The Howling

1981 "Imagine your worst fear a reality"
The Howling
6.5| 1h31m| R| en| More Info
Released: 13 March 1981 Released
Producted By: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a newswoman is sent to a rehabilitation center whose inhabitants may not be what they seem.

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MonsterVision99 "The Howling" came out around the same time as "American Werewolf in London" and its often compared to the Landi's werewolf film, and I think its kinda of unfair, I enjoy "Werewolf in London" more than I enjoy "The Howling" but "The Howling" still manages to be a really effective and fun horror movie.It may not be as memorable or as riveting as "American Werewolf in London" and it may be dull at times but its mostly entertaining, the effects are amazing, it has good performances, its well directed, well written and its well paced. It takes influence from many werewolf films and blends all those elements together to make something original, something all great filmmakers do.overall, a great werewolf movie, its almost as good as "Piranha", quite amusing and engaging.
tstudstrup Let me start by saying that for a movie that only last 90 minutes, nothing happens for the first 40 minutes. Some news woman helps catch and kill a serial killer. And she has nightmares about it and is send to a retreat for therapy. But the retreat is really a place were werewolves can be free. And she is send there unknowingly to be bitten and turned herself. It's that retarded.The effects are laughably bad, especially considering An American Werewolf In London came out the same year and The Thing came out the year before. Both movies with effects that still look good today, nearly 40 years later. And considering Joe Dante, who made Gremlins, just 3 years later, also made this, it's down right embarrassing.There are two very long scenes where two people are turned into werewolfs. And when they're done turning they look like people in bad Halloween werewolf costumes. It seems like those scenes are only there to show off really bad special effects makeup.In the second turning scene it takes what feels like 5 minutes for the guy to to turn and the heroine of the movie just stand there and looks at him instead of getting away while she has the chance.The acting is pretty bad and the only interesting scene is when two people have sex and then turn into werewolfes, because the woman is hot and shows her tits.SPOILER OF THE ENDING AHEAD.Eventually after being saved by a colleague, who kills all the werewolves, the news woman is bitten herself. She then transforms, on live television, to warn people about werewolfs. She looks like Catwoman with fur in her face. And then she is shot and killed by her colleague. Well let me warn YOU, do not watch this. This is 90 minutes, that feels like three hours that you won't get back.Why this movie made so much money and spawned so many sequels, is beyond me.
Leofwine_draca 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.
Spikeopath In the name of good television, newswoman Karen White (Dee Wallace) forms a bond with serial killer Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). But when the meeting of the two arrives, it nearly proves fatal and damages Karen psychologically. Her psychologist recommends that she spend some time with her husband out at a remote convalescence resort, but once there it appears all is not as it seems.A truly great Werewolf movie, one of the best in fact, The Howling - in some eyes - has lost some of its bite over the years due to countless sequels and imitators, but its importance never dims. It often gets forgotten that The Howling changed the werewolf DNA for the better, it invented its own hairy beast as it were, refusing to copy past treasures from the olde classic era. But director Joe Dante shows the utmost respect to those who had previously eaten at the Lycan table, naming many of the characters in his film after directors of Werewolf movies. Nice.Another thing forgotten, due in no part to the release of An American Werewolf in London later in the year, is that Dante's movie often has tongue in bloody cheek. It is happy to be a parody of the sub-genre of horror it loves, while some of the comedy visuals are deliciously and knowingly dry. But this is a horror film after all, and it so delivers in spades the frights and nervous tremors, even sexing things up as well. These Werewolves are completely bestial, and in human form enjoy having their secret other halves. This is just a colony at the moment but domination of all humans is most definitely appealing and on the agenda.Horror fans will sometimes stumble across a debate about effects wizards Rob Bottin and Rick Baker, who is best? It really doesn't matter, both are geniuses of their craft. Bottin is in the chair here, while Baker served as a consultant before doing his thing on An American Werewolf in London. The transformation sequences are superb and still hold up today as brilliant craft work, no CGI cheap tactics here. No sir. The Howling is scary, sexy and funny, and knowing Dante - maybe even political. A joyous Werewolf film whose impact on horror should always be respected. 10/10