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The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973) / House Of Blood (1973)





First up in my weekend double feature was this fun little flick about a werewolf that terrorizes a community in the woods.











A boy and his father drive up to their mountain cabin for a getaway. The father is divorced from the boy’s mother, but his son hopes that Mom & Dad will eventually get back together. They go out walking at night and get attacked by a werewolf. The Dad manages to fight it off and push it over a hillside, where it gets impaled and transforms back into a man. During the struggle, the Dad got bitten on the arm. This leads him to eventually turn into a werewolf and go on a killing spree, and when his son figures this out and tries to tell everyone, including his mother and sheriff, no one believes him. 













The movie is goofy and entertaining, with the various werewolf attacks, lots of colorful characters (including the grumpy sheriff, a superstitious psychiatrist, and a hippy preacher and his followers), the over-dramatic acting, and the goofy werewolf make-up, with gray hair and long snout. One thing I found hilarious (and there were quite a few), is that a lot of scenes supposedly take place at night, even though it’s clearly daytime. The actor gives a very enthusiastic performance, making his werewolf quite animated. The monster also gets a lot of screen time, unlike some older flicks where it’s not fully revealed until the end. If you’re a fan of these wolfy retro flicks, you’ll most likely enjoy this one. I streamed it on YouTube.









The next movie was also from 1973, an outrageous yarn called House Of Blood.





A nurse named Jennifer takes a job in a creepy old mansion, taking care of the sick wife of a rich businessman in San Francisco. The wife is a mean bitch, who constantly berates Jennifer, there’s a creepy housekeeper who doesn’t speak, but at least Emmett, Jennifer’s employer, treats her well and is always kind. While out on her day off, Jennifer encounters her estranged ex boyfriend Mark who just got out of jail. He tries to win her back with the promise that he’ll take care of her and their son, who’s staying with Jennifer’s mother. She tries to resist him, but eventually gives in.












One night, the mean old bat that Jennifer is caring for kills herself in a bathtub. Jennifer feels guilty, but Emmett tells her that it wasn’t her fault, and eventually he reveals feelings for her. Jennifer’s sleazy ex convinces her to marry the rich old man, so that they can have money to run off together. Eventually, the dead woman’s sister arrives, leading to a bunch of scheming and double crossing to get Emmett’s money.













The flick plays like a soap opera, with twists, back-stabbing, shady characters and motivations, and murder attempts. It results in a plot that’s entertaining as hell, with bad acting, strange camera angles, and a few scenes of bloody (though tame) mayhem. If you’re a fan of obscure cult films like Dear Dead Delilah, then you just might enjoy House Of Blood aka House Of Terror. I streamed this one on YouTube as well.








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