Werewolves Roam Among Us: Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000)

Mr. Talbot is a werewolf! And I’m not going to rest until I prove it.

I love this film! It’s one of my favorite Halloween specials. I used to watch this every year as they would air it on Cartoon Network as part of their Saturday Night Creature Double Features, pairing it up with Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein.

So Alvin is a huge Monster movie fan (just like me :D).

The film starts off with Alvin having horrible nightmares of meeting the Wolfman.

And wakes up screaming!

Simon and Dave think that Alvin is watching far too many horror films. Hey he is just doing his part in protecting America.

Alvin doesn’t like his new neighbor, Lawrence Talbot and thinks he is a werewolf!

And you guys didn’t miss that. It is the same name from the original Wolf Man film.

At school, Theodore isn’t having the best time. A kid Nathan is bullying him. Alvin sticks up for Theodore, but he can’t be with him all the time. The principal calls Dave in talk about this, but neither has the best plan of attack as Theodore won’t report it.

There is a problem with Alvin though. They are worried that he is a little too obsessed with monsters. He is the lead in the play version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dave tells Alvin that if he catches him “monster hunting” around his neighbor, he is going to kiss his part good-bye.

Good-bye

Alvin doesn’t stop and loses his part, although he tries to weasel his way out.

The principal decides to give the lead to Theodore in hopes that it will help boost his self-esteem.

Losing the part doesn’t stop Alvin as he and Simon still search to discover if there are werewolves. And if their neighbor is one.

Theodore is trying to become a Mr. Hyde that everyone desires, but isn’t doing the best job. He’s just too sweet to play someone so evil.  Eleanor offers to help him out, which is a dream come true for Theodore as he is majorly crushing on her.

That night Theordore walks home and he gets bit by a dog.

The next day Theodore is acting strangely…

He is more assertive. He gives Eleanor a token of his love. He stands up to Nathan. He even is a perfect Mr. Hyde. But it doesn’t stop there, Theodore ends up becoming meaner and meaner. The Theodore we all knew and loved has almost completely disappeared.

In fact he changes so much that he becomes a werewolf.

“[Theodore has turned into a werewolf but is acting playful]

Simon: He’s like a-a-a puppy.

Alvin: A werewolf puppy.”

They try to figure out what to do to change him back, but keep coming up with nil. They then decide to contact a psychic gypsy woman for help.

She tells them that Theodore has been changing rapidly and is close to becoming a full on werewolf…FOREVER!!! The only way to stop the full on transformation is to knock him around with a silver cane while he is still in the “puppy stage”.

Alvin breaks into Mr. Talbot’s house to steal his cane to use on Theodore. However, he accidentally bangs into Dave, who takes it away to return it. As Dave goes to returns the cane it becomes night. And not just night, but a night with a full moon. This causes Mr. Talbot to transform.

Dave runs away and tries to get to the school to warn and protect the kids, but accidentally knocks himself out in the process.

At the school Theodore transforms into a werewolf and starts attacking Eleanor, but sees the necklace that he gave her and remembers his feelings. He flees into the forest and Eleanor follows. So does Mr. Talbot.

Theodore attacks Mr. Talbot to protect Eleanor and the two get involved in a werewolf battle. The two biting each actually cures them both and turns them into humans. The crowds believe to be part of the play and applaud. And it’s a wrap! Mr. Talbot becomes the next principal.

It’s a great film for kids and adults. Not only is it a tasteful remake, but it is also is a hilarious cartoon.

To start Horrorfest III from the beginning, go to Even a Man Pure of Heart

For the previous post, go to Don’t F*** With the Original

For more on Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, go to Part X: The Movie List That Would Not Die!

For more on Alvin and the Chipmunks, go to On the 6th,5th,4th,3rd,2nd, & 1st Days ‘Til Christmas

For more on The Wolf Man (1941), go to Who’s Afraid of Cory Wolf?

For more on werewolves, go to Monster Movie

For more monster movies, go to You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

For more films based on cartoons, go to Redone Done Right

For more modern remakes, go to Keep Clear Of the Moor. Beware the Moon

Unleash the Savage Instincts that Lie Hidden Within: I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1957)

 

I’m going to TRANSFORM him, and unleash the savage instincts that lie hidden within… 

So this is another werewolf film, and a B horror film, that doesn’t end well. And to be perfectly honest that’s how I like them.

As depressing as that sounds, I like it when the werewolf story ends like that that because it’s closer to the original story. Here we have a good man, who has been turned into something he doesn’t want to be and can’t control. It’s sad and poetic at the same time.

So the big reason I watched this film was because it first of all was about a werewolf, which you all know I love. And it stars Michael Landon.

So the story is about Tony Rivers (Michael Landon) a boy who is known for losing his temper. His dad is constantly telling him he should get help for his anger problems, but Tony won’t listen. He doesn’t believe he has any issues at all. After a really bad fight on campus with a classmate, the police get involved. The Detective urges Tony to meet up with a psychologist. The thing that really pushes him to reform is his girlfriend Arlene (Yvonne Lime). She tells him he has too many issues and she can’t date a guy like that. At a party that night he attacks his friend when he surprises him, and that pushes him into seeking help from the acclaimed Dr. Alfred Brandon.

Now this is what makes the whole story so sad. He is earnestly trying to get help and fix his problems, but everything goes bad as he turns to the evil Doctor. I tell ya, I don’t trust doctors (unless they are Michael Rennie), as they always turn out evil. Dr. Hartz from The Lady Vanishes (1938), Dr. Hollingshead from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), Dr. Einstein from Arsenic and Old Lace (1944),  Dr. Arthur Carrington from The Thing From Another World (1951), and that’s just to name a few.

Anyways, so the Dr. Brandon has no intention of helping Tony out. Instead he wants to experiment on him, testing out this serum he created to bring out people’s primitive instincts. His assistant tries to convince him not to, but Dr. Brandon won’t listen.

“Dr Hugo Wagner: But you’re sacrificing a human life!

Dr Alfred Brandon: Do you cry over a guinea pig? This boy is a free police case. We’re probably saving him from the gas chamber.

Dr Hugo Wagner: But the boy is so young, the transformation horrible –

Dr Alfred Brandon: And you call yourself a scientist! That’s why you’ve never been more than an assistant.”

That night the teens all go hangout at a party. One of the guys, Frank, is killed while he is walking home from the party.

Victim #1

The next day the police are studying the scene and trying to figure out what could have done this. The police station’s janitor, an emigrant from the Carpathian Mountains, looks at the photos and determines that it was a werewolf that did it. In his hometown “human beings possessed by wolves” are common, so he declares that nothing else could have killed the boy.

The next day, Tony goes back for a second session in which he tells the doctor that he feels like something is wrong with him. The doctor brushes it off and Tony continues on his way. That day his principal calls him into her office and tells him how happy she is with the improvement. She is going to recommend him entry to the State University.

I know this won’t end well

It really gets me because he is so hopeful and sweet, yet you know, you know nothing will end well.

So Tony is happy, now that he has a future and a ticket to be something. As he walks to class the bell rings, triggering his transformation.

And he attacks Theresa, his classmate, who is practicing nearby.

Victim #2

Tony flees for his life, and even though he looks wolfish, people recognize him and put out an APB. A reporter goes to his father and girlfriend to find out more about him and get a scoop. Meanwhile, the police follow Tony, siccing dogs after him, but Tony takes them down.

In the morning, Tony wakes up in his true form. He tries to talk to Arlene but can’t get anywhere with her as she is too freaked. He then runs down to Dr. Brandon’s office to get his help.  Dr. Brandon lies to Tony, telling him he will help him but in reality injects him with the serum. Tony starts to transform when the phone rings and it causes Tony to go berserk, attacking the Dr. and assistant. Right then the police charge in and take Tony out (even though they don’t use silver bullets. Although they don’t need to as he isn’t a true werewolf but a manmade one). When they do so, Tony returns. But dead.

Doesn’t it just get you in the feels?

It’s just so sad. He wanted the help, he wanted to be better; but just went to the wrong person and everything in his life went downhill.

This was one of the films created by studios to branch into the teenage crowd. They would do “Creature Double Features” at movie theaters (as shown in The Blob) and drive ins. They were usually short films and teenagers were the focal characters as that was who they were trying to appeal to. Other films were The Blob (1958), Invasion of the Saucer Men, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, Blood of Dracula, How to Make a Monster, Village of the Giants, etc. 

Here is a facebook cover I made one year, as part of my countdown to Halloween

To start Horrorfest III from the beginning, go to Even a Man Pure of Heart

For the previous post, go to Let Them Fight

For more on werewolves, go to A Monster Race

For more mad scientists, go to In Their Proper Place

For more remakes given a teenage twist, go to You’re Just Too Good To Be True

A Monster Race: Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988)

Ah but soon there will be a new monster inside, the moon is moving quickly into position…we must turn Shaggy into a werewolf!

Like I mentioned Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, this is a movie I used to watch all the time as a kid; and still do as my nieces and nephew are always bugging me to watch it with them. We’re all big Scooby fans.

They used to show this all the time in October on Cartoon Network, during their Saturday night Creature Double Feature.  They would also show Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, and Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost. My sister and I used to watch these all the time.

So the story starts out with Dracula getting ready for his grand monster race. He has a multitude of monsters assembked; Frankenstein and his wife Repulsa, The Mummy, The Witch Sisters, Mr. Bonejangles the skeleton, Dr. Jackal/Mr. Synde (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), The Swamp Thing, and Dreadonia. The only person missing is the Wolf Man. It turns out that he retired and is vacationing in Florida.

“Dracula: What I want to know is, where’s my werewolf?

They can’t have a monster race without all the monsters present.

Everything seems hopeless until Vanna Pira (Vanna White/Vampira), asks why they can’t just get a new one. So Dracula pulls out his book of possible people to become monsters, and finds that the next person who can become a werewolf is none other than Shaggy. Dracula sends his henchmen, the Hunch Bunch, to go and make sure he turns into one. They have three days to do it.

We switch to Shaggy and the gang, who at this point is Scooby-Doo, Scrappy, and Shaggy’s girlfriend Googy. This suprised me as Shaggy has never had a girlfriend in the series/movies before, and after this video, we never see her again.

Anyways, so in this movie they are no longer P.E. instructors but are race car drivers. Shaggy and Scooby are actually really good and have a cool car that is all tricked out. They struggle through the race for a bit, but are able to defeat the other teams and win. They are happily celebrating, not knowing what is about to occur.

The next day Shaggy and Scooby are hanging out at home trying to watch a monster movie when the Hunch Bunch arrive. Only Scooby sees them, and he tries to tell Shaggy and Scrappy but neither of them believe him.

“Shaggy: Monsters through the roof, huh? 
Scooby- Doo: That’s right. 
Shaggy: Okay so then where’s the hole? 
Scooby- Doo: [points up] Up there. 
Shaggy: Where? 
Scooby- Doo: Right up… [looks up and sees the ceiling in one piece] Huh? 
Scrappy Doo: Don’t worry Uncle Scooby, we still love ya, even if ya are a wacko.”

The Hunch Bunch are foiled in their plan tonight, but eagerly await the next day to try again. This time the Doos and Shaggy are at the supermarket; and once again the Hunch Bunch Brothers fail, but both Shaggy and Scrappy think that Scooby is crazy.

The next night, Shaggy and Googie are on a date at the drive-in. Scooby and Scrappy also came along.

“Scrappy Doo: Thanks for taking us on your date with Googie to the drive-in, Shag. 
Shaggy: Confidentially I didn’t want to leave your Uncle Scooby home alone, you know how he’s been seeing things that aren’t there lately?” 

Meanwhile, the Hunch Bunch twins are finally sucessful, positioning Shaggy just right so that he becomes a werewolf!

The only problem is, Shaggy has the hiccups! Everytime he hiccups he switches from human to werewolf. 

No one notices that he is a werewolf, but he leaves to get something from the snack bar to settle his stomach. He ends up scaring everyone there, as they all  start trying to chase him down. He finally gets set as a werewolf, and realizes that he is the one everyone is after. At first his friends don’t believe him, but he is finally able to convince them he’s Shaggy. Dracula & Co come after them, spraying them with knockout spray and whisking them away to Dracula’s castle.

Here in the castle, Drac wakes them up and introduces them to the crew.

They are of course freaked out and try to get away. Shaggy tries to get Dracula to change him back, but Dracula doesn’t want to. Eventually they strike a deal where if Shaggy races and wins then he can be human again.

Of course Dracula wants Shaggy to fail, so first he tries to get them to spend all night at the pre-race party. When that doesn’t work he sends the Hunch Bunch to keep him up all night. That also fails and Dracula decides to wreck the Wolfmobile.

All of Dracula’s attempts fail as Shaggy and Scooby are able to fix everything.

“Dracula: I thought I told you to fix that werewolf car so that he couldn’t win the race. 
Brunch: Ah yes master, but Shaggy unfixed it. 
Dracula: Well then you un-unfix it. “

The race ensues with everyone cheating to win. Each car has tricks up their sleeves and they use them Throughout the film many cars crash and are totaled, but in the next scene they will show up as good as new.

Ah! If only I was a cartoon

Throughout the whole race Dracula does everything in his power to try and stop Shaggy, but everything fails. Googy and Scrappy really lend a hand in helping him out, even bringing him a spare engine. At one point Dracula sends Genghis Kong their way, but they are even able to get out of that mess!

Everyone: A nightmare called Genghis Kong!
Scrappy: He’s got uncle Scooby. You let go of my uncle, or I’m going to ring your gong, Kong.

Eventually the best racer, Shaggy, wins!

He demands that Dracula changes him back, but he doesn’t want to. He tells Shaggy there is no way to change back, but Vanna Pira reveals that the Book of Grim has the words that can change him into a human.

They gang has to defeat Dracula and then Shaggy is turned back into a human.

Shaggy: Oogly boogly wobbly wye, no more a werewolf am i, I’m [gulp] going to be a normal guy.

Everything is back to normal and the gang returns home.

They are just hanging out watching a scary movie when Shaggy starts eating too fast and getting the hiccups again. Googy warns him that he might become a werewolf again, but Shaggy is sure that they won’t go through any of that again.

“Shaggy: Oh, come on Googy, lighten up. Believe me, we’re through with those werewolves and vampires and monsters forever.

Dracula: That’s what he thinks.

Dracula and the Hunch Bunch: [In Chorus] ♪♪ We’re Back!♪♪”

To start Horrorfest from the beginning, go to I Don’t Belong in the World

 To go to the previous film, go to Grimwood Ghoul’s Gym Teacher

For more on monster movies, go to Universal’s Classic Monster Movies

For more on Dracula, go to I Bid You Welcome

To purchase a copy of this film, click on the image below:

Grimwood Ghouls’ Gym Teacher: Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)

Maybe I shouldn’t have taken this job as a gym teacher.

I love this film so much! I remember that I used to watch this all the time as a kid on TV when Fall would come around. I still do as I love it, and my nieces and nephew are always bugging me to watch it with them. We are all big Scooby fans.

Cartoon Network on Sarurdays used to be the greatest. They would to show Boomerang, and have Scooby-Doo marathons. And every Saturday night they used to do a double film feature. During October they used to do a Creature Double Feature and would show Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf, Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, Scooby-Doo and Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, and Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost. My sister and I used to watch these all the time. My all time favorite  was always Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. I loved that they refrenced old monster movies, and I remember wanting to be Sibella because I though she was the prettiest of all the “ghouls”.

So the story starts out with Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy all going to Grimwood School for Girls to be P.E. teachers. Every year the girls compete against the Calloway military school at a volleyball game and lose; so this year Ms. Grimwood decides to hire someone to coach them. Fred, Daphne, and Velma aren’t there with them for some reason.

So when the guys get there, they discover that the school is for GHOULS not GIRLS! They being Shaggy and Scooby, are totally terrified and want to leave, but Scappy convices them to stay and hang out.

So the ghouls are Sibella, Dracula’s daughter,

It’s fangtastic to meet you

Winne the Wolfman’s daughter,

Hellooooooooo!

Elsa Frankenteen, Frankenteen (Frankenstein)’s daughter (her name also alludes to Elsa Lanchester who was in the Bride of Frankenstein),

Hello der

Tanis daughter of the Mummy,

And Phanty (Phantasma) the Phantom’s daughter. I think they are alluding to the Phantom of the Opera because she plays the organ, but they actually make her a ghost in this.

There is also a dragon named Matches and they also allude to The Adam’s Family by having a mobile hand crawling around.

So anyways; Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy start preparing the girls for the tournament. All are eager to win, espechially Tanis who wants to put the trophy in her mumuy case, and Winnie who wants to teach the Calloway Cadets a lesson.

I love the cheesy, punny lines in this film. “It’s Batastic”, “This helps me unwind”, and “it’s a real Howl”.

Couldn’t resist

Meanwhile the Cadets are also preparing for the tournament. In fact Tug, the leader of the group, has created a remote control volleyball so that they are sure to win.

There’s no way we’ll lose

However, everything that Tug creates ends up blowing up. Usually hurting him or the captain of the Academy.

The next day, they have the tournament where the boys try out their secret weapon.

As cheaters always get what’s coming to them, the boys lose due to their attempt. The remote control they have ends up getting swallowed by Scooby-Doo, and his hiccuping with it helps the girls win.

The next day the school is all in a flutter as they are having an open house. All the monster dads are going to come which starts freaking Scooby and Shaggy out as they realize they will have The Mummy, Wolfman, Dracula, Phantom, and Frankenteen all under one roof.

They have a fun time, but then all the monsters let Shaggy and Scooby know that if anything happens to their daughter and her friends; their lives are OVER!

Unbeknowest to them all, evil lurks in the area. Revolta, the evil swamp witch wants to kidnap the girls and turn them into her evil slaves.

She uses her evil spider bats to spin webs around Shaggy’s head, convincing him to take the ghouls out on a jog through the swamp. The girls love it, but pretty soon the Spider Bats have captured all the girls, and Revolta spirits them away to her lair.

The Calloway boys see what’s happening, but don’t do anything. They are supposed to be going on a hike through the swamp as well are trying to just get back home.

It’s up to Scooby, Shaggy, Scrappy, and Matches to save the day. In Revolta’s lair they have to defeat evil mirror monsters and giant swamp creatures to try and save the girls.

In the end they are captured and Scooby-Doo is turned into a frog. Revolta hooks all the ghouls up to her machines to make them her evil minions, but before she can finish Scooby is able to jump around and cut off the tubes, having all the girls turn back to normal. They then use Revolta’s wand to get rid of her and the Calloway boys come back and save the day using a helicopter they created.

At the end, the ghouls and cadets have a big party and dance the night away. The monsters also come and join in.

Scooby and Shaggy are feeling really confident with themselves, when Ms. Grimwood introduces the newest recruits. One of which is The Creature from the Black Lagoon’s daughter,

And what appears to be The Great Gila Monster’s or Godzilla’s daughter.

This is too much for Shaggy and Scooby as they cannot handle any more ghouls and monsters. They quickly grab Scrappy and jet outta there. It ends with them waving good-bye to everyone, and heading out on the road to a new place.

Good-bye!

 

To start Horrorfest from the beginning, go to I Don’t Belong In the World

To go to the previous post, go to The Only Thing That Matters is the Ending

To purchase a copy of this film,  click on the image below: