Sign up to add this to your collection
|
Sign up to add this to your favorites
|
|
66%
Overall Rating
|
|
Ranked #2,691
...out of 20,698 movies
|
Sign up to check in!
|
Serial killer Eddie Quist has been preying on the homeless, and Karen White is the only newswoman he communicates with. After a near fatal encounter with him at an adult video store, she is ordered by Dr. George Waggner to take a vacation. Eddie was killed by police officers, but Karen's role in capturing him had been quite traumatic and she can't picture his face. She discovers that he came from a small community in the woods where she decides to vacation with her husband Bill Neill. What she does not realize is that Eddie was from a pack of werewolves who are trying to keep a low profile and does not want any interviews. Now she must not only fight for her life... but for her very soul.
--IMDb
|
|
The werewolf genre was at the height of its popularity in 1981. I recently posted a review for a film entitled "Wolfen", which was political and a non-traditional werewolf movie. Released in the same year, it took a back seat, both commercially and critically, to another werewolf film that came out slightly before it did. That film was, of course, Joe Dante's brilliant "The Howling". This film came on the heels of John Landis' "An American Werewolf In London", and blends the same kinds of elements together, though Dante focuses more on the horror aspects than he does on the comedy. "The Howling" is also a horror film that continues to stand the tests of time. It packs a unique punch, even today.
After a near fatal encounter with a serial killer, reporter Karen White (Dee Wallace) is in need of some serious rest and relaxation. Seeking refuge from the media and the trauma of the event, they travel to The Colony, a small and isolated community on the coast where the residents seem more than a little peculiar. Once there, they start to hear strange noises in the night, and experience things that make the hairs on the back of their necks stand at attention. As they uncover more dirt, they realize that the serial killer actually came from The Colony and that they have immersed themselves into a world filled with mystery, malice -- and a couple hundred werewolves.
This is a horror film that takes time to build this overwhelming sense of dread. It plays on the audience's fears and it also knows that an audience needs to become invested in the storyline before the horror is really going to work. So, the first 2/3 of the film is just that -- set-up and execution. We don't see much of what the menace really is and we really aren't altogether sure what it is -- we just know it's out there. About 2/3 through the film, we are given one of the greatest horror sequences ever, when Karen's friend is at The Colony, in the doctor's office, sifting through some papers. She is standing in front of the filing cabinet when all of a sudden we notice that on top of the filing cabinet is a pair of feet. They've been there all along. As she looks up, the camera pans with her to find -- well -- if you haven't see the film, this sequence is worth the rental or purchase price alone.
When people ask me my favorite werewolf film, "The Howling" typically comes to mind. Sometimes "Dog Soldiers", but some times "The Howling". It's a film about atmosphere and mood, a film about effects and scares. Director Joe Dante was at the top of his game in the 1980's and this picture is proof positive. He has a way of making his films seem larger than life, even when they're rather traditional. "The Howling" is also yet another opportunity to indulge in the horror legacies of Dee Wallace and Christopher Stone, who riddled the horror genre with more films in the 1980's that virtually any other actor and actress. "The Howling" has not dated itself and continues to be just as scary today as it was in 1981. 10/10.
|
|
#1:
Chad
- added July 19, 2007 at 10:21pm
Definitely a good one, but I'm going to have to go
with an 8/10. I understand the need for the setup
you mentioned, but in my humble opinion, some of
it just didn't work. Again, this is a minor
gripe, but it was enough to kill a perfect score
from yours truly.
|
|
#2:
Tristan
- added July 19, 2007 at 10:36pm
I had actually read the novel and it's sequel
about 5 or 6 years before I ever saw this film. So
I immediately had a biased towards it. But I felt
that it was done very well, and they did a
terrific job with the effects. Also, that score is
just so haunting. I mean the soundtrack of course.
9/10
|
|
|
#3:
Chad
- added July 19, 2007 at 10:53pm
Either of you seen the sequels, and if so, are any
of them worth checking out? This is one of the
few series that I never sat through, so I might
have to change that.
|
|
#4:
Edd
- added July 20, 2007 at 11:50am
I know that after about 3, it gets just downright
offensively bad. But you're a pretty big fan of
B-movies, so who knows?
|
|
|
#5:
Tristan
- added October 26, 2009 at 4:47pm
You know, after watching it again, it really isn't
as good as I remember. It strays from the source
material quite a bit, and a lot of the scenes feel
out of place. I don't know if it was the editing
or what, but scenes were tossed in where they
really didn't fit. After repeated viewing, I think
this one drops down to about a 6/10 from myself.
|
|
#6:
Crispy
- added February 2, 2015 at 9:59pm
Always found this an average movie at best, but
it's got one of the best transformation scenes in
werewolf cinema.
|
|
Rate Movie? 
