Moon of the Wolf

Southern Gothic murder mystery with a werewolf

A young woman is found dead near a bayou town in Louisiana. Was she slain by wild dogs, a person or… a werewolf? The Sheriff (David Janssen) has several suspects: the doctor (John Beradino), the woman’s brother (Geoffrey Lewis), a swamp yokel (John Davis Chandler) and the town aristocrat (Bradford Dillman). Barbara Rush is on hand as the latter’s sister and the Sheriff’s potential romantic interest.

“Moon of the Wolf” (1972) debuted on TV as a Movie of the Week, which was known for producing some really good or even great modest-budget productions, like “Tribes” (1970), “Duel” (1971), “The Night Stalker” (1972), “Kung Fu” (1972), “Short Walk to Daylight” (1972), “Go Ask Alice” (1973), “Pray for the Wildcats” (1974), "Dracula" with Jack Palance (1974) and “Trilogy of Terror” (1975).

As my title blurb says, this one’s a Southern Gothic murder mystery at heart. Despite the werewolf element, it should be enjoyed by anyone who likes Southern Gothics, whether crime dramas, mysteries or horrors, especially from the 60s-80s, like “In the Heat of the Night” (1967), “Squirm” (1976), “Cat People” (1982), “The Skeleton Key” (2005), and so on.

Keeping in mind that it’s a television production from the early 70s with the limitations thereof, the cast is great and the Deep South ambiance is authentic.

The film doesn’t overstay its welcome at a mere 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was shot in Clinton (town) & Burnside (Rodanthe estate), Louisiana.

GRADE: B-