#33. I Was a Teenage Werewolf
33. I Was a
Teenage Werewolf (1957) - Season 8, episode 809
"He's devolved too much! He enjoys Adam Sandler movies!"
Plot: The
dad from Little House on the Prairie turns into a werewolf.
Famous for: Characters randomly throwing milk.
UNITED STATES DAIRY COUNCIL, FUCK YOU!
My favorite riff:
Any joke about Michael Landon getting mad and throwing milk.
Every single one of those is gold. Either that, or the recurring riff
about his dad being depressed and
always wanting to kill himself. Those are two of the funniest running
jokes from ANY episode of MST3k, and they both come from the same
movie. That's why this episode is special.
"Well, off to my job at Dismal-co."
Comments:
I was kind of surprised when "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" was
first
announced as an MST3k episode. And the reason why is
because this is actually a well-known, well-respected horror movie. It is so well-known and well-respected, in fact, that
Stephen King even included an homage to it in his book, "It."
King has said that this is one of the movies
that
actually frightened him back when he was a kid.
Beep beep, Landon. Beep beep.
Even
though I Was a Teenage Werewolf is better (and far more
well-known) than most of the
dreck that MST3k decided to riff, it doesn't hurt things at all,
because this actually wound up being a great episode. Every single
time I watch it, it grows on
me
more and more. And it's funny because this is one of those
episodes that you rarely ever see on anyone's "Best of MST3k" list. In
fact, I'm not sure I have EVER seen it on anyone's favorite MST3k
episodes list.
"Fudd, you check the woods. And be vewwy vewwy quiet."
I
Was a Teenage Werewolf has never been a fan favorite, hardly
anyone I know
ever
quotes from it, yet every time I watch it, I think the riffing is
incredible. And that's why I will always refer to it as one of those
stealth great episodes. It's maybe the one great MST3k episode that no
one ever talks about.
"Help! I'm
being attacked by a Berenstain Bear!"
"Judy Garland runs out of pills."
Trivia:
As I was finishing up this writeup, I went over to the
website Mighty
Jack's MST3k Reviews.
And it's funny, he said almost the exact same thing that I just
said. He loves this episode, and he also doesn't understand why it
isn't
a fan favorite. Here are his comments:
Though
not a big fan favorite, I feel this classic Michael Landon fright flick
receives some very clever, dead on MSTing from start to finish. A great
choice for an experiment - "Werewolf" isn't too painful to watch, but
still provides M&TB with enough material to rip on. Including a
clown mating dance, callbacks to "High School Big Shot" (same actor
playing the dad) and harrowing scenes of milk throwing. Teen is one
of those episodes where I find myself shaking my head in awe. I am so
impressed with the way the riffing taps into the vibe of the film. The
comedy is so tight, so perfectly constructed and delivered. It is one
of several season 8 episodes, which show off the writing staff at the
top of their game.
In any case, more MST3k fans should love this episode. It's really, really good.
"You know, one
advantage of a werewolf: They scoop their own poop!"
