| The Werewolf of Washington | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Milton Moses Ginsberg |
| Written by | Milton Moses Ginsberg |
| Produced by | Nina Schulman Stephen A. Miller |
| Starring | Dean Stockwell Biff McGuire Clifton James Michael Dunn |
| Cinematography | Robert M. Baldwin |
| Edited by | Milton Moses Ginsberg |
| Music by | Arnold Freed |
| Distributed by | Diplomat |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Hungarian |
The Werewolf of Washington is a 1973horror comedy film written and directed byMilton Moses Ginsberg and starringDean Stockwell. Produced by Nina Schulman, it satirizes several individuals inRichard Nixon's administration.
Jack Whittier (Dean Stockwell) is the press secretary for the White House and for thePresident of the United States. While on assignment inHungary, he is bitten by awolf who actually turns out to be a man. When Jack tries to report it, he believes it is the work ofCommunists. He then meets a gypsy woman who tells him it was her son and he needed to die to be saved. She then gives him a charm and tells him to be careful now that he may suffer the same effects.
When he returns toWashington D.C., he is assigned to the President (Biff McGuire); he has also been having an affair with the President's daughter Marion (Jane House). Jack suddenly starts to feel different changes about him whenever the moon is full. Numerous murders suddenly occur all over Washington, all related to the President's staff. Jack is now convinced that he is awerewolf; when he tries to explain this to his superior, Commander Salmon (Beeson Carroll), the latter does not believe him. Jack then presents a pattern of where the murders have happened in the shape of apentagram; he convinces him (Salmon) to lock him in his apartment and restrain him and also to be documented. The President needs Jack for a special interview with the Chinese prime minister; however, Jack starts to change into a werewolf and he attacks the President.
He then leaves for Marion, who then shoots him with a silver bullet, thus killing him and changing him back to his human form. Many witnesses decide to cover up the act saying Jack bravely came into the line of fire.
In audio over theclosing credits, the President addresses the nation. At the very end, he starts to change into a werewolf.
The film was originally released theatrically in theUnited States by Diplomat in 1973. After it performed underwhelmingly in initial engagements, the title was changed toWerewolf at Midnight, and ads stopped drawing attention to its political themes.
OnVHS andDVD, the film has been released by various labels over the years with questionable legitimacy to the rights and subpar presentations. It was also released on DVD byShout Factory as part of theElvira's Movie Macabre series, hosted byElvira, played byCassandra Peterson.
In 2023,Kino Lorber released the film onblu-ray. The release featured the theatrical cut of the film as well as a director's cut prepared by Ginsberg shortly before his death in 2021.[1]
It was released recenetly on the K/L label:https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Werewolf-of-Washington-Blu-ray/309614/
