The Werewolf (1956), dir. Fred F. Sears, Sam Katzman Productions
Horror was changing by the 1950s. Crumbling castles and spooky crypts gave way to UFOs and atomic menaces. So seeing an honest to god monster warms the cockles I'll tell you.
A man (Steven Ritch) stumbles into a bar in a small snowbound hamlet. He has no idea who he is or even where he is. He leaves the bar much the same way, but when a mugger tries to take advantage of him, he turns into a werewolf and mauls him to death.
Deputy Clovey (Harry Lauter), who was in the bar at the time. He and two other fellows give chase and track the monster up into the hills. Noticing how odd the tracks go from shoes to paw prints, Clovey sends the other two back to town to get Sheriff Haines (Don Megowan). Clovey then runs into something that chews him up pretty bad but he'd still alive when the sheriff finds him.
While a posse is formed and roadblocks set up, a pair of doctors arrive in town. Chambers (George Lynn) and Forrest (S. John Launer) are rather keen to help. Not because of any ethics or humanitarian leanings, no, it seems they are responsible for the werewolf stalking the area and they wish to find and or kill him before he blabs or identifies them.
Another player shows up at the same time; Mrs. Marsh (Eleanore Tanin) and her son Chris (Kim Charney)are looking their husband/father Duncan. His car was reported near the town and wouldn't you know it, our hairy friend just happens to match the description of Duncan?
Shockingly good; we have a by the numbers monster flick but handled in a fairly deft way. Marsh is a pitiable character yet the whole werewolf thing is handled as a scientific monster and not a mystic curse of some kind.
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