Mad at the Moon (1992) - Once Upon a Time in a Western

Mary Stuart Masterson is Jenny Hill, a young woman living on the frontier in 1892 and facing a romantic dilemma.

Farmer James Miller (Stephen Blake) wants to marry her, and her mother is encouraging the union, lest her daughter become an old maid.

But Jenny is all aflutter over local scoundrel Miller Brown (Hart Bochner), who hangs out in the town bar, gambling and consorting with the whores.

In fact, the very night, James Miller proposes to her, Jenny sneaks out to meet Miller Brown near that saloon.

She confesses her love for him. She asks him to do the same.

He forbids her from touching him. And stresses the point by pointing a six-gun at his own head.

So Jenny goes through with marriage to a man she doesn’t love, a marriage she can’t bring herself to consumate.

Then comes the first full moon since they been husband and wife. Jenny finds her husband boarding up the windows.

He announces that he’ll be sleeping outside that night, tells her to put a bar across the front door and not open it regardless of how much he begs her to.

Later, she watches him turn into a werewolf. The next morning, she packs her bags and heads back home.

That will not do, her mother decides.

Then she concocts an odd scheme that will allow Jenny to return to her husband and still feel safe whenever there’s a full moon.

Mary Stuart Masterson as Jenny Hill, balking at the thought of marrying someone she doesn’t love in Mad at the Moon (1992)

Stephen Black as James Miller, waits patiently for Jenny’s reaction to his marriage proposal in Mad at the Moon (1992)

Review:

A blending of horror film and Western that falls flat because it’s not scary in the least.

It is slow-moving and incredibly boring.

A nice looking film, it begins promisingly enough. There’s a black and white flashback scene that features three children and will leave you wondering.

Flash forward, and we’re treated to a tent full of frontier types watching an opera. Jenny is particularly moved by the performance.

But that’s as interesting as it gets. In fact, viewers deserve bonus points if they can stay awake for the full 98-minute run time.

Mary Stuart Masterson as Jenny Hill, watching through a loft window as her husband transforms in Mad at the Moon (1992)

Hart Bochner as Miller Brown, the man Jenny yearns for in Mad at the Moon (1992)

Directed by:
Martin Donovan

Cast:
Mary Stuart Masterson … Jenny Hill
Hart Bochner … Miller Brown
Stephen Blake … James Miller
Fionnula Flanagan … Mrs. Hill
Cec Verrell … Sally
Daphne Zuniga … Young Mrs. Miller
Elanor Baggett … Older Mrs. Miller
Pat Atkins … Mrs. Russell
Morgan Stuart … Young Jenny
Ryan Slater … Young James
Melissa Moore … Miss Saunders
Stephen Cole … Priest
Tom Mustin … Mayor

Runtime: 98 min.

Fionnula Flanagan as Mrs. Hill, eager to see her daughter marry James Miller in Mad at the Moon (1992)

Mary Stuart Masterson as Jenny Hill welcomes her husband home under their new arrangement in Mad at the Moon (1992)

Memorable lines:

Mrs. Hill, offering marriage advice to her daughter: “When a man gets married, it halves his territory. But when a woman gets married, it doubles hers. Jenny, you have to be clever.”

Mrs. Hill: “You made your vow in front of God almighty. For better or for worse, you said. In sickness or in health, you said. That man is your husband. You cannot abandon him. Shame on you for inventing such a fantastical story.”
Jenny Hill: “You think I’m lying.”
Mrs. Hill: “Of course, you’re lying, you foolish girl.”