Bob Saget's unexpected death in January of 2022 hit everyone pretty hard. As such, many of us
have been pouring through the various touchstones of his career. It's easy to remember him for his
role as America's dad in "Full House" or for his raunchy standup comedy. And who can forget his
directorial debut, "Dirty Work", or his cameo in "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd"?
"He s— everywhere! There's s— everywhere!"
But did you know that Saget appeared in Larry Cohen's low-budget 1981 horror film
"Full Moon High"? No worries if you haven't — obviously it's a
deep cut. It also doesn't help that, despite having two roles in the film,
Saget only appears for a total of thirty three seconds. But that's beside the point. We're happy
to make sure all of Bob's work is properly celebrated — even the brief, obscure stuff.
Clearly a riff on the 1957 B-movie classic "I Was a Teenage Werewolf," "Full Moon High" stars
Adam Arkin as a bumbling 1950s teen who, while on a trip to Romania with his womanizing dad,
is bitten by a werewolf and thus transformed into an immortal being.
After living as a teenager for decades, Arkin's character decides to get his
life in order — Edward Cullen style — by enrolling in high school in the early 1980s.
What follows is a lighthearted, bizarre story about the teenage werewolf connecting with
several potential love interests. It's just as much a sex farce as it is a horror film,
and the jokes run toward the crude. For instance, in the beginning of the movie,
the father asks his son if he remembers his long-departed mom.
First, he remembers a nice lady who used to bring him to the beach when he was little. His dad says
that wasn't his mom, but rather just the maid. After thinking for a bit longer, he tries again.
"Oh, I remember mom now! I came into your room once without knocking,
and you were both in bed together, you screamed at me to get out?"
"That was the maid."
"Oh…"
Much of the humor also comes from how clueless the lead character is.
When he sees the Romanian werewolf for the first time, he asks:
"What is that frothing at the mouth stuff there?"
"Hey, is anyone here with this dog?"
Though it's rated PG, it was made before the creation of the PG-13 rating, which
it would certainly accrue today — more for its raunchy jokes than its horror. Coincidentally,
it was released the same year as other popular werewolf movies "The Howling" and "An American
Werewolf in London." The very similar "Teen Wolf" was still four years out.
Regardless, it's not too surprising that many of us have to be reminded of its existence.
Saget is only credited as "Sports Announcer" in the film's final scroll,
but he plays two different characters in half a minute's time. Early in the film,
you can see him in his football uniform carousing with the team, laughing and having a good time.
Soon after, he appears in a shower scene with the football team where he actually has a few audible
lines. Then, at the film's end, appearing in a truly terrible sports jacket, he can
be seen laying on a football field, describing the mayhem as Arkin runs wild during a game.
"The vital question stands then.
Did he take a chomp out of that sucker before he crossed the line. That's the question here."
Saget's brief appearances in "Full Moon High" do stand out. The film is supremely silly,
but Saget is one of the few actors bringing a much-needed flippant attitude to his performance.
Meanwhile, Adam Arkin looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.
While young Bob Saget was struggling upward through an early film and standup career in 1981,
one might postulate that Saget in his 60s would have loved to stage his appearances
in a film as bad as "Full Moon High" as an oblique, long-form prank. As if he knew
he was going to be famous someday; as if he knew that fans would start trekking backward
through his early career and that scores of people would be forced to sit through a crass
werewolf sex flick just to see him. We'd be curious to know if Saget owned his
own personal 35mm print of "Full Moon High" which he would screen at his home for dates
or party guests as some sort of cruel endurance test or initiation ritual.
Sadly, we can only hypothesize. Rest in peace, Bob
Saget. Your cinematic legacy is something to celebrate.
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