God-awful is the best way to describe this 'film'. Imagine making a horror film but not putting any money into the budget for decent costumes or special effects--that is the major problem with "The Werewolf of Washington". If that isn't enough, the writing is pretty awful as well--at least most of the writing.
Dean Stockwell plays a reporter who seems to be half asleep during the film. He has absolutely no energy or enthusiasm for the role--and often seems more like a zombie than a werewolf! He is recalled from his Hungarian assignment about the same time he's bitten by a werewolf and now as the president's assistant press secretary, he has an ample supply of annoying people to maul--and his first victim is especially annoying. Oddly, whenever Stockwell looks into the palm of a person's hand, he sees a pentagram when this person is to soon be one of his victims. And, when he kills them the film sometimes begins to play in slow-motion--though considering how sluggish the film is, it's hard to tell it's happening!
As I said in the first paragraph, this is pretty awful stuff. However, the film wavers from terrible to rather clever at times--at least when it comes to scenes with the President and some of his cabinet. It was pretty funny how they made fun of President Nixon. While the actor playing this character didn't look like Nixon, his love of bowling, team sports and the way he prattled was pretty funny...and spot on the mark. I also liked the social commentary when the racist general who just started blaming a rash of savage killings done by the werewolf on a convenient black man as a scapegoat. But then, there are just too many bizarre moments that make you wonder if the folks making this film were on LSD--such as the tiny scientist (Michael Dunn) who can somehow calm the beast, the weird bathroom scene as well as the basic concept of the movie. After all, why would they want to make a movie like this in the first place--even with the political satire?! The bottom line is that the film wasn't scary at all and was high on the cheese factor. But, it also wasn't funny enough to be a good parody (such as "Love At First Bite").
By the way, you may recognize Dunn from his appearances from "Star Trek" and "Wild, Wild West". If you have a chance, read his IMDb biography--it's pretty interesting though sad as well.
Dean Stockwell plays a reporter who seems to be half asleep during the film. He has absolutely no energy or enthusiasm for the role--and often seems more like a zombie than a werewolf! He is recalled from his Hungarian assignment about the same time he's bitten by a werewolf and now as the president's assistant press secretary, he has an ample supply of annoying people to maul--and his first victim is especially annoying. Oddly, whenever Stockwell looks into the palm of a person's hand, he sees a pentagram when this person is to soon be one of his victims. And, when he kills them the film sometimes begins to play in slow-motion--though considering how sluggish the film is, it's hard to tell it's happening!
As I said in the first paragraph, this is pretty awful stuff. However, the film wavers from terrible to rather clever at times--at least when it comes to scenes with the President and some of his cabinet. It was pretty funny how they made fun of President Nixon. While the actor playing this character didn't look like Nixon, his love of bowling, team sports and the way he prattled was pretty funny...and spot on the mark. I also liked the social commentary when the racist general who just started blaming a rash of savage killings done by the werewolf on a convenient black man as a scapegoat. But then, there are just too many bizarre moments that make you wonder if the folks making this film were on LSD--such as the tiny scientist (Michael Dunn) who can somehow calm the beast, the weird bathroom scene as well as the basic concept of the movie. After all, why would they want to make a movie like this in the first place--even with the political satire?! The bottom line is that the film wasn't scary at all and was high on the cheese factor. But, it also wasn't funny enough to be a good parody (such as "Love At First Bite").
By the way, you may recognize Dunn from his appearances from "Star Trek" and "Wild, Wild West". If you have a chance, read his IMDb biography--it's pretty interesting though sad as well.