This classic werewolf movie is not as good as "An American Werewolf in London", however it is a pretty good horror movie in its own right. It is also one of the first (if not the first) to do an on screen transformation scene not using the old frame by frame technique. The story has a female reporter traumatized after she helps the police track down a serial killer. A friend psychiatrist sends her to a retreat known as "the colony" to help her unwind and get to the root of her problem. Well lets just say her first impulse was right as she really seems to think her and her husband are out of place in this retreat. I would agree, I do believe I would have left after seeing the first little beach party where the guy about to throw himself in the fire seemed the most sane. For the most part this movie has a bit of a slow setup, but once it gets going near the last 20 or thirty minutes it really gets going. The werewolves look rather good, there are a couple of scenes where they appear to be nothing more than cartoons or something, but for the most part they look like working models. There is a bit at the end which puzzles me as it seems to add humor into what was otherwise a movie that wasn't trying to garner laughs. However, for the most part you get a rather nice horror movie with lots of stars, something of a rarity this day and age.
284 Reviews
Very good.
HumanoidOfFlesh25 March 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Attractive 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).
One of the best werewolf movies ever made.
unakaczynski14 November 2005
The Howling
Easily one of the most historically popular werewolf films out there deserves some attention, right? Well of course. And since lately I'm getting more and more into werewolf films, I figured it was high time I actually bought this one and reviewed it. This, along with American Werewolf in London, were the two films that revolutionized werewolf movies and transformed them from just some guy running around bein' all hairy and strangling people. On top of it all, we have Joe Dante (Piranha, Gremlins) directing. Good times will be had by all!
This film revolves around a news anchor-woman who is helping the police track down a serial killer, made all the easier by the fact that he's taken an interest in her. Well, everything goes just awful and she ends up traumatized. Her shrink suggests she and her husband take a comfortable, soothing vacation in a community that he's a major part of. Of course, the movie is helped along by the fact that the town just happens to be chock full of werewolves who can't seem to decide whether to eat these new people or have them join up.
Here's the breakdown:
The Good:
--We've got some beautiful and unique looking werewolves here. The first one we have a very clear view of, in the doctor's office, almost resembles some creature that's part wolf, part man, and part cat. It just kind of had that feel--not that it's bad, I liked it.
--Interesting story, one of the better ones in the world of werewolves.
--The acting is pretty good, one has to consider the fact that a lot of actors just don't take these kinds of roles seriously enough. So finding a movie like this where they do is quite nice.
--Naked transforming werewolf sex scene by a campfire. Hmmm... maybe this should be the Memorable Scene....
--Average amounts of violence--more a suspenseful werewolf film than a visually disturbing one. The gore, while only occasional, is really good.
--Nice mystery story wrapped up in here.
Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:
--Decent music, somewhat average for these kind of movies.
--Dee Wallace-Stone's acting occasionally isn't quite up to par, shall we say...
--One werewolf transformation sequence is actually animated--like with cell animation and it doesn't look very good. It's brief and small, and doesn't detract from the film's overall quality.
--Dee Wallace's friends in the movie really seem to adopt the notion of werewolves rather easily--I would think it would be hard to accept that idea... oh well...
The Bad:
--Some two-dimensional characters.
--This film is in a series notorious for it's much crappier releases, but that's really about all there is that's not to like.
The Ugly:
--Robert Picardo (the hologram doctor from Star Trek: Voyager) plays the ultimate bad-ass werewolf--and boy, his face doesn't look good all charred with acid...
Memorable Scene:
--Robert Picardo's werewolf in the Doctor's office. Oh, and that werewolf transformation sex scene. That was pretty hot.
Acting: 8/10 Story: 9/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Character Development: 8/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 8/10 (some less than fancy stop-motion, and one bit of obvious animation) Nudity/Sexuality: 4/10 Violence/Gore: 8/10 (Average amount, but very high quality) Sets/Backgrounds: 9/10 Dialogue: 7/10 Music: 7/10 Writing: 8/10 Direction: 9/10
Cheesiness: 1/10 Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
A horror must-see. One of the classic werewolf films. Personally, I think Dog Soldiers may still be a little better, but that's just me. For horror fans and a great piece for non-horror fans to find out what a good werewolf movie should look like--sans CG werewolves.
www.ResidentHazard.com http://bartboard.proboards3.com/index.cgi The Board, movie message board.
Easily one of the most historically popular werewolf films out there deserves some attention, right? Well of course. And since lately I'm getting more and more into werewolf films, I figured it was high time I actually bought this one and reviewed it. This, along with American Werewolf in London, were the two films that revolutionized werewolf movies and transformed them from just some guy running around bein' all hairy and strangling people. On top of it all, we have Joe Dante (Piranha, Gremlins) directing. Good times will be had by all!
This film revolves around a news anchor-woman who is helping the police track down a serial killer, made all the easier by the fact that he's taken an interest in her. Well, everything goes just awful and she ends up traumatized. Her shrink suggests she and her husband take a comfortable, soothing vacation in a community that he's a major part of. Of course, the movie is helped along by the fact that the town just happens to be chock full of werewolves who can't seem to decide whether to eat these new people or have them join up.
Here's the breakdown:
The Good:
--We've got some beautiful and unique looking werewolves here. The first one we have a very clear view of, in the doctor's office, almost resembles some creature that's part wolf, part man, and part cat. It just kind of had that feel--not that it's bad, I liked it.
--Interesting story, one of the better ones in the world of werewolves.
--The acting is pretty good, one has to consider the fact that a lot of actors just don't take these kinds of roles seriously enough. So finding a movie like this where they do is quite nice.
--Naked transforming werewolf sex scene by a campfire. Hmmm... maybe this should be the Memorable Scene....
--Average amounts of violence--more a suspenseful werewolf film than a visually disturbing one. The gore, while only occasional, is really good.
--Nice mystery story wrapped up in here.
Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:
--Decent music, somewhat average for these kind of movies.
--Dee Wallace-Stone's acting occasionally isn't quite up to par, shall we say...
--One werewolf transformation sequence is actually animated--like with cell animation and it doesn't look very good. It's brief and small, and doesn't detract from the film's overall quality.
--Dee Wallace's friends in the movie really seem to adopt the notion of werewolves rather easily--I would think it would be hard to accept that idea... oh well...
The Bad:
--Some two-dimensional characters.
--This film is in a series notorious for it's much crappier releases, but that's really about all there is that's not to like.
The Ugly:
--Robert Picardo (the hologram doctor from Star Trek: Voyager) plays the ultimate bad-ass werewolf--and boy, his face doesn't look good all charred with acid...
Memorable Scene:
--Robert Picardo's werewolf in the Doctor's office. Oh, and that werewolf transformation sex scene. That was pretty hot.
Acting: 8/10 Story: 9/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Character Development: 8/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 8/10 (some less than fancy stop-motion, and one bit of obvious animation) Nudity/Sexuality: 4/10 Violence/Gore: 8/10 (Average amount, but very high quality) Sets/Backgrounds: 9/10 Dialogue: 7/10 Music: 7/10 Writing: 8/10 Direction: 9/10
Cheesiness: 1/10 Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
A horror must-see. One of the classic werewolf films. Personally, I think Dog Soldiers may still be a little better, but that's just me. For horror fans and a great piece for non-horror fans to find out what a good werewolf movie should look like--sans CG werewolves.
www.ResidentHazard.com http://bartboard.proboards3.com/index.cgi The Board, movie message board.
'The Howling' is one of the all time best werewolf movies.
Infofreak2 June 2004
Most of my favourite horror movies of the 1980s were small, indie movies made outside the major studio system e.g. 'The Evil Dead', 'Maniac', 'Basket Case'. Most of the "big" horror movies then (like now) were pretty lame. 'The Howling' is a notable exception. Watching it over twenty years after it was originally released is quite an eye-opener. It not only holds up well, it is in fact, a damn fine movie. Joe Dante must take the credit for this. For me in the 1980s Dante was like a smarter, more inventive Spielberg. Dante, who learned his chops working for Roger Corman as an editor, writer and director, is a knowledgeable horror buff (Universal, Hammer, Bava movies) with a sly wit and great sense of fun. 'The Howling' is full of in jokes and ironic nods, but never goes all the way into comedy. Dante takes the material seriously. This is a pretty scary movie and the werewolves are some of the best ever seen. Dee Wallace ('The Hills Have Eyes', 'The Frighteners') is a TV reporter who is traumatized after a close encounter with a serial killer (Dante regular Robert Picardo). Dr. Waggner (Patrick Macnee of 'The Avengers' fame), a charming psychiatrist she knows and trusts suggest that she and her husband Bill (Christopher Stone) join him at his therapeutic retreat "The Colony". I won't spoil the movie by going into detail about what happens next, but it's creepy and entertaining. Wallace is very good and Picardo, who usually plays comic roles, is convincing as Quist the psycho nut job. 'The Howling' was co-written by John Sayles, who pops up in a cameo, as does Roger Corman, and super fan Forrest J. Ackerman, former editor of 'Famous Monsters Of Filmland'. Dante is a loyal guy who always likes to acknowledge where he is coming from, so as well as Corman and Ackerman there are roles for horror legend John Carradine, Kevin McCarthy ('Invasion Of The Body Snatchers'), Kenneth Tobey ('The Thing From Another World'), Slim Pickens ('Dr Strangelove') and Dick Miller (as "Walter Paisley" his character in Corman's 1950s b-grade classic 'A Bucket Of Blood'). 'The Howling' is sure to be enjoyed by every horror buff and for me is one of the all time best werewolf movies along with Universal's 'The Wolf Man' and Hammer's underrated 'The Curse Of The Werewolf'.
A werewolf film with bite
TheLittleSongbird10 January 2019
Have an appreciation for horror and had been interested in 'The Howling' franchise for a while, with the first film being highly recommended. Also know that werewolf films have been done well on film, the obvious example being 'An American Werewolf in London' (over 35 years on and that film is still a classic). So decided to continue my "watching and reviewing all films from horror franchises" quest, and did so with 'The Howling' series.
While not as good as 'An American Werewolf in London', not quite a classic and not without imperfections, 'The Howling' managed to be a highly effective and solid film of the genre and as an overall film. If asked whether it seems like it has held up well, my answer would be it seems as though it has. It's entertaining and has unsettling moments, while also being surprisingly well made and made by someone with a clear love for the genre with quite a number of affectionate touches. As far as 'The Howling' franchise goes, this is by far the best having found the follow-ups a very mixed bag. When it comes to films centred around werewolves, it's also one of the better ones.
'The Howling' may take too long to get going, with a relatively uneventful first stretch, and is not without its dull spots.
Regarding the acting, it is variable with Christopher Stone looking as though he was not very interested in his role or the film, his acting resembles that of sleep-walking. Dee Wallace fares much better, she is appealing and looks engaged but she is not without her not so good spots, particularly in some of her reactions.
On the other hand, 'The Howling' does look great. There is a lot of atmosphere and it is very stylishly photographed, the secluded setting also adding a lot. In this regard though, faring best are the pretty amazing special effects/make-up. The score looms ominously very effectively and Joe Dante directs with an assured hand, never ill at ease or losing control of the material, and with clear affection of the genre.
Standing out too are the sharp and witty script, a very successful attempt at turning genre cliches on their heads and doing things fresh with them and some quite decent characters that don't bore or annoy, some named after horror incons such as Freddie Francis and Terrence Fisher. In particularly the second half when things do properly get going, there is a suspenseful and unsettling atmosphere and actually did think there were some nicely timed scares. The werewolf transformations are highly imaginative and look great even today. Although the acting is variable, the horror stalwarts involved fare very well, they are accomplished and clearly know what they were doing. John Carradine is the clear standout here.
In conclusion, solid atmospheric fun with bite. 7/10 Bethany Cox
While not as good as 'An American Werewolf in London', not quite a classic and not without imperfections, 'The Howling' managed to be a highly effective and solid film of the genre and as an overall film. If asked whether it seems like it has held up well, my answer would be it seems as though it has. It's entertaining and has unsettling moments, while also being surprisingly well made and made by someone with a clear love for the genre with quite a number of affectionate touches. As far as 'The Howling' franchise goes, this is by far the best having found the follow-ups a very mixed bag. When it comes to films centred around werewolves, it's also one of the better ones.
'The Howling' may take too long to get going, with a relatively uneventful first stretch, and is not without its dull spots.
Regarding the acting, it is variable with Christopher Stone looking as though he was not very interested in his role or the film, his acting resembles that of sleep-walking. Dee Wallace fares much better, she is appealing and looks engaged but she is not without her not so good spots, particularly in some of her reactions.
On the other hand, 'The Howling' does look great. There is a lot of atmosphere and it is very stylishly photographed, the secluded setting also adding a lot. In this regard though, faring best are the pretty amazing special effects/make-up. The score looms ominously very effectively and Joe Dante directs with an assured hand, never ill at ease or losing control of the material, and with clear affection of the genre.
Standing out too are the sharp and witty script, a very successful attempt at turning genre cliches on their heads and doing things fresh with them and some quite decent characters that don't bore or annoy, some named after horror incons such as Freddie Francis and Terrence Fisher. In particularly the second half when things do properly get going, there is a suspenseful and unsettling atmosphere and actually did think there were some nicely timed scares. The werewolf transformations are highly imaginative and look great even today. Although the acting is variable, the horror stalwarts involved fare very well, they are accomplished and clearly know what they were doing. John Carradine is the clear standout here.
In conclusion, solid atmospheric fun with bite. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Slow to get going
Calicodreamin29 April 2020
A very long build up to the first scare, and even then it's not at all scary by today's standards. But there are still some enjoyable aspects. The storyline is well developed, the acting is pretty good, and the gags work well. The werewolf transformation is first rate, especially for the 80s. A pretty good movie in the end.
Decent effort!
markovd11113 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
There are a lot of things to be praised in this movie. From cool and for the time advanced transformation scenes, clever and imaginative visuals to good soundtrack and decent acting. But where "Howling" fails is where it's main strength should be. Lead heroine isn't really that memorable and while you do feel sympathy for her, you never really feel too scared for her. There isn't really that feeling of dread or even a long and nerve wrecking chase scene. I liked Terry far more than Karen and would have liked her better in the main role. Also, problem with horror movies including monsters is that one day it will look old and not really scary and that is understandable and the movie shouldn't be bashed because of that, but in the same time we have to admit it isn't scary. I give it 7/10 and I DO recommend it, because it really is crafted with love and care and you will enjoy it, because it is, after all, a good and fun movie.
One of the most knowing - and fun - modern werewolf movies
Leofwine_draca2 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This movie did for werewolves what PIRANHA did for, er, fish...it treated the monsters in a bloody, but not over the top, way. It's a masterful blend of comedy and horror, mixing in the chills and laughs at equal measure. The great thing about watching Joe Dante films is the amount of in-jokes you'll find in them. Even if the film is bad, you'll still enjoy yourself trying to spot all the cameos and references to older horror films. Luckily, this film is good, so there's a lot going on to enjoy. Made in the early 1980s, this was one of the two big werewolf films of the time, the other being AN American WEREWOLF IN London. Both films were famed for their state-of-the-art special effects. I think the effects here have the edge, slightly, as there are far more of them. Artificial bladders and a lot of rubber are used to create the werewolves, which are very effective (if slightly comedic).
While the plot is not particularly strong, it really sits in the background while the jokes and horror moments come thick and fast. The acting is average, but benefits from the veteran presence of Patrick Macnee, Kevin McCarthy (who starred in Dante's earlier PIRANHA) and John Carradine, in one of his last well-known film roles (he died 7 years later in obscurity). Carradine is particularly pleasing as the hunter who has a classic line; "You can't tame what's meant to be wild, Doc. It ain't natural!" The special effects are of course, excellent, and Dick Miller is on hand, as usual, to give support. Roger Corman and Forrest J Ackerman turn up in classic cameos, and some of the characters are named after directors of famous horror films (Freddie Francis, Terence Fisher). We also get to see a clip of THE WOLF MAN on TV. Joe Dante, who directed, is obviously such a fan of the older horrors that it makes his films shine. One of the most knowing of modern werewolf films.
While the plot is not particularly strong, it really sits in the background while the jokes and horror moments come thick and fast. The acting is average, but benefits from the veteran presence of Patrick Macnee, Kevin McCarthy (who starred in Dante's earlier PIRANHA) and John Carradine, in one of his last well-known film roles (he died 7 years later in obscurity). Carradine is particularly pleasing as the hunter who has a classic line; "You can't tame what's meant to be wild, Doc. It ain't natural!" The special effects are of course, excellent, and Dick Miller is on hand, as usual, to give support. Roger Corman and Forrest J Ackerman turn up in classic cameos, and some of the characters are named after directors of famous horror films (Freddie Francis, Terence Fisher). We also get to see a clip of THE WOLF MAN on TV. Joe Dante, who directed, is obviously such a fan of the older horrors that it makes his films shine. One of the most knowing of modern werewolf films.
The beast of the best when it comes to werewolves
terrible24 December 2005
In 1981, horror movies were on the verge of their greatest comeback. The 1970's gave us Alien, Jaws and the Exersist, but we had lost the creepiness of the classic "Universal" monster films, such as Dracula, The Mummy and (my personal fave) The Wolfman. Pop culture had come to know the werewolf as a guy that hadn't shaved in a while and grew fangs. Joe Dante had a different idea. I was a freshman in high school in 1981 and some friends and I played "hooky" from school and went to see The Howling. After about 10 minutes I was so scared, that I actually found myself wanting to go to math class. Dante's film is full of suggested terror, although once he shows you, he never lets up. Karen White (Dee Wallace) is a popular newscaster who has managed to catch the eye of a serial killer. She decides to help the police trap him, but unannounced to us is the fact that the killer has a secret... A very dark secret. After a terrifying encounter, Karen and her husband Bill (Christopher Stone), take a long needed vacation. A retreat colony up in woods is their destination and the townsfolk (including the late, great John Carradine) are just normal everyday people who welcome them with open arms. As the days go by, strange things begin to happen and we realize that the colony is actually a colony of... Anyway, the visuals are great and this was long before the computer generated crap that they throw at us these days. Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo) is the resident bad dude or (wolf) as you may, and has one of the most classic transformation scenes I have ever witnessed. His sister Marsha Quist (Elisabeth Brooks) is definitely the hottest werewolf I've ever seen, and the cast is rounded out by Sheriff Newfield played by the one and only (Slim Pickens). The Howling certainly revolutionized the modern werewolf which has come a long way since Lon Channey Jr wore an afro wig and a pig nose, and there's not a lot of werewolf stranglings in this one. I have seen every werewolf movie ever made (literally), and The Howling has always remained my favorite, with An American Werewolf In (London)comming in at close second. If you have never seen this classic film, I urge you to go rent it, turn off the lights and pull the blanket up tight under your chin (for faster head covering action). You won't regret it, after all werewolves were meant to be big, ferocious, violent beasts that rip their victim apart. Nuff said.
Effective horror with good dark humour.
snoozejonc3 May 2023
A television news presenter helps find a serial killer and suffers from PTSD after the experience.
All good monster-transformation movies highlight 'the beast' lurking within everyone and The Howling does this well with it's continual threat of violence and lust associated with the pleasures of the flesh.
As a werewolf movie, the plot is slightly obscure in that focuses on parodies such as the self help retreat and the media obsession with violence. There are also some tributes to Joe Dante's favourite pop culture icons and you might feel certain characters are there by his whim as opposed to being overly important to the plot.
The horror scenes and werewolf effects and very impressive for the era, particularly the transformation of one character.
Dee Wallace leads the cast very well and is supported well by the other actors. Dick Miller has his standard Dante cameo and is great as always.
All good monster-transformation movies highlight 'the beast' lurking within everyone and The Howling does this well with it's continual threat of violence and lust associated with the pleasures of the flesh.
As a werewolf movie, the plot is slightly obscure in that focuses on parodies such as the self help retreat and the media obsession with violence. There are also some tributes to Joe Dante's favourite pop culture icons and you might feel certain characters are there by his whim as opposed to being overly important to the plot.
The horror scenes and werewolf effects and very impressive for the era, particularly the transformation of one character.
Dee Wallace leads the cast very well and is supported well by the other actors. Dick Miller has his standard Dante cameo and is great as always.
Boring film...
Amityville1512 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
A news reporter who has a near escape from a serial killer's grasp is sent out to a rehabilitation camp to get herself back on her feet and stable after her traumatic encounter, however the other people at the camp are actually werewolves.
This film starred: Dee Wallace, Dennis Dugan & Patrick Macnee .
The Howling is overrated, I was looking forward to watching this film and my wait and anticipation did not pay off. It's incredibly cheesy and not even cheesy in a funny way it's just awful, I don't recommend this film one bit it's so disappointing but if you are going to watch this film don't get your hopes up for it being good because it really isn't.
**/***** Poor.
This film starred: Dee Wallace, Dennis Dugan & Patrick Macnee .
The Howling is overrated, I was looking forward to watching this film and my wait and anticipation did not pay off. It's incredibly cheesy and not even cheesy in a funny way it's just awful, I don't recommend this film one bit it's so disappointing but if you are going to watch this film don't get your hopes up for it being good because it really isn't.
**/***** Poor.
awesome werewolf flick
dancingcancer4115 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This is an excellently crafted piece of work from former Roger Corman student, Joe Dante. I won't go much into the plot, but it involves a news woman who gets attacked while in a porno shop viewing room. To get her mind off things, a psychiatrist recommends she goes to his private retreat to be treated. After that, spooky happenings and strange deaths start occurring. This film has great direction and great atmosphere and mood. The lighting and use of fog is excellent and really hightens the spookiness of the film. One of the best werewolf transformations is shown in this film, rivaled only by the one in An American Werewolf in London. Although this movie starts out slow, the tension keeps rising and keeps you interested in what will happen next. The spookiness doesn't always lie within the content but also the claustrophobic feeling and the uncertainty of who you can trust. A very good movie, highly recommended.
Yep, worked for me
jehanzebshahzad5 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
If you are looking for something which makes sense and is logical, then this movie is not for you because the story had many loopholes. At one point, you just start questioning the sanity of the characters because no sane person would stand and watch a dude transform into a werewolf especially when that dude is having you for his dinner. Apparently, the protagonist gives a big fat F to common sense and watches the whole thing instead of running away from a beast but then again, you expect these kinds of decisions to be made by the lead in a horror film right?
However, this film did entertain me and most of the credit goes to the makeup artists because the werewolf transformations were extremely good. You expect a good werewolf and a good tranformation scene from a werewolf movie and this film successfully meets your expectations. Also, I liked how they removed the whole "tranformation in a full moon only" thing because that absolutely made no sense. I mean shapeshifters are shapeshifters because they can shift into other shapes whenever they want to right?
To summarize, this film is definitely for the people who don't take the storyline seriously and just want to see a werewolf. Also, did I mention the scene where the wolves have sex?😂
No.
dvdont17 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Horrid acting, terrible scripting, embarrassing effects and an awful score round out this turkey of a film. I find it amazing that so many people enjoy this movie. I can't for the life of me see what the appeal is.
People seem to rate the sex scene as one of the most awesome werewolf transformations ever... come on! First off, their hips weren't moving during the actual sex, at all. Second, the transformation itself was done with cheap cutaways and silly grins to show off terrible faux fangs.
Third, isn't transformation supposed to be PAINFUL? This movie takes quite a few liberties with traditional werewolf lore, and this does not work out well for the film. FInally, the shot showing the finished transformation is so laughable, I spat soda through my nose when I saw it- that effect looked horrid in the 1940's, when it was done on Black and White monster movies! They couldn't just have the actors wear wolf suits? That's just one little scene in this entire, ninety minute waste of time. DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE. IT IS AWFUL. There are many, many better werewolf flicks out there.
People seem to rate the sex scene as one of the most awesome werewolf transformations ever... come on! First off, their hips weren't moving during the actual sex, at all. Second, the transformation itself was done with cheap cutaways and silly grins to show off terrible faux fangs.
Third, isn't transformation supposed to be PAINFUL? This movie takes quite a few liberties with traditional werewolf lore, and this does not work out well for the film. FInally, the shot showing the finished transformation is so laughable, I spat soda through my nose when I saw it- that effect looked horrid in the 1940's, when it was done on Black and White monster movies! They couldn't just have the actors wear wolf suits? That's just one little scene in this entire, ninety minute waste of time. DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE. IT IS AWFUL. There are many, many better werewolf flicks out there.
Listen to the critics, it's actually one of the best
Krug Stillo3 September 2003
Yes! 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.
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.
Classic Werewolf movie in which a television anchorwoman arrives in a resort plagued by a series of terrifying murders
ma-cortes4 October 2023
After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a popular television newswoman called Karen White (Dee Wallace) suffers an embarrassing breakdown during the live broadcast. In an effort to recover from her trauma, Karen visits her psychiatrist, Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee). Meantime, Karen's colleagues Terry (Belinda Belaski) and Chris (Dennis Dugan), continue their investigation of "Eddie the Mangler". Then Karen is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem. It is a secluded retreat where the strange residents (John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Elisabeth Brooks, Noble Willingham), are rather too eager to make her feel at home. There Karen and his husband (Christopher Stone) discover a weird form of lycanthropes. There's a pack of werewolves who are trying to keep a low profile and really hidden under ordinary villlagers. What she has witnessed, she cannot escape. What he has become, he cannot control. And what you experience, no one will believe until they come face to face with the inhuman fear that is the howling. All your nightmares are about to be transformed into one single inescapable fear! They're out there - and you're in the middle of your worst nightmare...When the howling starts... the horror begins! Beyond anything human. Imagine your worst fear a reality.
A classy horror movie that gives the quirkness and wit of the vintage wolfman genre. The motion picture displays action, suspense, terror with fun touches. Crammed with inside jokes, this horror-comedy pioneered the use of the body-altering prosthetic make-up (by Rob Bottin) now essential for on-screen man-to-wolf transformations. In ¨The Howling¨ stands out a great support cast cast with plenty of familiar faces, such as: Patrick Macnee, Belinda Balaski, Dennis Dugan John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Elisabeth Brooks, Noble Willingham, Robert Picardo, Kevin McCarthy,Kenneth Tobey, Dick Miller, among others. The motion picture was competently directed by Joe Dante. Rating: 7.5/10, better than average.
Followed by six sequels: ¨The Howling 2, your sister is a werewolf¨ 1985 by Philippe Mora with Christopher Lee, Sybil Danning, Marsha Hunt, Reb Brown. ¨Howling 3, The marsupials¨ 1987 by Philippe de Mora with Barry Otto, Michael Pate, Frank Thring Jr. ¨The Howling 4, The original nightmare¨ 1988 by John Hough with Romy Windsor, Michael T Weiss, Anthony Hamilton. ¨Howling 5, The Rebirth¨ 1989 by Neal Sundstrom with Philip Davis, Ben Cole, Victoria Catlin. ¨The Howling 6, The Freaks¨ 1990 by by Hope Perello with Michelle Matheson, Brendan Hughes, Antonio Fargas. ¨The Howling 7, New moon rising¨ 1995 by Clive Turner with Romy Windsor, Jacqueline Armitage, Clive Turner, Elizabeth She.
A classy horror movie that gives the quirkness and wit of the vintage wolfman genre. The motion picture displays action, suspense, terror with fun touches. Crammed with inside jokes, this horror-comedy pioneered the use of the body-altering prosthetic make-up (by Rob Bottin) now essential for on-screen man-to-wolf transformations. In ¨The Howling¨ stands out a great support cast cast with plenty of familiar faces, such as: Patrick Macnee, Belinda Balaski, Dennis Dugan John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Elisabeth Brooks, Noble Willingham, Robert Picardo, Kevin McCarthy,Kenneth Tobey, Dick Miller, among others. The motion picture was competently directed by Joe Dante. Rating: 7.5/10, better than average.
Followed by six sequels: ¨The Howling 2, your sister is a werewolf¨ 1985 by Philippe Mora with Christopher Lee, Sybil Danning, Marsha Hunt, Reb Brown. ¨Howling 3, The marsupials¨ 1987 by Philippe de Mora with Barry Otto, Michael Pate, Frank Thring Jr. ¨The Howling 4, The original nightmare¨ 1988 by John Hough with Romy Windsor, Michael T Weiss, Anthony Hamilton. ¨Howling 5, The Rebirth¨ 1989 by Neal Sundstrom with Philip Davis, Ben Cole, Victoria Catlin. ¨The Howling 6, The Freaks¨ 1990 by by Hope Perello with Michelle Matheson, Brendan Hughes, Antonio Fargas. ¨The Howling 7, New moon rising¨ 1995 by Clive Turner with Romy Windsor, Jacqueline Armitage, Clive Turner, Elizabeth She.
The Pulp Fiction/Kill Bill of Horror Movies
jzappa29 May 2010
The Howling demonstrates Joe Dante's penchant for exploitation aesthetics, ironic revision and the subversive critique of genre staples, the combination of the sensibility of a cartoonist and a social satirist. It escapes me why this film is seen as no more than a werewolf slasher pic even by respected critics, because in a sense, it did what Scream did fifteen years later: self-deconstructing. It is not about the plot. It is about itself. It comments on all the conventions it happily plays upon itself. The violence, gore and werewolf metamorphoses are disarmed by the ironic way Dante utilizes and annotates them. He inserts countless in-jokes and references, often veiled and subtle, not just to movies and TV like with The Big Bad Wolf in The Three Little Pigs but also concerning characters eating Wolf Brand Chili, the momentary glimpse of a copy of Howl by Ginsberg, mention of DJ Wolfman Jack, characters with names like Terri Fisher, which could be a reference to the British director Terence Fisher, who did direct a film called Curse of the Werewolf. The focus of this extremely hip post-modern wolf man movie is mostly on the humor, satirizing pop culture and the self-help craze, gaining comic effect even from some of the special effects.
But it goes much much deeper than merely being reference-happy. What is really clever about The Howling is its pervasive visual references to a variety of media forms and aspects of popular culture themselves. We see cameramen, bystander-like TV sets and movie posters galore, we go behind the scenes of a network TV station. There is stop-motion animation and puppetry as well as special effects by Rick Baker and Rob Bottin that were state-of-the-art at the time. A silhouette of one of the monsters is obviously a cartoon animation (not unlike in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein). John Sayles (who co-wrote the blatantly metatextual script) and Roger Corman have cameos. Dee Wallace-Stone plays a Hollywood TV news anchor who is being stalked by a serial killer. In cooperation with the police, she takes part in a sting to capture the killer by meeting him in a scuzzy porn theater, where he forces her to watch a film of a young woman being raped, before she sees him emerging from the shadows. The final scene is a brilliant diametric reversal of this scenario in terms of the role of what's really happening, what's happening on the screen, and in what way horrific reality is stopped by bullets.
The brave anchor nonetheless submerges the memory of the tremendous sight which she cannot accept, so her therapist, Dr. George Waggner, named after the director of The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney and Claude Rains, sends her and her husband, Bill Neill, a thinly disguised reference to the director of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, to a secluded countryside resort for treatment. As expected, the colony is chock full of oddball characters, and eventually werewolf sex, frightening shapeshifting and silver bullets abound. But all this elemental and earthy stuff takes place outside of the reach of mass media, at least to some extent, so a TV news anchor returning from this experience is going to want the world to know! But how can she? In a society surrounded and inundated by all kinds of bright, flashing mass broadcasting all the time, how can she make them truly connect and believe her claims no matter what she shows them?
As befits a real B-grade horror flick, the leads are all basically interchangeable. Most of the more solid moments are left to the character actors, played by B-movie vets like Slim Pickens, John Carradine, and Dick Miller, as well as Patrick Macnee, who plays Wallace-Stone's shrink. I tend to nix comparisons to Tarantino because his fans tend to write off a lot of interesting filmmakers as QT wannabes, but this movie was made long before Tarantino burst onto the scene: The Howling is like the Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill of horror movies. It's a post-modern pastiche that arrives insisting it is the real thing to some degree, casting all the right people, playing its own creative variations on a classic old-hat plot device, engulfing us with reminiscences of other movies and media like it and at the same time giving it a real-world edge. The Howling so consciously plays upon fantasy and allusions to midnight movies of yesteryear and werewolf lore, and reintroduces common, prototypical features of style. And there is always something about that self-aware quality that frees us from taking it seriously and we have so much more fun with it.
But it goes much much deeper than merely being reference-happy. What is really clever about The Howling is its pervasive visual references to a variety of media forms and aspects of popular culture themselves. We see cameramen, bystander-like TV sets and movie posters galore, we go behind the scenes of a network TV station. There is stop-motion animation and puppetry as well as special effects by Rick Baker and Rob Bottin that were state-of-the-art at the time. A silhouette of one of the monsters is obviously a cartoon animation (not unlike in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein). John Sayles (who co-wrote the blatantly metatextual script) and Roger Corman have cameos. Dee Wallace-Stone plays a Hollywood TV news anchor who is being stalked by a serial killer. In cooperation with the police, she takes part in a sting to capture the killer by meeting him in a scuzzy porn theater, where he forces her to watch a film of a young woman being raped, before she sees him emerging from the shadows. The final scene is a brilliant diametric reversal of this scenario in terms of the role of what's really happening, what's happening on the screen, and in what way horrific reality is stopped by bullets.
The brave anchor nonetheless submerges the memory of the tremendous sight which she cannot accept, so her therapist, Dr. George Waggner, named after the director of The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney and Claude Rains, sends her and her husband, Bill Neill, a thinly disguised reference to the director of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, to a secluded countryside resort for treatment. As expected, the colony is chock full of oddball characters, and eventually werewolf sex, frightening shapeshifting and silver bullets abound. But all this elemental and earthy stuff takes place outside of the reach of mass media, at least to some extent, so a TV news anchor returning from this experience is going to want the world to know! But how can she? In a society surrounded and inundated by all kinds of bright, flashing mass broadcasting all the time, how can she make them truly connect and believe her claims no matter what she shows them?
As befits a real B-grade horror flick, the leads are all basically interchangeable. Most of the more solid moments are left to the character actors, played by B-movie vets like Slim Pickens, John Carradine, and Dick Miller, as well as Patrick Macnee, who plays Wallace-Stone's shrink. I tend to nix comparisons to Tarantino because his fans tend to write off a lot of interesting filmmakers as QT wannabes, but this movie was made long before Tarantino burst onto the scene: The Howling is like the Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill of horror movies. It's a post-modern pastiche that arrives insisting it is the real thing to some degree, casting all the right people, playing its own creative variations on a classic old-hat plot device, engulfing us with reminiscences of other movies and media like it and at the same time giving it a real-world edge. The Howling so consciously plays upon fantasy and allusions to midnight movies of yesteryear and werewolf lore, and reintroduces common, prototypical features of style. And there is always something about that self-aware quality that frees us from taking it seriously and we have so much more fun with it.
Will Probably Appeal To Werewolf Fans MoreThan Casual Viewers
Theo Robertson22 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This 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
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
You can't contain that inner beast.
lost-in-limbo18 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Karen White is an investigative TV reporter who suffers a nervous breakdown after a horrific encounter with Eddie Quist; a serial killer who gets gun down in front of Karen. To recover from this incident; she and her husband head to a remote psychiatric retreat run by Dr. George Waggner. But while there she becomes even more on edge, as Karen suspects that there are weird things going on at this camp with the woods coming to life with constant howling and one of the women there is getting real close to her husband. Meanwhile, back in LA her work buddies Chris and Terry continue their investigation into Eddie and come up with some unusual revelations. When they go to check out his corpses, the body is gone.
I don't know, but never really got the hype that surrounded this flick. The first time I watched it was somewhat unsatisfied. The next time it was slightly better, but I just couldn't put my finger on why its held up so high, as again I was still left a little unimpressed. So, third time around my thoughts are still the same, but I probably got a bit more from it now than from my previous two viewings. That's not to say I think now it's a grand piece of entertainment, more so a mildly riveting exercise that has it's pluses and minuses.
The film paired up director Joe Dante and screen writer John Sayles again, after their collaboration in the incredibly witty, 'Jaws' knock-off "Piranha (1978)". "The Howling" goes for a sinister outlook in its contemporary take on the werewolf genre and Sayles' thoughtful script steers mostly away from the clichés associated with Hollywood werewolf films. Here it sticks with the true mythology (being able to shape shift whenever) of the lycanthropy. The one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is the overabundance of in-jokes, satirical humour and references to old flicks. The sharply, sardonic humour seemed to hold a great rapport with the seriously morbid approach Dante went for here. What did get on my nerves though, was the plodding mid-section, which just didn't draw me in like I hoped. Well, I actually found the sub-plot with Chris and Terry investigating Eddie to be far more interesting with some unexpected developments than the main focus on the leadenly, dramatised interactions between Karen and her husband Bill with the strange occurrences at the medical retreat.
After the relentlessly, seedy atmospheric build up within the first ten minutes, the story slowly dragged for quite a bit. That's until it makes way for an anxiety packed final half hour with one or two memorably, jarring scenes. Although, I found the climax somewhat anti-climatic. When it wants to be suspenseful, it is. I just wish there was more of it. Since the undeniably grimy atmosphere is perfectly, high on mood and when it shifts to its forebodingly, foggy woodlands its hard to escape the nightmarish feel, especially at night with eerie howling. The scenery is simply top-notch. Now I just wish the characters followed the same suit. Honestly they were mostly a unlikable lot that I didn't I care for one bit. Actually, I enjoyed the support roles more than I did of the leads. Belinda Belaski and Dennis Dugan as Terry and Chris were sturdy in their performances and gave their characters a little bit of solidarity. Robert Picardo nails it down as the slithering, monstrous Eddie Quist. There's a neat cameo from Dick Millar too. But the rest just didn't do anything for me. Dee Wallace was rather unconvincing and predictably uneven in her performance I thought. The same for Christopher Stone as her husband Bill Neill. Patrick Macnee seems lost at sea as Dr. George Waggner.
What made the film has got to be the cracking special effects by Rob Bottin! I really liked the towering werewolf designs. But it was the transformations that caught the eye with the repulsively, petrifying body morphing. The convincing detail that went into it is exceptional, but I thought at times it did take away from the overall effect by going on for just too long. The light in those scenes and sometimes other sequences was extremely poor I thought. Even the editing is kind of choppy and there's a odd inventive camera shot amongst the orthodox frame shots. Sometimes I thought the zooms got to close to the action, where we don't always get a good look of what's happening. But the score just felt out-of-place and basically corny. The film does have a sleazy tone and there's a grisly werewolf attack here and there.
Even though I found "The Howling" to be rather unsavoury as a whole, but there's a definite backbone that holds the film together with its wry humour and gruesome make-up effects.
I don't know, but never really got the hype that surrounded this flick. The first time I watched it was somewhat unsatisfied. The next time it was slightly better, but I just couldn't put my finger on why its held up so high, as again I was still left a little unimpressed. So, third time around my thoughts are still the same, but I probably got a bit more from it now than from my previous two viewings. That's not to say I think now it's a grand piece of entertainment, more so a mildly riveting exercise that has it's pluses and minuses.
The film paired up director Joe Dante and screen writer John Sayles again, after their collaboration in the incredibly witty, 'Jaws' knock-off "Piranha (1978)". "The Howling" goes for a sinister outlook in its contemporary take on the werewolf genre and Sayles' thoughtful script steers mostly away from the clichés associated with Hollywood werewolf films. Here it sticks with the true mythology (being able to shape shift whenever) of the lycanthropy. The one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is the overabundance of in-jokes, satirical humour and references to old flicks. The sharply, sardonic humour seemed to hold a great rapport with the seriously morbid approach Dante went for here. What did get on my nerves though, was the plodding mid-section, which just didn't draw me in like I hoped. Well, I actually found the sub-plot with Chris and Terry investigating Eddie to be far more interesting with some unexpected developments than the main focus on the leadenly, dramatised interactions between Karen and her husband Bill with the strange occurrences at the medical retreat.
After the relentlessly, seedy atmospheric build up within the first ten minutes, the story slowly dragged for quite a bit. That's until it makes way for an anxiety packed final half hour with one or two memorably, jarring scenes. Although, I found the climax somewhat anti-climatic. When it wants to be suspenseful, it is. I just wish there was more of it. Since the undeniably grimy atmosphere is perfectly, high on mood and when it shifts to its forebodingly, foggy woodlands its hard to escape the nightmarish feel, especially at night with eerie howling. The scenery is simply top-notch. Now I just wish the characters followed the same suit. Honestly they were mostly a unlikable lot that I didn't I care for one bit. Actually, I enjoyed the support roles more than I did of the leads. Belinda Belaski and Dennis Dugan as Terry and Chris were sturdy in their performances and gave their characters a little bit of solidarity. Robert Picardo nails it down as the slithering, monstrous Eddie Quist. There's a neat cameo from Dick Millar too. But the rest just didn't do anything for me. Dee Wallace was rather unconvincing and predictably uneven in her performance I thought. The same for Christopher Stone as her husband Bill Neill. Patrick Macnee seems lost at sea as Dr. George Waggner.
What made the film has got to be the cracking special effects by Rob Bottin! I really liked the towering werewolf designs. But it was the transformations that caught the eye with the repulsively, petrifying body morphing. The convincing detail that went into it is exceptional, but I thought at times it did take away from the overall effect by going on for just too long. The light in those scenes and sometimes other sequences was extremely poor I thought. Even the editing is kind of choppy and there's a odd inventive camera shot amongst the orthodox frame shots. Sometimes I thought the zooms got to close to the action, where we don't always get a good look of what's happening. But the score just felt out-of-place and basically corny. The film does have a sleazy tone and there's a grisly werewolf attack here and there.
Even though I found "The Howling" to be rather unsavoury as a whole, but there's a definite backbone that holds the film together with its wry humour and gruesome make-up effects.
A masterpiece of an underrated cult classic werewolf film
ivo-cobra815 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The Howling (1981) is an underrated cult classic werewolf film of the 80's a masterpiece in all horror genre. It is one of my personal favorite horror movies. From the director of Gremlins and Piranha comes the ultimate masterpiece of primal terror. Filed with edge-of-your-seat suspense genuine thrills and amazing special effects, this riveting werewolf tale sinks in teeth into your deepest fear and never lest go. This is my third favorite werewolf film of all time, I love this film to death! It was filmed and released the same year as was An American Werewolf in London my number 2 favorite werewolf horror film this is the third one that I love to death!
A hip, well-made horror film brimming with film-buff jokes and amazing wolf transformations!
This is still one of my favorite werewolf films, it isn't a great movie but the effects, directing and acting are really solid. Now, I do admit that there are a couple missed opportunities regarding the werewolves screen time-wise, like they could've shown some earlier in the film. But still, it's a pretty good film. This movie got a several sequels which I don't care for but I am going to give a second chance to see Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch (1985) because it has a good theme score.
He film is about a television newswoman (Dee Wallace) sent to a remote mountain resort after a fatal incident with a serial killer, unaware that the inhabiting residents are werewolves. First and for most this is THE werewolf movie that started it all Besides American Werewolf in London (classic by the way) but this is a true werewolf horror. What a cast!!! The lovely delightful Dee Wallace oh my god, she was everyone's favorite movie mom (ET) The special effects (c'mon people for its time 1980/1981) great editing, amazing creepy music, weird people, a very secluded setting.. werewolf's!! Need I say more!! Anyone who knows horror films understands "The Howling" was a ground breaking film, and not just for the cutting edge SFX (for the time) that still holds up today.
What I love about this film is beautiful actress Belinda Balaski as Terry Fisher who sees the island that a serial killer (Eddie Robert Picardo) drew, she run to the cabin and she fight off the werewolf, she chopped a werewolf's hand with an ax what a shocker. In this movie you have a pack of werewolf's who kill's people and Dee Wallece has to fight for her own life. I love the transformation of werewolf's in this film, I love the character Chris Halloran (Dennis Dugan) shooting werewolf's with a silver bullets. Chris bolts werewolf's inside of barn and together, Karen and Chris pour gasoline all around the barn and set it on fire and kills the rest of the werewolf's this a bad ass scene and the best one in the movie!
I love the howling in this movie, Karen and Chris are surrounded in the car by group of werewolf's and they hardly escape. Karen is bitten by werewolf wow I love this movie. I love the music score by Pino Donaggio and mostly I love the acting by Dee Wallace.
The film won the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film while still in development, and was one of the three high-profile wolf-themed horror films released in 1981, alongside An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen. Over the years, The Howling has accumulated a cult following. Its financial success aided Joe Dante's career, and prompted Warner Bros. To hire Dante (as director) and Michael Finnell (as producer) for Gremlins. A franchise consisting of seven sequels arose from the film's success.
The Howling (1981) is my second personal favorite werewolf horror slasher film in the horror genre I love this movie 10 out of 10 it is wisely scary and it is also intelligent film.
A hip, well-made horror film brimming with film-buff jokes and amazing wolf transformations!
This is still one of my favorite werewolf films, it isn't a great movie but the effects, directing and acting are really solid. Now, I do admit that there are a couple missed opportunities regarding the werewolves screen time-wise, like they could've shown some earlier in the film. But still, it's a pretty good film. This movie got a several sequels which I don't care for but I am going to give a second chance to see Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch (1985) because it has a good theme score.
He film is about a television newswoman (Dee Wallace) sent to a remote mountain resort after a fatal incident with a serial killer, unaware that the inhabiting residents are werewolves. First and for most this is THE werewolf movie that started it all Besides American Werewolf in London (classic by the way) but this is a true werewolf horror. What a cast!!! The lovely delightful Dee Wallace oh my god, she was everyone's favorite movie mom (ET) The special effects (c'mon people for its time 1980/1981) great editing, amazing creepy music, weird people, a very secluded setting.. werewolf's!! Need I say more!! Anyone who knows horror films understands "The Howling" was a ground breaking film, and not just for the cutting edge SFX (for the time) that still holds up today.
What I love about this film is beautiful actress Belinda Balaski as Terry Fisher who sees the island that a serial killer (Eddie Robert Picardo) drew, she run to the cabin and she fight off the werewolf, she chopped a werewolf's hand with an ax what a shocker. In this movie you have a pack of werewolf's who kill's people and Dee Wallece has to fight for her own life. I love the transformation of werewolf's in this film, I love the character Chris Halloran (Dennis Dugan) shooting werewolf's with a silver bullets. Chris bolts werewolf's inside of barn and together, Karen and Chris pour gasoline all around the barn and set it on fire and kills the rest of the werewolf's this a bad ass scene and the best one in the movie!
I love the howling in this movie, Karen and Chris are surrounded in the car by group of werewolf's and they hardly escape. Karen is bitten by werewolf wow I love this movie. I love the music score by Pino Donaggio and mostly I love the acting by Dee Wallace.
The film won the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film while still in development, and was one of the three high-profile wolf-themed horror films released in 1981, alongside An American Werewolf in London and Wolfen. Over the years, The Howling has accumulated a cult following. Its financial success aided Joe Dante's career, and prompted Warner Bros. To hire Dante (as director) and Michael Finnell (as producer) for Gremlins. A franchise consisting of seven sequels arose from the film's success.
The Howling (1981) is my second personal favorite werewolf horror slasher film in the horror genre I love this movie 10 out of 10 it is wisely scary and it is also intelligent film.
Way better than expected; one of the better werewolf films
LoneWolfAndCub17 March 2008
I have never been a fan of the werewolf sub-genre, in fact, there are only three other werewolf films I would rate highly. 'The Wolf Man,' 'An American Werewolf in London' and 'Dog Soldiers.' After ages of putting this one off I finally bit the bullet and put it in. I am glad I did. Joe Dante's 'The Howling' is not only a great werewolf movie, it is a really good movie. Featuring a great performance by Dee Wallace, some excellent transformation scenes and gore and some genuinely weird settings this is a a genre-defining movie. My attention was immediately drawn from the start and not once was I looking at my watch or waiting for the end. The story is interesting and is very evenly paced and the creepy woods setting (with some atmospheric fog to boot) kept me tense throughout. Moreover, when the first transformation scene occurred (during sex by a campfire!) I was even more engaged.
Joe Dante's direction and sly sense of humour probably helped this movie quite a bit, though. Especially with the ending, which was tragic and although out of place (for me, anyway) did suit the movie. Overall, 'The Howling' was surprisingly good and features one of the coolest transformation scenes I have ever seen! 3½/5
Joe Dante's direction and sly sense of humour probably helped this movie quite a bit, though. Especially with the ending, which was tragic and although out of place (for me, anyway) did suit the movie. Overall, 'The Howling' was surprisingly good and features one of the coolest transformation scenes I have ever seen! 3½/5
Joe Dante got it right with Gremlins. This one? Not so much.
Ben_Cheshire26 July 2015
Big fan of Gremlins, and always heard tell of how good The Howling was. Problem was I'd never been able to get more than 30 mins into it without something annoying me so badly I had to rage quit. Well, I finally got through it. Right to the end and yeah, it isn't for me.
Not sure what the budget was on this thing, but man oh man does it look bad. Its shot with soft lighting, and not enough lighting, and most of the time looks like Vaseline was on the lens. I think its a technique to mask the low budget special effects. Also, the famous transformation scene which I finally got to goes on for like two minutes too long and isn't that interesting. I prefer the Rat in From Dusk Till Dawn, at least he doesn't mess around. Having recently watched E.T. again I think I've identified my major problem with The Howling. Poor Dee Wallace, who also plays E.T.'s mother, is on screen most of the time, and she's just not a good actress. She's more convincing here than in E.T. but really she just doesn't sell any of it. And that really pulls a picture down when your protagonist, your anchor, just doesn't convince or draw you in. So, yeah. While probably landmark in 1983, The Howling is one I've always struggled to get through, tried to force myself to like, but at the end of the day its a movie its not homework, you don't have to like it. If I had to pinpoint the other main thing that frustrated me about The Howling it would be that the actual werewolves don't do get to do much. They spend so long transforming its like that's all they're good for. Its pretty funny when you think about it. Again, a question of what was possible with the special effects, but earlier films did more. Nosferatu (1922) and Dracula (1931) are incredible to this day. The Howling (1983) is not.
Its funny, maybe the genre just isn't for me. I can't think of a single werewolf movie I've liked except the remake to American Werewolf, and that one probably just hit me because I saw it at the right age, in the cinema. Maybe there's a time for werewolves, and you only get one chance. Its like falling in love.
Not sure what the budget was on this thing, but man oh man does it look bad. Its shot with soft lighting, and not enough lighting, and most of the time looks like Vaseline was on the lens. I think its a technique to mask the low budget special effects. Also, the famous transformation scene which I finally got to goes on for like two minutes too long and isn't that interesting. I prefer the Rat in From Dusk Till Dawn, at least he doesn't mess around. Having recently watched E.T. again I think I've identified my major problem with The Howling. Poor Dee Wallace, who also plays E.T.'s mother, is on screen most of the time, and she's just not a good actress. She's more convincing here than in E.T. but really she just doesn't sell any of it. And that really pulls a picture down when your protagonist, your anchor, just doesn't convince or draw you in. So, yeah. While probably landmark in 1983, The Howling is one I've always struggled to get through, tried to force myself to like, but at the end of the day its a movie its not homework, you don't have to like it. If I had to pinpoint the other main thing that frustrated me about The Howling it would be that the actual werewolves don't do get to do much. They spend so long transforming its like that's all they're good for. Its pretty funny when you think about it. Again, a question of what was possible with the special effects, but earlier films did more. Nosferatu (1922) and Dracula (1931) are incredible to this day. The Howling (1983) is not.
Its funny, maybe the genre just isn't for me. I can't think of a single werewolf movie I've liked except the remake to American Werewolf, and that one probably just hit me because I saw it at the right age, in the cinema. Maybe there's a time for werewolves, and you only get one chance. Its like falling in love.
AAAHHHOOOO... werewolves of California.
Nightman8527 January 2006
Terrific modern werewolf film from director Joe Dante remains one of his best movies.
News Anchor has a terrifying encounter with a lunatic murderer, then decides to seek rest in an isolated colony of weird characters. It's about to become a hairy situation!
Writer John Sayles (who does a humorous cameo as a morgue attendant) makes The Howling a clever and deeply spooky picture with some nicely tongue-in-cheek humor. The story references lots of old-school horror movies, notice how many of the characters in this movie are named after directors of old werewolf films. Dante lends some well-crafted direction, giving the movie a truly haunting atmosphere. He builds some great suspense and the occasional good shock. The art direction by Robert Burns is also quite good, making for some creepy settings. Rob Bottin's makeup FX are impressive and frightening. Pino Donaggio's music score is splendidly dramatic.
Dee Wallace Stone does a strong performance as the film's troubled heroine. Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Belinda Balaski, and Christoper Stone are also good in their supporting roles. Elisabeth Brooks and Robert Picardo make for some truly scary villains.
Along with Landis's great American Werewolf in London, which ironically came out the same year as this film, The Howling ranks as one of the very best modern werewolf movies!
**** out of ****
News Anchor has a terrifying encounter with a lunatic murderer, then decides to seek rest in an isolated colony of weird characters. It's about to become a hairy situation!
Writer John Sayles (who does a humorous cameo as a morgue attendant) makes The Howling a clever and deeply spooky picture with some nicely tongue-in-cheek humor. The story references lots of old-school horror movies, notice how many of the characters in this movie are named after directors of old werewolf films. Dante lends some well-crafted direction, giving the movie a truly haunting atmosphere. He builds some great suspense and the occasional good shock. The art direction by Robert Burns is also quite good, making for some creepy settings. Rob Bottin's makeup FX are impressive and frightening. Pino Donaggio's music score is splendidly dramatic.
Dee Wallace Stone does a strong performance as the film's troubled heroine. Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Belinda Balaski, and Christoper Stone are also good in their supporting roles. Elisabeth Brooks and Robert Picardo make for some truly scary villains.
Along with Landis's great American Werewolf in London, which ironically came out the same year as this film, The Howling ranks as one of the very best modern werewolf movies!
**** out of ****
To each their own...
m-4782624 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
To me The Howling is a better movie than AWIL. I like the story better, and the characters too. The creepy atmosphere fits perfectly the cheesy 80s tone. And that transformation scene is frightening. The opening scene is unsettling too, and I had nightmares of the Eddy Quist character, turning in the darkest corner of the peep show booth. And Karen (Dee Wallace) reaction and face expression, were easy to relate to. The movie stalls with the whole Colony introduction, and everything leading up to the « sex in the woods » scene. But it helps to set the tone. Granted, the finale design of the werewolf is not of the nicest effect, there too. Can we say werekangaroos? But the attacks and chase scenes still get you. The finale showdown in the barn, is where it gets silly, but not in an idiotic way. The thing with The Howling, is that the dark humor is never exaggerated, or meant as true comic reliefs. So the scare remains intact. The last scene is intentionally sarcastic though, and is a great conclusion to the movie. Unlike American Werewolf in London, this one is not trying so hard, and just do. Which makes it more efficient and my personal favorite. See which one is yours...
An American Werewolf in a Crappy Movie
zmaturin22 October 2001
Warning: Spoilers
This tedious and dull movie from the director of "Small Soldiers" stars the perpetually-depressed-looking Dee Wallace-Stone as a TV news anchor who is attacked by werewolf in a porno theater (not to be confused by the superior werewolf in a porno theater scene in "An American Werewolf in London"). Professor John Steed recommends she go up to his groovy commune for character actors to recover from her trauma, despite the fact that it means spending time with John Carradine. Nothing of any interest happened for most of the film's running time until a lengthy werewolf-transformation scene full of masturbatorial shots of sub-par make-up effects and an over-abundance of air-bladders ("An American Werewolf in London" features a much better transformation scene). Once the wererabbits show up things get a little better and the final scene is really good, but not so good as to excuse the lethargic and pointless first hour and twenty minutes of this stinkburger. It does have a lot of fun actors, most reduced to cameos, including Patrick Mcnee, Kevin McCarthy, Roger Corman, Forrest Ackerman, Dick Miller, Slim Pickens, Robert Picardo, and director Joe Dante himself. Also includes a scene where people's knowledge of werewolves is taken from Lon Chaney, jr's "The Wolf Man" (you know, like in "An American Werewolf in London").
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