Scream of the Wolf (1974)

★ 6.3 1h 18m IMDb

Drama Horror Thriller

A big-game hunter comes out of retirement to help track down a killer wolf, and begins to suspect that it isn't a wolf but an animal that can take human form.

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Cast

Peter Graves as John Wetherby Died 2010 · Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. While growing up in Minnesota, he excelled at sports and music (as a saxophonist), and by age 16, he w...

Clint Walker as Byron Douglas Died 2018 · Hartford, Illinois, United States Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker (born May 30, 1927), was an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne..

Jo Ann Pflug as Sandy Miller Age 85 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA Jo Ann Pflug is an American actress that was born May 2nd, 1940 in Atlanta Georgia. Her first major role was as the Army Nurse Lt. Maria "Dish" Schneider in the military based TV series M.A.S.H. Afte...

Philip Carey as Sheriff Vernon Bell Died 2009 · Hackensack, New Jersey, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Philip Carey (July 15, 1925 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. Carey was born in Hackensack, New Jersey.[3] He served in the United States Marine Cor...

Don Megowan as Grant Died 1981 · Inglewood, California, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Don Megowan (May 24, 1922 – June 26, 1981) was an American actor. He played the Gill-man on land in The Creature Walks Among Us, the final part of the Creature f...

Jim Storm as Boy Age 82 · Highland Park, Illinois, USA

Director Dan Curtis

Cast Peter Graves, Clint Walker, Jo Ann Pflug, Philip Carey, Don Megowan, Jim Storm, Randy Kirby, Vernon Weddle, Bill Baldwin, Orville Sherman

Wuchak 7/10 Oct 28, 2021

_**One of Clint Walker’s best roles and certainly his most intriguing**_

People are found slain in the coastal Los Angeles region from what appears to be a vicious animal. The Sheriff (Philip Carey) enlists the help of a former hunter turned author, John Wetherby (Peter Graves). He in turn seeks the assistance of his mysterious big game hunter friend (Clint Walker), who seems entertained by the heightened fear that the attacks have created. Jo Ann Pflug is on hand as the author’s girlfriend.

“Scream of the Wolf” (1972) debuted on TV as a Movie of the Week. The 70s produced some really good or even great television films, like “Tribes” (1970), “Duel” (1971), “The Night Stalker” (1972), “Kung Fu” (1972), “Short Walk to Daylight” (1972), “Go Ask Alice” (1973), “Pray for the Wildcats” (1974), "Dracula" with Jack Palance (1974), “Trilogy of Terror” (1975) and many more.

This one was directed by Dan Curtis, known for Dark Shadows and the first two Kolchak movies, the aforementioned “The Night Stalker” and the just-as-good sequel “The Night Strangler” (1973). It’s similar in tone to those movies, just without Kolchak (Darren McGavin), and is superior to “Moon of the Wolf,” another ABC Movie of the Week from two years prior. Actually, I think Peter Graves makes for a superior protagonist to the somewhat goofy McGavin and I could see this becoming a series, like Kolchak, wherein Wetherby (Graves) encounters and endeavors to solve mysterious phenomena each episode.

But what makes this flick so worthwhile is Clint Walker’s character, Byron. He’s a Zaroff-type (from “The Most Dangerous Game”) and Walker is perfect for the quiet, enigmatic loner who respects primal emotions, fair hunting, cunning and strength above all. Wetherby’s girlfriend (Pflug) naturally discerns Byron’s dark eccentricity, which he finds amusing in his thoroughly nonchalant way.

The film doesn’t overstay its welcome at a mere 1 hour, 14 minutes, and was shot at Universal City, California, and the nearby coast.

GRADE: B