DVD Review: President Wolfman

In 1966, Woody Allen directed a film titled What’s Up, Tiger Lily? He had taken a Japanese action film, International Secret Police: Key Of Keys, and redubbed it, making it a comedy. The new horror comedy, President Wolfman, does a similar thing. It’s based largely on footage from the 1973 film The Werewolf Of Washington, which stars Dean Stockwell. However, unlike the Woody Allen film, President Wolfman does not use just one film. In fact, it draws on many sources, all of which are in the public domain (at least according to an opening title card). And it is honestly a lot of fun.

The moment the menu came on for the DVD of President Wolfman, I began to get excited. The song that plays during the menu is very cool. And then when I hit “Play,” the first thing that comes up is the usual FBI warning. But this time it’s like off of an old videocassette. That’s followed by an explanation/warning/excuse/promise: “The extraordinary motion picture you are about to experience is made entirely from public domain and recycled film footage of variable quality.” And then the film is off and running, with some footage of politicians overdubbed with dialogue about how the president is a werewolf. And then we get that great song from the menu during the opening credit sequence. The song has a wonderful 1970s vibe, which fits perfectly with the tone of this film. And there is a really nice touch, when the full moon turns into the seal of the president.

The film’s story centers on the president who is bitten by a wolf and becomes a werewolf, at a time when the United States is in financial difficulty and is seriously considering merging with China (basically, selling itself to China). (An advertisement promoting the merger says, “Then we can all cheer for the red, white, and red and blue and red.”) The evil leader of China has some interesting plans for the U.S.: “I will force the people of North Dakota and the people of South Dakota to switch places.” By the way, the two Chinese women that accompany him are completely funny.

The film is absurd, goofy, and often hilarious. And sometimes the more ridiculous, the funnier it is. Early on, the vice president says to the president: “I know your mother tormented you sexually. And one more thing I know: you left the men’s lavatory after urinating without washing your hands, then proceeded to serve lunch at a homeless shelter.” And after doctors discover the president’s malady, one tells him: “Good news, Mr. President. You’re a fucking werewolf. You’ve been cleared for discharge.”

Of course, being a werewolf isn’t all that great. A man accuses the president of killing his dog. When it is suggested that perhaps it was a raccoon that is guilty of the death, we get these wonderful lines: “Does a raccoon carry a briefcase full of nuclear secrets that says, ‘Property of John Wolfman, President of the United States’ on them? That’s what I found next to Duke’s body.” And regarding the president’s own son, someone advises: “Look, Mr. President, you have a duty to that boy, and if you can’t fulfill it, for God’s sakes, don’t eat him. Good night.”

And at one point Abraham Lincoln shows up to advise President Wolfman to kill all the Chinese. “Murder their children and use their blood to paint pornographic images on their farm fields so enormous they’re visible from space.”

Special Features

The film includes several special features, including a commentary track with writer/director Mike Davis and co-producer/artistic director Miles Flanagan. Mike talks about this actually being his second recycled movie (the first being Sex Galaxy). They talk about the sources of some of the footage, and about the process of creating the film. Interestingly, the actors didn’t see the footage for which they were providing the voices. Also, Mike Davis says he did not watch The Werewolf Of Washington all the way through. He also admits that they did shoot a tiny bit of new footage for the film.

There is also a series of short films which were some of the sources for the footage used in the movie. Experiments In The Revival Of Organisms is a twenty-minute film from 1940, some of its footage having been used in President Wolfman. There is creepy footage of a severed dog head responding to external stimuli. Sudden Birth is a twenty-two-minute film from 1966. It’s an instructional film for police officers on delivery babies. It provides this excellent advice: “And hold onto it – they’re slippery.” Some of the birth footage was used in President Wolfman, and yeah, it’s gross. The Talking Car is a sixteen-minute film from 1969, and is about traffic safety. The shot of the boy running into the street was used in President Wolfman. The father tells the boy: “If that car had hit you, you wouldn’t be able to go fishing tomorrow. Or ever.” Perfect. And then a car tells the boy: “Don’t be frightened. We are your friends.”

Also, some bonus footage is included. Ban Money and Thank You are both advertisements for the president. And She Wolf is a bit of goofiness using old nudie footage, with the wolfman face over the woman’s.

The special features include President Wolfman Outtakes. You might wonder how there could be outtakes if the film is one hundred percent recycled footage and so on. Right, I wonder that too. There is also a President Wolfman Music Video, but it’s really just the opening credit sequence, so it shouldn’t count as a bonus feature. Likewise, the President Wolfman Highlight Reel shouldn’t count as bonus material, as it is simply four minutes of footage from the film.

The film’s trailer is also included.

President Wolfman was written and directed by Mike Davis. It is scheduled to be released on DVD on August 26, 2014 through Wild Eye Releasing.