Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Full Moon High Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 30, 2018

Building his reputation with action and horror offerings such as “Black Caesar” and “It’s Alive,” writer/director Larry Cohen goes the comedic route for 1981’s “Full Moon High.” Instead of making scary stuff, he lampoons scary stuff in the picture, which enjoys playing with the conventions of drive-in cinema, mixing satire of teen-centric movies with an overview of changing moral attitudes in America. It’s a noticeable change of pace for Cohen, and while he’s attentive to the creature feature aspects of the effort, he neglects to serve up appealing funny business. “Full Moon High” has a lot of energy and interest in satisfying viewers with rat-tat-tat joke timing, but Cohen’s scattergun approach grows exhausting in a hurry, especially when the production doesn’t take time to refine the gags. Cohen elects the “throw at wall, see what sticks” approach, and the delivery doesn’t entirely work for this endeavor, which is meant to represent a lighter side to the helmer’s cinematic interests, but often falls flat on its face.

It’s 1959, and Tony (Adam Arkin) is a star football player at Full Moon High, becoming the most popular kid in school with the blend of athletic abilities, good looks, and fast quips. However, Tony’s Dad (Ed McMahon), is a secretive employee for the government, taking his son with him to Romania for a week, where the teenager is educated on his “Curse of the Pentagram,” learning that he will be ageless and a werewolf. Confused by the news, Tony returns home to experience his newfound evolution, forced to handle violent breakouts alone, keeping obsessive Jane (Roz Kelly), his stalker, at arm’s length as he deals with his monstrous side. Leaving town to embark on a 20-year-long tour of the world, sampling victims everywhere, Tony eventually returns to his hometown, finding everything has changed except himself. Trying to navigate these new surroundings, Tony sneaks back into Full Moon High, making time with fellow student Ricky (Joanna Nail) while Jane picks up on his scent, jeopardizing his hope for a peaceful existence as he tries to suppress his animalistic side.

“Full Moon High” is not an endeavor that ignores trends. It’s a mix of horror interests of the day, which included many werewolf-themed productions, and “Airplane!”-style humor, with Cohen trying to make something recognizable for viewers while working on his expanding directorial interests. The result is an extremely zany picture that’s hoping to be the most hilarious offering of 1981, but it also remains aware of genre appeal, giving Tony’s experience as a monster a slight punch of creepy business, with werewolf make-up that’s not entirely bad for a budget-minded production. However, before Tony gets hairy, he gets harassed, with his high school experience boiled down to sporting glory, excessive attention from Jane, and sexual advances from Coach Cleveland (Kenneth Mars), who really appreciates his players (Bob Saget has a brief role as one of Tony’s teammates). Cohen isn’t making a John Hughes film, but something far more exaggerated, keeping the main character in a state of distress, which inspires a flood of one-liners, making him more of a Catskills comic than an average teenager.

Tony also has issues with his Dad, whose patriotism is unrivaled in town, also representing atomic bomb fears of the era, building a shelter in the basement of the family home. Tony doesn’t have a mother, and Dad is more interested in hookers when the pair visits Romania, leaving the boy alone with a palm reader who identifies his future as a werewolf. “Full Moon High” runs with the concept, but not very far, as Tony in monster mode tends to mostly snack on victims, biting into their read ends as he struggles to stifle his urges. To detail the kid’s nightmare of transformation, numerous accidents are showcased, including Tony becoming his furry self during a mid-air plane hijacking, which helps him to overwhelm the aspiring criminals. And there are shenanigans on a Greyhound Bus, getting the character into more trouble. Tony eventually embarks on a two-decade-long world tour to eat people from various nations, giving Cohen a chance to move the story to the late 1970s, pitting Tony’s magical youth against the ruin of the Carter administration, making a new friend in Ricky, who’s happy to explore Tony’s wild side as the ageless man pretends he’s his own son to pass at school.

Mischief is plentiful in “Full Moon High,” but the story spirals out of control in the second half, watching Tony deal with pressures from all sides, including Jane, who can’t believe her old love has returned. The collection of characters is too much for Cohen to handle, stuffing numerous motivations into an already thin plot, making someone like Miss Montgomery (Elizabeth Hartman), a frazzled teacher who responds to Tony’s wild side, a needless addition, merely inserted to add some superfluous jokes, including a weird reference to the character’s repeated sexual assaults while trapped inside the high school teaching system. Yikes.

Full Moon High Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

After missing out on a DVD release, "Full Moon High" makes the leap to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation that should really please fans of the feature. Details reaches as far as the original cinematography allows, delivering a fulfilling look at creature creations and character concern, offering compelling facial particulars, with clarity on special make-up achievements. Costuming is also appealing, with fibrous qualities on the range of period outfits, while Tony's school jacket retains a nice satin shine. Locations and sets are also dimensional. Primaries are secure, with strong colors on costumes, offering bursts of yellow and blue. Greenery is also intact, along with set decorations. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is in satisfactory condition, with some mild speckling detected.

Full Moon High Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix showcases more age-related issues, finding dialogue periodically buried under music and sound effects. A few passages are difficult to hear, but the majority of performance choices are adequately intelligible, just slightly muddy. Soundtrack selections and scoring also lack crisp definition, but moods are easily decoded, with comedic emphasis a priority. Sound effects are blunt but recognizable, and group activity is more chaotic than precise. Hiss is detected throughout the listening event.

Full Moon High Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Larry Cohen and filmmaker Steve Mitchell.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:58, SD) is included.

Full Moon High Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Full Moon High" grows even more frantic in the last act, with Dr. Brand (Alan Arkin, Adam's real-life father) joining the hunt for Tony, adding more extreme personality to an already deflated endeavor. While it's nice to see the older Arkin here, showcasing his skills with timing and presence, the whirlwind nature of the finale tends to mute whatever appeal the seasoned performer brings to the movie. There are famous faces and charming actors spread around the picture (including Demond Wilson, Bill Kirchenbauer, Jim J. Bullock, and Pat Morita), but there's not enough funny business to go around, leaving long stretches of deadly gags and dim one-liners. Cohen isn't confident with "Full Moon High," struggling to make the sections of this tribute cohesive, but it doesn't work, keeping the film flavorless and perhaps too casual for its own good. The combination of frights and foolishness has certainly worked for other productions, but here, it's mostly a drag.