Review of Teen Wolf (1985) by Sara T — 19 Apr 2011

Re-watched after 26 years and realized what a great film this still is! Of course I loved it at 13 because I was deeply in love with MJF. But 26 years later, this movie is still captivating and extremely clever.

For example, this kid is changing into a werewolf and he's standing in the bathroom freaking out with his Dad outside the door demanding to know what's going on, and the kid is probably praying his Dad is thinking he's masturbating instead of turning into a werewolf, and after his Dad insists he open the door, the kid does and there's his Dad standing there and he's a wolf, too.

So classic! And what about Stiles? Whoever heard of a kid like that in highschool? I love that they made a very strangely dressed, very weird kid into the school slicko hustler type, who has a heart of gold, not to mention a very strange girlfriend.

My only complaint is about the scene in the closet at the party. Though Boof is a great gal, there needs to be a moment in the film that effectively introduces her as a romantic figure in Scott's mind.

When that moment comes in the closet, they make out, and then Scott gets too physical and Boof slaps him. But if they'd shot it as a moment when Scott got really turned on and wanted more, and then Stiles opens the door and Boof walks away with a wink of satisfaction, and you see Scott wanting more.

That would've been great. And you still could've had her walk away with her shirt ripped. Then it would make sense that Scott finally sees her as a girlfriend at the end. There's so many great things about this movie, and MJF is most of the reason it's great, although the performances by the Dad, Stiles, their younger friend, and Chubby are fantastic and endearing and make me happy.

And Pam is so deliciously awful after the night of bowling. She plays a great antagonist; way out at the other end of the good-person spectrum. I love this movie! Super clever! Super MJF!