A mob of villagers gathers for HOUSE OF THE WOLFMAN

The moon was nearly full, rising ominously over Hollywood, when I arrived at the grand old Vista T heater for the premiere of Eben McGarr’s HOUSE OF THE WOLFMAN. The crumbling Egyptian glamour of the Vista was a perfect setting for the screening, with hundreds of fans and cast and crew — including star Ron Chaney — in attendance.  It was a packed house, and everyone was anxious to see the great old monsters of the silver screen rise from their graves.

“But other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?” you ask? Well, I’m pleased to say that HOUSE brings a lot of atmosphere, a bunch of laughs, and a pleasant dose of classic chills to the screen. Shot in black and white, with lavish sets and beautiful production design and cinematography, HOUSE OF THE WOLFMAN is the story of five people summoned to the isolated estate of the sinister Dr. Bela Reinhardt (Chaney). (All of them arriving during a driving thunderstorm, naturally.) It doesn’t take long for the story to take on some affectionate satiric overtones, with particularly funny schtick from comic relief character Conrad “Sully” Sullivan (Jeremie Loncka). There’s also plenty of 1940s-style cheesecake on display from Elmira Cray (Cheryl Rodes), with the cast of visitors rounded out by a great white hunter type and two all-American kids (Jim Thalman, Sara Raftery, and Dustin Fitzsimons, respectively).

Ron Chaney, armed with silver

The pacing is stately, and the plot doesn’t quite hold together, but who cares? You have a ghoul (writer-director McGarr), a mad doctor (Chaney), a witch (who comes dangerously close to stealing the show), and the Big Three: The Wolfman, the Frankenstein Monster, and Count Dracula. How can you go wrong?

Well, if you look at this truly independent little picture as an exercise in good old-fashioned fun, you really can’t. The monster fights deliver, the comedy tickles (listen closely to the hunter’s footmen and their “tribal African” dialogue), the visual in-jokes peppered here and there (explorers have apparently already found fossils in the Black Lagoon of Brazil) are a delight, and the musical score is just right.

HOUSE OF THE WOLFMAN is a howl, and the premiere was a great way to start the month of Hallowe’en off right.  See it yourself, the very first chance you get.

(All photography by Richard A. Becker)