"Moon Of The Wolf" -1972 A made-for-TV movie that lives up to all the hype you have come to expect from under-budgeted TV specials. First, let's address the DVD cover pictured above. That's David Janssen (you might know him from the non-sucky TV show "The Fugitive"). He wasn't the werewolf. Plus he played the Sheriff, who never once had a jacket on. Then there's the girl who looks like she's on an episode of "Cops", turning to surrender. ("That *bleep* ain't mine, man! I was just holding it for this *bleep* I know, man! This is bull*bleep*") I have no idea who this chick is supposed to be. If she's in the show, I missed it. No clue. So, to summarise the DVD cover: utter bull*bleep*.

The woman who WAS in the movie (there are basically two women: the girl found dead in the Buy-You and the rich one the Sheriff has a crush on) is Barbara Rush, a veteran actress who has a few B-movie appearances in some of my favourites, like "When Worlds Collide" (1951) and "It Came From Outer Space" (1953). She's a gas! Barbara played the rich one. Some poor girl played the corpse, since we never see her face.

Geoffrey Lewis, a wonderful character actor you would immediately recognise if you ever had a TV on in the 70's or 80's, plays the wild-eyed local who's faceless sister gets made into Werewolf Helper down in the Buy-You (they keep saying it like that). He's famous for being in "Any Which Way But Loose" with Clint Eastwood, but he was in TONS of stuff from "Flo" and "Falcon Crest" all the way up to "The Devil's Rejects". If I remember right, one of the killers encourages him to "pray to your God" while he cuts his throat in that.

Which leaves John Beradino, who played a doctor in every single thing you ever saw him in, including this. Most famous for being on General Hospital, where he played a.........doctor. *Gasp!* Poor bastard.

The "plot" such as it is, is this: Sheriff Fugitive investigates the (we assume) grisly murder of a (we assume) beautiful young woman who's body is found face-down in the Bayou. (Sorry "Buy-You"). All the locals gather to see, 'cause it's Saturday and there's nothing good on TV. Faceless Girl's obviously much older and considerably uglier brother, Any Flo Crest But Loose, shows and blows a gasket. This guy did sweaty and wild-eyed before Jack Nicolson made it cool. Once brother and locals are shooed away, the Doctor-That-Always-Plays-A-Doctor admits to Sheriff Fugitive that he was doinking the Faceless Girl. That, really, is the single biggest mystery of this whole movie, 'cause he all ol' and junk!

After A LOT of gabbing and reminiscing between Sheriff Fugitive and Veteran B-Movie Actress Crush Woman, we stumble upon the idea that this may be the work of a supernatural being! *Gasp!* Yes, it would seem that the average person does not have the ability to overpower an armed Deputy and rip the bars of a jail door so he can chaw on Mr. Wild Eyes. And that took 39 minutes to get to. The whole movie is just over an hour long, people! Let's get crack-a-lackin'!

As you can see from the still of the Werewolf/German Shepard dude, the vast majority of the $137 budget went into make-up and special effects....*cough* Yes, well at any rate....

Long story short, SPOILER ALERT!, it's the Rich-Ass Brother of The Rich Woman who turns out to be the dog. I mean Werewolf.

He even crashes through a hospital window just to prove it. The sister has to use bullets blessed by a priest (no, really!) to kill her hairy-knuckled brother. He expires but not before giving us a good chuckle at his expense.

I learned very little from this movie with the following exceptions: 1- You don't need a budget for special effects if you don't show the Werewolf for half the movie, 2- this is the only movie I know of where you can kill a mystical monster with holy bullets....I mean, I had no idea Sylvester Stallone was even ordained, 3- it took 37 minutes for this show to reveal a hairy hand, and another 20 minutes after that to see the dog!...I mean Werewolf, 4- this movie would have made a better drama concerning the low-income Sheriff trying to get together with his high school crush, the well-to-do Rich Woman and having to deal with her over protective brother, who just happens to be a Werewolf. That would have worked.