THE WEREWOLF (1956) – Episode 186 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

“When the rest of the world has been destroyed, we will be the only normal thinking persons left.” Heck, that’s already true. Right, Grue-Believers? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out an underappreciated low-budget horror, The Werewolf (1956).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 186 – The Werewolf (1956)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Two scientists receive an unconscious man who has been in a car accident. In their lab, they inject him with a serum they’ve been working with. Sadly, the serum turns the man into a murderous werewolf.

• Directed by: Fred F. Sears
• Writing Credits: Robert E. Kent & James B. Gordon
• Produced by: Sam Katzman
• Cinematography by: Edward Linden (director of photography)
• Makeup Dept: Clay Campbell (makeup artist) (uncredited)
• Selected Cast:
  • Steven Ritch as The Werewolf / Duncan Marsh
  • Don Megowan as Sheriff Jack Haines
  • Joyce Holden as Amy Standish
  • Eleanore Tanin as Mrs. Helen Marsh
  • Kim Charney as Chris Marsh
  • Harry Lauter as Deputy Ben Clovey
  • Larry J. Blake as Hank Durgis
  • Ken Christy as Dr. Jonas Gilcrist
  • James Gavin as Mack Fanning
  • S. John Launer as Dr. Emery Forrest
  • George Lynn as Dr. Morgan Chambers (credited as George M. Lynn)
  • George Cisar as Hoxie
  • Don C. Harvey as Deputy (uncredited)
  • Jean Harvey as Ma Everett (uncredited)
  • Charles Horvath as Joe Mitchell (uncredited)
  • Fred F. Sears as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Low-budget films driven by fads were the forte of producer Sam Katzman (Rock Around the Clock, 1956). Pair that with director Fred F. Sears (Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, 1956), who is known for bringing films in on time and under budget. Now add Clay Campbell, makeup artist for The Return of the Vampire (1943); Don Megowan, the on-land Gill-Man in The Creature Walks Among Us (1956); and a cast filled with extraordinary character actors, and you get The Werewolf (1956), a surprisingly good science fiction version of lycanthropy! The Grue-Crew had great fun in their talkabout of this lesser-known werewolf film that preceded I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957).

At the time of this writing, The Werewolf (1956) is available to stream from Tubi and PPV from Amazon and AppleTV. It’s also available on physical media as one of 4 films included in Cold War Creatures: Four Films from Sam Katzman (4-Disc Standard Special Edition) [Blu-ray] from Arrow Video. The other films included are Creature with the Atom Brain (1955), Zombies of Mora Tau (1957), and The Giant Claw (1957).

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Doc – is The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)! Yes, the last of the Beach Party movies starring Deborah Walley, Tommy Kirk, and a bit of Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Eric von Zipper, anyone? 

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To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”