Teen Wolf
Encyclopedia
Teen Wolf is a 1985
American fantasy
comedy
film
released by Atlantic Releasing Corporation
starring Michael J. Fox
as Scott Howard, a high school student who discovers that his family has an unusual pedigree when he finds himself transforming into a werewolf
. The film was directed by Rod Daniel
based on a script co-written by Joseph Loeb III
and Matthew Weisman.
The film was followed by a sequel in 1987 entitled Teen Wolf Too
, an animated TV series which ran on CBS
from 1986 to 1987, and a current live-action TV series
which premiered on MTV
in June 2011.
Harold never told his son about the condition because "sometimes it skips a generation" and he was hoping it wouldn't happen to Scott. Scott first reveals his transformation to the public at one of his basketball games, after getting pinned in a pile-up. After momentarily stunning the crowd with The Wolf, Scott goes on to wow them with his basketball skills and he finishes the game with a quadruple double.
Scott subsequently learns to use his family "curse" to gain popularity at school, becoming the team's star basketball player, and learns to transform at will between his normal self and The Wolf. His basketball team goes from last to first, and Scott begins spending most of his school time as The Wolf. He also wins the interest of Pamela while ignoring the affections of his best friend, Boof, who has loved him since childhood.
Scott's other best friend Stiles, a party animal with an entrepreneurial streak, quickly cashes in on Scott's new-found popularity, selling Teen Wolf T-shirts and other merchandise. Stiles' "wolfmania" reaches such extremes that he trades in his own vehicle for a stepvan dubbed "Wolfmobile."
After a freaky encounter with Mick at the Spring Dance that almost turns violent, Scott wishes to be himself. During the final basketball game (Beavers vs. Dragons again), Scott refuses to "wolf out" and insists on winning the game on his own. Coach Bobby Finstock tells Scott that the team is doomed to fail without The Wolf, but Scott is able to prove him wrong. In a dramatic ending, and with the help of five fouls from Mick, Scott is able to rally the team back to within a point as time is expiring. Scott is fouled one last time by Mick on the final play and given two shots. In a clear violation of the rules, Mick is able to stand underneath the basket as Scott attempts his foul shots. Scott makes both baskets and the Beavers win the game by one point.
Pamela smugly expects to get Scott's attention after the game is over, but he passes her by to hold Boof in his arms, kissing her passionately.
) was one of the first two scripts written by Jeph Loeb.
It was actually filmed before Robert Zemeckis
' Back to the Future
, shooting on the same Pasadena
street that Zemeckis' film was scouting for. It wasn't released until after the Universal
blockbuster. By the time Fox finished Teen Wolf, Eric Stoltz
had been released from the Zemeckis film and Fox was hired in his place. For its Italian release, Fox's character name was even changed from Scott to Marty in order to capitalize on the success of the Universal film. In Brazil, the film was released with the title O Garoto do Futuro, which roughly translates to The Boy from the Future, in another move to associate the film with the success of Back to the Future.
The beaver mascot logo used in the film was the Oregon State University
Beavers
' logo, in use by the university at that time. Oregon State University introduced an updated "Angry Beaver
" logo in 2001.
, with Jason Bateman
starring as Todd Howard, Scott's cousin. A second sequel starring Alyssa Milano
was planned, but never filmed.
In June 2009, MTV
announced that they would be adapting Teen Wolf into a television series
"with a greater emphasis on romance, horror and werewolf mythology". Australia
n director Russel Mulcahy directed the pilot film of the television series.
(also starring Michael J. Fox).
Rotten Tomatoes
gives the film a rating of 53% based on 19 reviews. An unsuccessful comedy on the teenage werewolf theme came three years earlier with Full Moon High
. The trend continued in 1999 with the television series Big Wolf on Campus
.
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
American fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
released by Atlantic Releasing Corporation
Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974...
starring Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
as Scott Howard, a high school student who discovers that his family has an unusual pedigree when he finds himself transforming into a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. The film was directed by Rod Daniel
Rod Daniel
Rod Daniel is an American film director. He has directed the films Teen Wolf, Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House, Like Father Like Son, K-9, The Super, and Beethoven's 2nd.-Films Directed:...
based on a script co-written by Joseph Loeb III
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
and Matthew Weisman.
The film was followed by a sequel in 1987 entitled Teen Wolf Too
Teen Wolf Too
Teen Wolf Too is an American comedy film first released on November 20, 1987 by Atlantic Releasing Corporation. The film was directed by Christopher Leitch based on a script by R. Timothy Kring, Jeph Loeb, Bret Granville and Matthew Weisman. The film is a sequel to Teen Wolf...
, an animated TV series which ran on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1986 to 1987, and a current live-action TV series
Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)
Teen Wolf is an American television series that currently airs on MTV, and in reruns on TeenNick. The series premiered on June 5, 2011, following the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Teen Wolf is a supernatural drama series that follows Scott McCall , a high school student and social outcast who is bitten by...
which premiered on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in June 2011.
Plot
High school student Scott Howard is seventeen years old, sick of being average and wishing he were special. His father runs a local hardware store. Scott plays basketball for his high school's team, the Beavers, with a not-so-good win-loss record. The girl of his dreams, Pamela Wells, is dating Mick, a jerk from an opposing high school team, the Dragons. After another of the team's losses, Scott begins to notice strange changes to his body. While at a party, Scott keeps undergoing changes and eventually he returns home, locks himself in the bathroom, and undergoes a complete change and becomes a werewolf, while his father demands that he open the door. He tries to refuse, only to finally give in and obey, to find his father has also transformed into a werewolf.Harold never told his son about the condition because "sometimes it skips a generation" and he was hoping it wouldn't happen to Scott. Scott first reveals his transformation to the public at one of his basketball games, after getting pinned in a pile-up. After momentarily stunning the crowd with The Wolf, Scott goes on to wow them with his basketball skills and he finishes the game with a quadruple double.
Scott subsequently learns to use his family "curse" to gain popularity at school, becoming the team's star basketball player, and learns to transform at will between his normal self and The Wolf. His basketball team goes from last to first, and Scott begins spending most of his school time as The Wolf. He also wins the interest of Pamela while ignoring the affections of his best friend, Boof, who has loved him since childhood.
Scott's other best friend Stiles, a party animal with an entrepreneurial streak, quickly cashes in on Scott's new-found popularity, selling Teen Wolf T-shirts and other merchandise. Stiles' "wolfmania" reaches such extremes that he trades in his own vehicle for a stepvan dubbed "Wolfmobile."
After a freaky encounter with Mick at the Spring Dance that almost turns violent, Scott wishes to be himself. During the final basketball game (Beavers vs. Dragons again), Scott refuses to "wolf out" and insists on winning the game on his own. Coach Bobby Finstock tells Scott that the team is doomed to fail without The Wolf, but Scott is able to prove him wrong. In a dramatic ending, and with the help of five fouls from Mick, Scott is able to rally the team back to within a point as time is expiring. Scott is fouled one last time by Mick on the final play and given two shots. In a clear violation of the rules, Mick is able to stand underneath the basket as Scott attempts his foul shots. Scott makes both baskets and the Beavers win the game by one point.
Pamela smugly expects to get Scott's attention after the game is over, but he passes her by to hold Boof in his arms, kissing her passionately.
Cast
- Michael J. FoxMichael J. FoxMichael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
as Scott Howard - James HamptonJames Hampton (actor)James Wade Hampton is an American actor, television director, and screenwriter.-Early life:Though born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Hampton was reared in Dallas, Texas, where his father operated a cleaning business. He majored in theatre arts at the University of North Texas in Denton...
as Harold Howard - Susan UrsittiSusan UrsittiSusan Ursitti is an American actress.Ursitti graduated from St. Mary's College and then spent several years acting in commercials, TV, film and stage. Her filmography includes Zapped!, Teen Wolf and Defense Play, as well as television guest roles on 21 Jump Street and Charles in Charge.She later...
as Lisa "Boof" Marconi - Jerry LevineJerry LevineJerry Levine is an American actor and director, perhaps best known for his role as Rupert 'Stiles' Stilinski in the feature film Teen Wolf.-Career:...
as Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski - Matt AdlerMatt AdlerMatthew D. "Matt" Adler is an American film actor. He is best known for his work in the 1980s for his supporting roles in the teenage films: Teen Wolf, White Water Summer, North Shore, and Dream a Little Dream....
as Lewis - Kidus Henok as Michael (Police Officer)
- Lorie GriffinLorie GriffinLorie Griffin is an American film and television actress, best known for her role as Pamela Wells in the movie Teen Wolf. Her filmography includes Cheerleader Camp, Aloha Summer and Sandman, as well as television guest roles on Charles in Charge and Highway to Heaven.Griffin's last major role was...
as Pamela Wells - Jim McKrellJim McKrellJames "Jim" MacKrell is an television personality, best known for emceeing television game shows such as Celebrity Sweepstakes and The Game Game. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas...
as Vice Principal Rusty Thorne - Mark ArnoldMark Arnold (actor)Mark Arnold is an American actor most notable for his role as the second Joe Perkins on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara, where he portrayed it from 1984 to 1985. Prior to joining the show, Arnold had starring roles on three other soaps, Guiding Light, The Edge of Night, and Rituals. Arnold also...
as Mick McAllister - Jay TarsesJay TarsesJay Tarses is an American television comedy writer and producer. He created and produced The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and The Slap Maxwell Story, co-created Buffalo Bill , and was an executive producer for The Bob Newhart Show...
as Coach Bobby Finstock - Mark HoltonMark HoltonMark Holton is an American actor.-Career:Holton's most famous roles may be that of Francis Buxton, Pee-Wee Herman's nemesis, in the 1985 blockbuster Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and Joe Charbonic in Bille August's Convicted, starring Connie Nielsen and Aidan Quinn. Other notable 1980s roles were as...
as Chubby - Clare Peck as Miss Hoyt
- Gregory ItzinGregory ItzinGregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:...
as English Teacher - Doris Hess as Science Teacher
- Scott PaulinScott PaulinScott Paulin is an American actor and television director.-Career:His work includes appearances in well-known television series like House M.D., ER, Cold Case, 24 and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
as Kirk Lolley - Elizabeth Gorcey as Tina
- Melanie Manos as Gina
- Doug SavantDoug SavantDouglas Peter "Doug" Savant is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Matt Fielding on Melrose Place and Tom Scavo on the ABC dramedy series Desperate Housewives.-Career:...
as Brad - Troy EvansTroy Evans (actor)Troy Evans is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Desk Clerk Francis "Frank" Martin in the television drama series ER. He has also appeared in the movies Tiger Cruise , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Under Siege, Teen Wolf, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Black Dahlia and The...
as Dragons coach - Richard BrooksRichard Brooks (actor)Richard L. Brooks is an African-American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette during the first three seasons of the NBC TV drama Law & Order .Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Brooks studied acting, dance, and voice work at...
as Lemonade
Production
Teen Wolf (along with CommandoCommando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
) was one of the first two scripts written by Jeph Loeb.
It was actually filmed before Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis
Robert Lee Zemeckis is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Zemeckis first came to public attention in the 1980s as the director of the comedic time-travel Back to the Future film series, as well as the Academy Award-winning live-action/animation epic Who Framed Roger Rabbit ,...
' Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
, shooting on the same Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
street that Zemeckis' film was scouting for. It wasn't released until after the Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
blockbuster. By the time Fox finished Teen Wolf, Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
had been released from the Zemeckis film and Fox was hired in his place. For its Italian release, Fox's character name was even changed from Scott to Marty in order to capitalize on the success of the Universal film. In Brazil, the film was released with the title O Garoto do Futuro, which roughly translates to The Boy from the Future, in another move to associate the film with the success of Back to the Future.
The beaver mascot logo used in the film was the Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
Beavers
Benny Beaver
Benny Beaver is the official mascot of Oregon State University and current winner of the 2011 Capital One Mascot of the Year write-in campaign. The exact date of when the name was first used as the university's mascot is not known, but photographs in the school's yearbook document its use as early...
' logo, in use by the university at that time. Oregon State University introduced an updated "Angry Beaver
Benny Beaver
Benny Beaver is the official mascot of Oregon State University and current winner of the 2011 Capital One Mascot of the Year write-in campaign. The exact date of when the name was first used as the university's mascot is not known, but photographs in the school's yearbook document its use as early...
" logo in 2001.
Sequels
The film was followed by a cartoon spin-off in 1986, and a sequel in 1987 titled Teen Wolf TooTeen Wolf Too
Teen Wolf Too is an American comedy film first released on November 20, 1987 by Atlantic Releasing Corporation. The film was directed by Christopher Leitch based on a script by R. Timothy Kring, Jeph Loeb, Bret Granville and Matthew Weisman. The film is a sequel to Teen Wolf...
, with Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
starring as Todd Howard, Scott's cousin. A second sequel starring Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
was planned, but never filmed.
In June 2009, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
announced that they would be adapting Teen Wolf into a television series
Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)
Teen Wolf is an American television series that currently airs on MTV, and in reruns on TeenNick. The series premiered on June 5, 2011, following the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Teen Wolf is a supernatural drama series that follows Scott McCall , a high school student and social outcast who is bitten by...
"with a greater emphasis on romance, horror and werewolf mythology". Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n director Russel Mulcahy directed the pilot film of the television series.
Box office
The film grossed $33,087,700 in the box office and debuted at #2 in its opening weekend, behind Back to the FutureBack to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
(also starring Michael J. Fox).
Critical response
Although the film was a modest hit for Atlantic Releasing Corporation, the film's critical reception was generally mixed.Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a rating of 53% based on 19 reviews. An unsuccessful comedy on the teenage werewolf theme came three years earlier with Full Moon High
Full Moon High
Full Moon High is a 1981 horror comedy film written and directed by Larry Cohen. It involves a high school werewolf that tries to keep his secret. He also ignores his girlfriend's sexual advances because it's "his time of the month".-Plot summary:...
. The trend continued in 1999 with the television series Big Wolf on Campus
Big Wolf on Campus
Big Wolf on Campus is a Canadian television series created by Peter A. Knight and Christopher Briggs that ran from 1999 to 2002. In the lighthearted horror/teen drama tradition of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, it is about a teenage boy named Thomas "Tommy" P. Dawkins, who was bitten by a werewolf...
.