The Boy Who Cried Werewolf

Robert and Richie are hiking at night under a full moon when a werewolf attacks. The creature falls into a ravine and is impaled on a wooden fence, but it bites Robert in the struggle. They cannot identify the attacker, and the local sheriff concludes it was a crazy drifter, while Richie insists it was a werewolf.

Sandy takes Richie's story to the family psychiatrist. The doctor explains that the boy's fixation may stem from his difficulty accepting that his father killed a man, and he suggests returning to the cabin to confront the memory. He predicts that when things return to normal, Richie's werewolf fascination will fade.

Back at the cabin for the second full moon, Robert feels a wave of pain and sends Richie to the stream. He looks into a mirror and sees himself turning into the creature he killed. The boy witnesses the transformation and flees into the woods as the werewolf closes in.

The werewolf's pursuit causes several cars to crash along a mountain road. Two newlyweds camping nearby see Richie’s distress and reluctantly agree to take him home, even though they don’t fully believe his story.

The next morning, Robert appears dazed at the campers, claiming he has been searching for Richie. Richie tells his father about the werewolf, but Robert responds with irritability and disbelief, setting a tense tone between father and son.

During the following night's full moon, the werewolf—Robert—searches the house for Richie, who hides. The creature pursues the newlyweds again, pushing their camper down a hill and mutilating their bodies, carrying away one head. Richie sneaks down to the shed and witnesses his father transforming again.

The sheriff arrives to report the killings and begins to suspect a link between the attacks. The community starts to connect the dots, though no one can yet credit the werewolf theory outright.

The psychiatrist explains Richie's belief and the risks of such fantasies. As their session continues and the full moon rises, Robert suddenly kills the doctor, severing the therapeutic moment with a brutal act.

The family stops at a hippie commune on the way to the cabin. The hippies perform a circle ritual to drive away evil spirits, and while Sandy outwardly agrees, Robert is unable to move beyond an invisible barrier and is blocked from entering the circle. They resume their drive to the cabin.

The full moon rises once more as Robert begins to transform. Richie locks him in the shed to keep him contained, but Sandy is drawn by noises from inside. The werewolf bursts through and driv es the family toward escape, and the beast then attacks the hippie commune. By dawn, the creature weakens and transforms back into Robert, who is put to flight by the moon’s light.

Robert regains consciousness and disappears into the woods. The sheriff dispatches guards while Robert’s index finger begins to deform, a physical sign of the curse. Sandy and Richie seek help, unsure of what they will find when they return.

The werewolf slips through a cabin window and menaces Sandy. Deputies burst in and fire, but bullets cannot kill him. Cornered, the creature is driven toward a broken stake from the hippies’ cross that pierces his heart, and he collapses, transforming back into Robert. Sandy, horrified, notices a bite mark on Richie and realizes he may now be cursed as well.