Scott Howard (Michael
J. Fox) thought all he had to worry about was puberty, playing for the
worst team in high school basketball, and being unable to get the most popular
girl in school, Pamela Wells (Lorie
Griffin), to notice him. However, he soon discovered the family secret: he
was a werewolf! But he quickly came to terms with that fact when he learned
that his wolf form (which he could shift into and out of at will, no full moon
required) made him the best player on the team, and quickly brought The Beavers
to the top. Plus, Pamela was finally paying attention to him--much to the
chagrin of her boyfriend, Mick McAllister (Mark Arnold). After a physical
confrontation with Mick caused him to wolf-out in anger, Scott decided to curb
the wolf and played the championship game as himself and also discovered that
the girl he really cared about was his best friend, Boof (Susan Ursitti).
Teen Wolf, produced by Atlantic
Releasing Corporation, came about due to the success of their 1983 film Valley Girl. They
wanted to make a comedy that would cost almost nothing (the budget was $1
million) and could be filmed quickly. It was one of the first movies written by
Jeph Loeb, and co-written by Matthew Weisman. The project
came together fully when Fox, who had a filming break from his TV series Family Ties, accepted
the lead role. Directed by Rod
Daniel, the film was released on August 23, 1985 and ended up grossing $80
million in the box office. It debuted in second place behind Fox’s other hit
movie that year, Back to the Future, which he filmed after Teen Wolf. To cash in on Future, international releases of Teen Wolf either had a time element
incorporated into its title (Garato do
Futuro, or Boy from the Future in
Brazil) or by having Scott’s name translated as “Marty,” such as in Italy.
 |
| Scott with Boof, Harold, Grandpa and Lupe. |
The movie proved popular enough to warrant an animated spin-off the
following year from Southern
Star Productions. Unlike the movie, Scott Howard’s (Townsend Coleman)
duality was kept a secret from everyone except his family and best friends,
Boof (Jeannie Elias), whose crush on Scott remained from the film, Stiles (Don
Most), who would do anything for a quick buck, and Chubs (Will Ryan), his overweight
teammate in the film whose love of food was the only element to remain. Scott
also couldn’t change at will; rather, it was brought on by elevated stress
levels and the traditional full moon. These unwanted changes often happened in
public, forcing Scott to find a way to conceal himself from sight until he
could change back.
 |
| Stiles drops by. |
The Howard family was also expanded considerably. Whereas it was
originally just his father, Harold (James Hampton, reprising his role from the
movie), Scott had gained a sister, Lupe (who didn’t yet know if she possessed
the family trait), and his grandparents from Transylvania, who stayed in
werewolf form most of the time. Grandpa Howard (Stacy Keach, Sr.) was often an
embarrassment to the family as he tended to act like a large dog, while Grandma
Howard (June Foray) dabbled in magic and fortunetelling. Nosy neighbor Mrs.
Seslick (Foray) knew about the Howard family’s “condition” but was constantly
unable to prove it to anyone else. Grandpa frequently terrorized her cat.
Additionally, the Howards had a housekeeper named Frieda (Sheryl Bernstein), who was fully
aware of their duality.
 |
| Mick doesn't take kindly to Scott being around Pamela. |
Scott continued to pine for Pamela (Ellen Gerstell), now a school
cheerleader. However, he only succeeding in attracting her dog, Daisy, due to
his wolf side. Pamela was still dating Mick, who was older and went to a
different school in the film but was now a senior at the same school and
frequently bullied Scott; especially over Pamela. Beyond that, basketball,
which was so central in the film, played no role in the series. Stiles was
still a profiteering opportunist that frequently attempted to cash in on the
town’s obsession with werewolves, among other schemes. Much to Scott’s chagrin,
he often attempted to try and profit off of their family secret with little
thought as to how it would affect them. While in the film Stiles drove a
beat-up 1962 Chevy Nova
convertible and later traded it for a 1965 International Harvester Metro Van
he dubbed the “Wolfmobile”, in the series he drove an old black hearse with
green doors reminiscent of a 1961
Cadillac. The town’s name was changed from Beacontown in the film to
Wolverton, now run by new character Mayor Marconi (Kenneth Mars & Frank Welker). He was Boof’s
father and prone to falling for tricks that often put his constituents in
harm’s way while attempting to bolster tourism and capture the fabled
werewolves the town was known for.
Teen Wolf debuted on CBS on September 13th, 1986 and was
successful enough to be renewed for a second season. Unfortunately, the 1986
voice actors’ strike halted production on the series, resulting in only 8
more episodes being produced. CBS did keep it on the schedule for an additional
season comprised entirely of reruns. The series was written by Rowby Goren, Gordon Kent, Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy, Michael Reaves, Bruce Reid Shaefer and Linda Woolverton, with Buzz Dixon serving as the story editor and Loeb
and Weisman retained as creative consultants. The opening theme was composed by
John Lewis Parker and Barry Mann with vocals by Steve Tyrell, while the closing theme was
composed by Ashley Hall and Stephanie Tyrell with vocals by
Hall. The rest of the music was composed by David Kitay, Richard Kosinki, Wells Christie, James Donnellan and Parker.
A sequel film, Teen Wolf Too, was
released on November 20, 1987. The movie, written by R. Timothy Kring and directed by
Christopher Leitch, essentially
followed the same story, this time with Scott’s cousin, Todd (Jason Bateman), discovering his
ability to transform in college. The biggest difference was that the sport in
question was boxing instead of basketball. Only Hampton and Mark Holton as Chubs reprised
their roles from the first film, and the sequel was universally panned. As
promotion for the film, the character of Todd was featured in the series’ final
episode. It was the only time Todd and Scott would meet on any screen.
 |
| The DVD cover. |
Family Home
Entertainment released four
episodes to VHS in 1993, while Avid Home
Entertainment released two
episodes in 1998. In the United Kingdom, where the series was known as The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf, Video
Gems released three
VHS collections with art showcasing Scott transforming across the covers.
Another VHS
containing two episodes was released as well. In 2008, the complete series
was released
to DVD in Region 4 only. A North American release was
planned by Shout! Factory in
2017, but was indefinitely delayed due to an unforeseen
rights issue. In 2025, it was made available to stream on Pluto
TV in time for the film’s 40th anniversary.
A Teen Wolf 3 was planned
starring Alyssa Milano until
it fell through. Another attempt at the sequel was later recycled into the 1989
movie Teen Witch. In 2009, Jeff Davis developed a
live-action adaptation of the movie for MTV. Teen Wolf premiered in 2011 as a darker
and edgier version of the film. Social outcast Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) was bitten by a
werewolf and became one, having to balance his night life with his normal life
and keep his friends safe from his other half. The series contained a lot of
gruesome elements intermixed with dark comedy, keeping it somewhat in line with
the original film. Image Comics
released a comic based
on the show its debut year.
Season 1:
“Teen Wolf’s Family Secret” (9/13/86) – Scott tries to reclaim his family album from Pamela before she looks in it and discovers that they’re all werewolves.
“Teen Wolf’s Curse” (9/19/87) – Grandpa's ex-girlfriend puts a curse on the family that causes anyone they touch to become a werewolf.
Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2025.
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