The Howling Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Imagine your worst fear a reality
There is a serial killer on the loose, Karen White is the only reporter he communicates with. After a near fatal encounter with him at a Pussycat Theater, she is ordered to take a vacation. Eddie was killed by Police, but Karen doesn't want to let it go and discovers that he came from a tiny community in the woods and that's where she decides to vacation with boyfriend Chris. Big mistake, because Eddie was an outcast of a pack of Werewolves who is trying to keep a low profile and doesn't want any interviews. Can Karen and Chris escape the village of the wolf?
| Dee Wallace | Karen White |
| Patrick Macnee | Dr. George Waggner |
| Dennis Dugan | Chris |
| Christopher Stone | R. William (Bill) Neill |
| Belinda Balaski | Terry Fisher |
| Kevin McCarthy | Fred Francis |
| John Carradine | Erle Kenton |
| Slim Pickens | Sam Newfield |
| Elisabeth Brooks | Marsha Quist |
| Robert Picardo | Eddie Quist |
| Margie Impert | Donna |
| Noble Willingham | Charlie Barton |
| James Murtaugh | Jerry Warren |
| Jim McKrell | Lew Landers |
| Kenneth Tobey | Older Cop |
| Joe Dante |
6.50 out of 10 (4998 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A masterpiece!
posted on 29 May 2009This movie is a masterpiece! Joe Dante has succeeded in creating an unforgettable werewolf movie. Although this movie is old, it hasn't lost its freshness. If you've seen The Howling and want to see other similar movies, try watching An American Werewolf in London. It's another great werewolf movie.
One of the two-best
posted on 11 May 2009undoubtedly there's been two greatest werewolf movies of motion picture history: AAWIL and TH.It's as pointless to argue which one is best as to argue manual or automatic transmission is best in cars.Both have great SFX taking into consideration they were made in early 80s which latest werewolf movies like An American werewolf in Paris or Underworld didn't have and remained as bad ones("bad" actually does not describe the real nature of films. maybe I should use "dreadful").They're both scary as well as funny. Howling is as funny as AAWIL but latter has a reputation of being a comedy-horror.One funny trivia: TH specifically emphasize that shapeshifting occurs deliberately anytime, day or night regardless of the moon and silver bullets are a must(which is indeed a Hollywood bolony) to kill the beast whereas AAWIL focus on moon's effect and cycle to turn a man into a howling killing-machine and using silver bullets is nothing but a "joke".
Will Probably Appeal To Werewolf Fans MoreThan Casual Viewers
posted on 15 Mar 2009This is a highly regarded movie amongst werewolf fans but I've never been overly impressed by it . I was disappointed by THE HOWLING after seeing it on video in the early 1980s and the fact that I saw AN American WEREWOLF IN London shortly before seeing this does the movie little favour either I think the problem lies in John Sayles screenplay . Go getting journalist ( strange how all journalists in movies are noble crusaders . Real life is entirely different ) Karen White is attacked by a serial killer narrowly surviving and goes off to a rural commune to recuperate . The audience instantly know who these people really are and whats going to happen next . It's not so much telegraphing a screenplay , it's more like making a terribly predictable one . The only reason I wrote a spoiler warning to this review was to guard my back but this is probably unnecessary since it's revealed fairly early on that the people living there are indeed werewolves so there's little in the way of surprises THE HOWLING isn't a total loss because the make up and transformation effects are well done and Patrick Macnee gives a touching performance as Dr George Waggner and there's a really scary moment featuring Eddie the serial killer when he reveals himself to the hero . But despite all this the movie is doubly disappointing when you realise director Joe Dante and screenwriter John Sayles were responsible for PIRANAHA a couple of years before , one of the most entertaining tongue in cheek horror movies ever made . With THE HOWLING they fall back on naming characters after directors who have made werewolf movies and use post modernist dialogue pointing out that a corpse doesn't get up and walk out of a morgue which isn't all that clever or witty
Not bad not good just dated
posted on 28 Feb 2009This film was cutting edge special effects; it scared me then, but now the effects have become the standard for Buffy the Vampire Killer. Why do early 80's films have such grainy picture quality? It appeared 100 times to dark for my TV. They have the guy from the old A-1 steak sauce commercials, I keep waiting for a commercial plug about the sauce, before he ate one of his victims. The story is scary in spots, but copied to the point where this film is a seen this done this before film. I still like the wolf's howling in the woods. 5 or 6 out of 10 depending what mood I am in.
A great werewolf film.
posted on 13 Feb 2009The Howling is a great werewolf film. Joe Dante has directed the one of the best modern werewolf films. The screenplay is pretty strong, but I think you just have to tell Joe Dante what kind of picture you want and he'll make it. Great score by Pino Donggio and solid cinematography from John Hora. Rob Bottin's special effects and werewolf make-up's are outstanding. They hold up well today and the transformation scene, in my opinion, is better than the American Werewolf In London transformation scene. Great movie, a horror classic.
An almost classic
posted on 10 Feb 2009TV newswoman Karen White (Dee Wallace) is traumatized by a meeting with a psycho killer in a porno shop. A pompous doctor, George Waggner (Patrick Macnee!), invites her to "The Colony"--a woodland clinic of his to help her get over the shock. Karen and her husband Bill (Christopher Stone) go...unaware that there are wolves roaming around...This is a full throttle horror-comedy with an emphasis on the comedy. It's almost as good as "American Werewolf in London". It's fun, has sharp dialogue and constant wolf references (a copy of the book "Howl" is seen on a desk; people watch "The Big Bad Wolf" and "The Wolf Man" on TV). Also The Colony itself is just gorgeous and beautifully atmospheric. In the day it's clear and bright--at night the fog rolls in and it becomes really creepy. Also it playfully injects horror clichés in the movie (I got a big kick out of the sequence in which Karen and a friend get lost in the woods, their flashlight goes out and there's howling in the distance...). It's ALMOST a classic.The problems are many, but the main one is that the film isn't scary--when you see the werewolves they look pretty pathetic. This is supposed to be (partially) a HORROR film--it doesn't help when the main monsters look silly. The transformation scenes look lousy too--but this was over 20 years ago. The story is sort of vague (why does Dr. Waggner invite her to the colony in the first place? It puts her in danger!) and there are plenty of dead spots. It seems too long and it's only 90 minutes! Also Wallace and Stone are not good actors--Wallace's reaction to finding a dead, bloody body is very poor and Stone sleepwalks through his role (although he does very well at a campfire sequence--you'll know it when you see it).So, it has great atmosphere, some very good laughs, John Carradine and some very good cameos (Dick Miller, Roger Corman and Forrest J. Ackerman holding a copy of his magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland") but it's VERY light and insubstantial--you want to see a real movie after this. Nevertheless, it's worth seeing but not the classic it could have been.
"You can't tame what's meant to be wild, Doc. It ain't natural."
posted on 07 Feb 2009The werewolf genre had been dormant for a while, to be revived quite impressively in 1981 by Joe Dante's "The Howling" and John Landis's "An American Werewolf in London". This still stands tall as a fine horror film with many elements coming together to create one of the best films of its kind.Officially basing their script on Gary Brandner's novel, credited screenwriters John Sayles and Terrence H. Winkless came up with a plot of TV anchorwoman Karen White (Dee Wallace, lovable as always), who helps the cops to nab ultra-creepy killer Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo, soon to become a fixture in Dante's films), but is severely traumatized by the event. To help her come to grips with her experience, eminent psychiatrist Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee) invites her to his experimental encounter-group community "The Colony", located deep in the California woods. What Karen doesn't know is that the entire population is made up of werewolves - very frightening and vicious ones at that.For me, this highly entertaining fright flick continues to hold up. It's all done with lots of wit and style. It's filled with a delightful array of wolf-related in-jokes: a copy of Allen Ginsburg's "Howl", a tin of Wolf Chili, footage taken from the 1941 werewolf classic "The Wolf Man", and several of the main characters are named after men who directed werewolf films (George Waggner, Terry (Terence) Fisher, (Roy) William Neill, Charles Barton, etc.). It's fun to take all of it in. But even with a strong and appreciable sense of humor, it works as a genuinely scary horror movie, with impressive bipedal werewolves that, unlike, past cinematic interpretations of the creatures, are much more wolf than man. Rob Bottin made a real name for himself with his eye-popping makeup effects and transformations; Picardo's effectively drawn-out metamorphosis is an undeniable highlight. Night scenes are creepy and suspenseful, and the film delivers some good jolts as well.The cast is excellent right down the line. Dennis Dugan, Kevin McCarthy, lovely Belinda Balaski, alluring Elisabeth Brooks, James Murtaugh, Noble Willingham, Kenneth Tobey, ever affable Slim Pickens, a typically extravagant John Carradine, and Meshach Taylor all do fine supporting work. But the show is stolen by Dante regular Dick Miller (re-using his old character name Walter Paisley once again) as a bookstore owner and Sayles himself as a morgue attendant; these are both wonderful cameo performances.Sayles did a fine job of putting a new spin on werewolf tales. While many past leads of werewolf films were tragic victims, the werewolves in this film rather enjoy themselves and more than anything would rather be adhering to werewolf tradition and feeding on their human counterparts. The script even takes time to gently poke fun at the various therapy crazes of the time period.Art director Robert A. Burns of "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" fame does typically impressive work, Pino Donaggio contributes another of his eerie music scores, and the film ends on a very amusing final note.Followed by six sequels.9/10
Incredibly overrated, mediocre horror movie.
posted on 23 Jan 2009I haven't seen many werewolf movies. Maybe this one is considered the best by many people, because the rest is total crap. I really don't understand those 8+ ratings. The only reason a gave it 4 stars instead of 2 is because of the special effects which are quite well done for their time. I totally agree with people who say the storyline is very slow. You won't be missing anything at all if you'd skip the first hour. This may seem a useless comment, but I really don't have very much to say about this movie, since it's neither awful nor something special. It's just mediocre and boring. You might wonder why I almost gave 2 stars, while saying it's mediocre. Well total crap is sometimes more entertaining than a mediocre movie, so this one shouldn't easily get 5 stars in my opinion.
Listen to the critics, it's actually one of the best
posted on 24 Dec 2008Yes! For a change in the horror genre this film does deserve all of the praise, hype, cult following and respect it receives, even from the critics. I would go so far as to even admit that I find this Joe (Gremlins, Innerspace, The 'burbs, Matinee, Small soldiers) Dante flick one of his best crafted works, followed by PIRANHA.It's always been a toss up between THE HOWLING and AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON for the most effective lycanthropy picture of postmodern horror cinema (anything since Psycho). Where John Landis used comedy more blatantly, the humour in THE HOWLING is far more satirical and subversive. Undoubtedly, Rob Bottin's effects steal the show as well as they did for John Carpenter's THE THING. The transformation of Eddie Quist, especially on the revamped DVD is something to behold.For anyone with a passing interest in the horror genre this is a film to include on that 'TO SEE' list. For fans of werewolf movies this should go on that 'MUST SEE' list.
The Howling
posted on 27 Nov 2008I must admit firstly that I didn't pay the fullest attention for the first twenty to thirty minutes, until it really got thrilling and gruesome, that is when it got good, from director Joe Dante. Basically serial killer Eddie Quist (Star Trek: Voyager's Robert Picardo) is on the loose, and after nearly being killed by him in an adult video store, news reporter Karen White (E.T.'s Dee Wallace) is told to take a vacation. She discovers Eddie was killed in the forest by the cops, and that he was part of a small community, so she hangs around there with husband R. William 'Bill' Neill (Christopher Stone). This of course if the big mistake, and all events that have happened previously make sense, because Eddie was part of a pack of werewolves, and obviously anyone who goes near them will be either torn to shreds or become one of them. Also starring Patrick Macnee as Dr. George Waggner, Dennis Dugan as Chris, John Carradine as Erle Kenton, Slim Pickens as Sam Newfield, Elisabeth Brooks as Marsha Quist and Gremlins' Dick Miller as Walter Paisley. I think it was as soon as I saw the transformation scene that I was fixed, and as more and more werewolves the horror really picks up. I have to say though it is meant to be a comedy horror, I only giggled at one moment, and it was near the end, but never mind, it's still worth a go. Very good!
Rent a different Werewolf movie
posted on 12 Nov 2008I went into this movie with high expectations. I came out very regretful for the wasted 90 minutes of my life. The special effects are decent, and the pace is fine, and there are some nice surprises and jokes at the end.
The characters were so uninteresting, though! Dee Wallace is absolutely horrid as the female lead, and isn't given much help from the stereotypical characters that surround her. I never felt that Wallace's character and her husband (played by Christopher Stone, her soon-to-be husband in real life if I'm not mistaken) actually cared about one another. They simply seemed like pawns being pushed along by the simplistic script.Cliches abound in the movie as well. Believe me, you WILL get sick of fog by the time the film has run its course- there is enough of it to fill 3 normal horror movies! Also, the werewolves, when they finally appeared looked comical. Like a cross between a wolf, a rabbit, and a velociraptor from Jurrassic Park (they have long ears and equally long and then legs that were not present on any wolf I have ever seen). There is some good suspense involving the newswoman and a pursuing werewolf, but when the filmmakers have the chance to really knock your socks off with a good jolt of surprise, they chicken out. There are several key moments that could have been scary, but were misused.All in all, American Werewolf in London, and it's sequel/remake American Werewolf in Paris are much better movies. Rent them first, or even The Wolf Man (w/ Lon Chaney), but don't say I didn't warn you... 3/10
One great scene does not a good movie make
posted on 13 Oct 2008I really didn't like it. Werewolf flicks are usually my thing, but I found this one rather silly and oddly paced. I also didn't catch the supposed tongue-in-cheek humour at all. The story is rather weird, and really doesn't fit the film at all, and the acting is uniformly terrible. There's no hint of character development or even shades of anything more than slight stereotypes, and thus it becomes just another slasher flick. Also, by the time this film starts going, it's nearly over, as there's too much build-up and not enough payoff. The makeup effects are admittedly impressive, and the much-ballyhooed transformation scene is quite a treat to watch, but one great scene does not a good movie make. The end is kinda cool, I guess, but, again, doesn't fit the film. It's not terrible, but it's not that good either. Quite a disappointment for me.
One of the best early-day werewolf movies
posted on 04 Oct 2008From the same year as American Werewolf in London, I guess this movie caught the shadow of that blockbuster everyone knows, and is therefore not very well known. However, the special effects are great for this movie, and even though not as focused on the actual transformation, the werewolves in this movie are excellent. Even paying attention to making them digitigrade (toe-walking) and generic body shape that people never saw before (older werewolf movies always had the very human looking shape to them).The plot itself is quite rich for this type of movie, with some twists here and there. Unfortunately quite a few (too many) sequels of this movie were made that really aren't worth watching, but this (first) one is certainly one to watch. Even if very old by now, if you look past the aged "movie-scares" that are in there on a few occasions, if you like werewolf flics it still remains a good movie to date.
Overrated Werewolf film, average at best as far as I'm concerned.
posted on 01 Oct 2008T.V. newswoman Karen Stone (Dee Wallace-Stone as Dee Wallace) has been contacted by and agreed to have a private meeting with a wanted L.A. serial killer Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo), she decides to use herself as bait to trap him with the police's help. Things don't go according to plan however. Before receiving a phone call from Quist in a public call box to let her know where to go and meet him her electronic equipment fails and the monitoring police lose track of her. Quist tells Karen to go to a porno shop and wait in a booth in the back. Violent pornography plays on a screen as Karen is attacked from behind. Two policemen (Kenneth Toby and Steve Nevil), having managed to re-locate Karen, burst in and shoot Eddie dead. Karen is traumatised by the event and cannot remember parts of it and decides to visit Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee) who did a profile on Quist and was recently a guest on her T.V. programme. He suggests that she and her husband William 'Bill' Neil (Dee Wallace-Stones real life husband Christopher Stone) take a break from their careers and visit the secluded retreat he has set-up that is known as the 'Colony'. They agree and head off to the Colony which is situated on the California coast. At night Karen begins to hear an eerie howling noise. Meanwhile two of Karen's journalist friends and colleagues, Terry (Belinda Balaski) and Chris (Dennis Dugan) locate Quist's apartment and find some very strange drawings of half men half wolf creatures. They investigate further and discover that Quist's body has disappeared from the morgue, eventually the trail leads them to the Colony. After Bill has just rejected the advances of Marsha (Elizabeth Brooks) he is attacked by a large unknown and extremely aggressive animal. Soon everything is revealed and Karen finds out the sinister truth behind the howling noises, who Eddie Quist really is and the real purpose of why the 'Colony' was created. Directed by Joe Dante I was very disappointed by this highly thought of film, I just can't get that excited about it. The script by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless based on the Novel by Gary Brandner is very slow to start and is full of in-jokes and references. It picks up a little for the last half an hour or so but overall I just wasn't particularly interested in anyone or anything by this point. Why is it that a werewolf can punch through a car roof but can't escape from an old wooden barn while it's burning down? The one thing this film does have going for it is some excellent special make-up effects from Rob Bottin and his team, Rick Baker who did the equally excellent effects for An American Werewolf in London (1981) has a credit as consultant too. The transformation scenes are impressive although there isn't a lot of blood or gore, in fact I can't really remember any. There is someone with half their face burnt off with acid and a chopped off arm and that's about it, but it's definitely the transformations that steal the special make-up effects show. There is a scene where two people start to turn into werewolves as they have sex, which is kinky I guess. It's generally well made and looks OK. The acting is fine and there are a few familiar faces in it, there's an extremely old looking John Carradine who can barely walk, Slim Pickens as the local Sheriff, Dick Miller plus director Roger Corman and screenwriter John Sayles also have small cameo's. This is also the only film that has the closing credits running over a shot of a burger being cooked on a grill, at least I think it is. Generally quite slow but there are a few good sequences in here if you stick it out to the end. Not too bad, but not brilliant either.
Joe Dante's classic
posted on 16 Sep 2008This is the best Werewolf movie I've ever seen, Joe Dante is a good director and directs this movie with skill. The Werewolves look great and Eddie's transformation is one if the best just like American Werewolf in London's transformation.The plot sees reporter Karen White and her Husband Roy going to a place called the Colony after she's attacked by murderer Eddie Quist. But once their Karen begins to hear howling noises, it also seems Eddie Quist is alive after being shot and escaped from the morgue.Meanwhile Marsha has the hots for Roy and one night bites him while returning to Karen. Soon Roy and Marsha have sex while changing into their Werewolf form which was something new.Soon Karen meets with Eddie and shows her his Werewolf before running into the locals who take her to the barn to kill with her friend Terri who killed by Eddie in Waggners Office.After escaping with her friend Chris, she is bitten by her husband Roy. So on TV she changes to show everyone but Chris must kill her in case she kills everyone at the news station. While at a bar Marsha is watching her on TV.The Howling is a classic horror film that shouldn't be missed. I also recommend: An American Werewolf in London, Wolfen, Dog Soldiers and The Beast of Bray Road.
One of the Best Werewolves Films Ever Made.
posted on 10 Sep 2008T.V. Newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace Stone) is nearly murder by a Serial Killer (Robert Picardo) and she becomes traumatized by her near-fatal encounter. When a Psychiatrist (Patrick Macnee) advised to be one of his patients at a secluded retreat called "The Colony". Karen goes to "The Colony" with her husband (Christopher Stone) but they arrived at the place, things doesn't go as plan for the couple and Karen makes a terrifying discovery. The people that Karen meets at "The Colony" are not as they seem to be.Directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins 1 & 2, Piranha, Small Soldiers) made a genuine scary horror film with a sense of humor. This low budget film was shot in 28 days with a budget of 1.1 Million! This was one of the critically successful horror films of 1981. Although "The Howling" is one of the three werewolves movies of 1981. The other two are:Oscar-Winning "An American Werewolf in London" and Underrated "Wolfen". "The Howling" has amazing transformation Make-Up effects by Oscar-Winner:Rob Bottin (Fight Club, Legend, Total Recall). Six Time Oscar-Winner:Rick Baker (Men in Black 1 & 2, The Nutty Professor 1 & 2, Harry and the Hendersons) was the Make-Up effects consultant for the film.DVD has an good anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (also in Pan & Scan) and an strong digitally remastered:Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (Also in the original mono sound). DVD has an ingraining commentary track by the director and actors:Wallace Stone, Stone & Picardo. Which the Commentary was recorded for the 1996 Laserdisc. DVD Features are good:A five part documentary, original featurette, deleted scenes, outtakes and more. Actor turned Filmmaker:Dennis Dugan (Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore, Saving Silverman) has a supporting role here. Now with the new DVD transfer, we could enjoy amazing special effects for the Werewolves transformation scenes. Which previous video transfer were always dark. Dante's Regulars:Belinda Balaski, Kevin Mc Carthy, Kenneth Tobey and Dick Miller are also in this film. Watch for the uncredited cameo B-Movie King Producer/Director:Roger Carman, screenwriter:John Sayles and Publisher of Monsters Magazines:Forrest J.Ackerman. A cult favorite for years to come. Good Music Score by Pino Donaggio (Seed of Chucky, Carrie, Two Evil Eyes). Based on a Novel by Gary Brandner. Screenplay by John Sayles (Alligator, Lone Star, Limbo) and Terence H. Winkless (The Nest). (****/*****).
Very good.
posted on 04 Sep 2008Attractive reporter(Dee Wallace Stone)is coming to a small health resort.What she doesn't know is that all the residents of this resort are werewolves."The Howling" is one of my favourite werewolf flicks.It features some of the best transformation scenes ever filmed,excellent special effects and a bit of irony.The acting is pretty good,and Joe Dante's direction is well-handled.There's a nice amount of blood and gore too!This shocker offers also some delicious sleaze(sex and full frontal nudity).However I'm not going to waste my time writing about its sequels,because they pretty much suck(still I haven't seen the fourth and fifth installments of this series).Joe Dante also made the kick-ass "Piranha"(1978).
Over-rated werewolf film, with some good features but a significant lack of real terror.
posted on 27 Jul 2008I expected The Howling to be one of the greatest horror films of all-time, owing to the fact that horror movie buffs are always raving about it and even the critics seemed to have good comments for it. However, I found it rather disappointing. Not a poor film - no, not at all - but certainly not a fabulous one as so many viewers seem to suggest. Perhaps you have to be hooked on the whole werewolf sub-genre in order to get a blast out of a film like this? There are certainly some compensations to be found, including enjoyable performances, clever in-jokes and spectacular werewolf transformation sequences, but The Howling just doesn't deliver the requisite scares and is too cliché-ridden for my liking.TV newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace) helps the police to lure in a serial killer, Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). However, the scheme goes awry and Karen escapes a nasty demise by the skin of her teeth. Plagued by nightmares of her recent ordeal, she is advised by her psychiatrist Dr Waggner (Patrick Macnee) to go with her husband to a quiet retreat called "The Colony" for recuperation. The retreat seems quiet and relaxing enough, and is certainly a long way from the hustle and bustle of regular day-to-day life, but Karen still feels uneasy. Karen's husband tries to convince her that it's just a result of her fragile mental state, but gradually she begins to fit together the truth behind the retreat. It seems that all the residents are werewolves - among them the terrifying Eddie Quist himself - and Karen's only choice is to join them or be devoured!Director Joe Dante had already earned a small cult following after his comedy-horror "Piranha" a couple of years before, and with The Howling he gained more fans for his semi-camp take on the werewolf genre. However, for me it simply isn't in the same league as some of the other legendary horror films (The Exorcist, Don't Look Now and The Omen, for instance, are all a huge deal better) - heck, The Howling isn't EVEN among the best werewolf films ever made (The Wolf Man and An American Werewolf In London are two for starters that are far superior). In The Howling, the plot seems too predictable and Dee Wallace, in the key role, is inadequate. Real scares are missing - replaced by an unhealthy reliance on special effects. Admittedly I thought the special effects were good, especially for the era, but they alone can't make up for the telegraphed plot developments and the lack of a genuinely tense and unsettling atmosphere. The humorous use of character names that sound like old horror actors and directors (e.g Fred Francis, Jack Molina, Terry Fisher, etc.) is a nice touch, and Pino Donaggio provides an effective score, but on the whole The Howling only rates as an average entry. It has its army of fans but for the life of me I can't figure out why.
Special effects-slightly overrated, but good movie
posted on 24 Jul 2008The Howling works well as a gore/pure horror/comedy movie. The special affects, although riveting, aren't as amazing as some say. The areas this movie is strong in is atmosphere, character development, and some great shocks.The first half of the movie takes a long time to set up the characters and situations. Dee Wallace plays Karen White, who is traumatized by a rapist. Her psychiatrist advises her to go to a vacation area in the woods. She brings her husband and two friends. What they don't realize is that the area is a coven for werewolves, and the "normal" looking vacationers are actual werewolves. Wallace, her husband, and friends are all terrorized by the lycanthropes.(Spoilers)The second half of the movie picks up considerably. The best scenes in the movie is where one of the female werewolves lures Wallace's husband in the woods to have sex with him and makes him a werewolf in the process. The special affects start working well here, but get slightly overdone by the end of the sex scene. Another scene is where Terri(Wallace's friend) stumbles in a deserted creepy cabin where she finds pictures of the killer who terrorized Wallace. A werewolf spots her snooping around and chases her. The ending is pretty good, if not a bit hokey.The acting and gritty, tense atmosphere work very well, and the chase scenes are excellent. The special affects are sometimes excellent, but sometimes very fake looking. There are some slow parts, but the end result is very good. Recommended definitely for all horror fans.
Revenge of the 80's: The franchise film.
posted on 04 Jul 2009The Howling (1981) is the overrated horror "classic" that is responsible for burying the werewolf genre. Oh yes, during the early 80's the werewolf was nearing the end of being a staple in horror films. The films of Jacinto Molina (Paul Naschy) marked a long run and a renaissance of werewolf films from the late 60's until it's demise during the early 80's. When Senor Molina had a hard time getting a werewolf film off the ground, the writing was on the wall. But in Hollywood, the love fest with werewolf movies hadn't run it's course. Films like this one and American Werewolf in London redefined this dying genre incorporating state of the art f/x's (courtesy of Rob Bottin and Rick Baker). Instead of a rebirth, the genre died a slow death thanks to the many cheaply made and badly executed films that came out after this one (dare not speak of the horrible films that followed this one bearing the name Howling).The Howling tried something different but the results are a mixed bag. I would rate this movie highly except it's responsible for making a half dozen sequels which range from mediocre to down right unwatchable. The effects are remarkable and the film is full of familiar faces and cameos from people in the biz. It's perfect as a stand alone film. If you love this movie please stay away from the sequels. You'll never forgive yourself if you watched them. Trust me, I wished I never did. I fell on the sword so none of you have to witness the horror. I have seen them all and I wouldn't wish that upon my biggest and nastiest foe.Recommended for horror fans.I repeat, stay away from the sequels!!