington is a 1973 horror comedy film written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg, produced by Nina Schulman and starring Dean Stockwell. It satirizes several individuals in the Richard Nixon Presidency.
Plot summary
Jack Whitter (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 his son and he needed to die to save him. 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 is 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 pop up 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), he does not believe him; Jack then presents a pattern of where the murders have happened in the shape of a pentagram; he convinces him 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.
At the end of the film, the President addresses the nation where he starts to change into a werewolf.
Cast
Dean Stockwell ... Jack Whittier
Katalin Kallay ... Giselle
Henry Ferrentino ... Beal
Despo Diamantidou ... Gypsy Woman
Thayer David ... Inspector
Nancy Andrews ... Mrs. Margie Captree
Clifton James ... Attorney General
Biff McGuire ... President
Jack Waltzer ... Appointments Secretary
Ben Yaffee ... Mr. Captree
Jane House ... Marion
Beeson Carroll ... Commander Salmon
Michael Dunn ... Dr. Kiss
Release
The film was originally released theatrically in the United States by Diplomat in 1973.
On VHS and DVD, the film has been released by various labels over the years with questionable legitimacy to the rights and subpar presentations. Now it has taken another release on DVD as part of the Elvira "Creature Features" series, hosted by Elvira, played by Cassandra Peterson.
See also
References
The movie would gain cult status as it satirized politics, and appeared in small release in the theaters while America reeled from the Watergate scandal. Other references would include hippies, the stacking of the U.S. Supreme Court, Vice President Spiro Agnew, and Vietnam.
External links
- The Werewolf of Washington on IMDb
- The Werewolf of Washington is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- The Werewolf of Washington at AllMovie
- The Werewolf of Washington at Google Videos
- The Werewolf of Washington in Elvira Movie Macabre App