Carl Kolchak (a terrifically zesty performance by Darren McGavin) finds himself in yet another dire situation when he's trapped on an ocean liner with lethal and tormented werewolf Bernhardt Stieglitz (well played with gripping intensity by Eric Braeden). Director Allen Baron, working from a smart and absorbing script by David Chase and Paul Playdon, relates the compelling story at a constant snappy pace, expertly builds a considerable amount of claustrophobic tension, and stages the werewolf attack scenes with real rip-roaring gusto. The sturdy acting from an able cast rates as another substantial asset: Simon Oakland as Kolchak's perpetually irritable editor Tony Vincenzo, Henry Jones as the stern, by-the-book Captain Julian Wells, Nita Talbot as perky classic movie buff Paula Griffin, Richard Gautier as merry swinger Mel Tarter, and Jack Grinnage as fussy wimp Ron Updyke. Ronald W. Browne's polished cinematography makes inspired use of snazzy freeze frames. Jerry Fielding's robust shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. Kolchak's climactic confrontation with the werewolf is truly exciting and suspenseful. Only the regrettably shoddy werewolf make-up fails to impress. A fun and enjoyable show.
Review of The Werewolf
