The Howling (1981)

The Howling is Network meets The Island of Dr Moreau, a treatise on nature versus nurture that isn't afraid to poke fun at its practitioners, and while it's not as entertaining as American Werewolf, in the final reckoning it is in many ways ... superior.

An almost unparalleled horror mystery that gave its werewolves fangs and humanity.

A top-notch werewolf flick.

In tandem with 'An American Werewolf in London', the transformation sequence in 'The Howling' is not quite as painstakingly excruciating and terrifying but it's within the proximity of impressive special effects from Rob Bottin. The chest inflates, the snout protrudes and the skin effervesces with hair. However, the end result is a shaggy muskrat that is more mangy and unkempt than goosebump-inducing. Such is the case for most of 'The Howling', a kitschy, obnoxiously winking B-picture that attempts to spoof self-help gurus but the satire is hokily ill-advised with this dross. A female werewolf in the newsroom squelches tensile-wire tension because the prosthetic is insufferably adorable and sublethal. Likewise the reaction shots from the viewing publics (a nuzzling couple, a Spanish cashier, etc.) are ridiculously tongue-in-cheek and plagiarized directly from a Zucker Bros. farce. Also I apologize for my lack of sophistication but I've never been an acolyte of Harryhausen stop-motion animation and a few frames of baying wolves is truly atrocious.

Aside from An American Werewolf in London, The Howling is one of the best werewolf films ever. Joe Dante crafts a solid werewolf film with great acting, terrifying moments and good acting. The film does have room for improvement, but overall, The Howling is a solidly crafted film. After a near fatal encounter with a mass murderer, reporter Karen White is sent to a rehab facility to recuperate from her ordeal. However she soon realizes that things are strange and aren't what they seem. The film is brilliantly directed by Joe Dante who previously helmed Piranha and went on to direct other classics such as Gremlins and The Burbs. The film feature a terrific cast of actors, Slim Pickens is of course, one of the most noteworthy names of the cast and he delivers something totally different from his previous work. The film features awesome special effects by Rob Bottin who would later create the astounding effects in John Carpenter's The Thing. The Howling is a terrific piece of horror cinema that is most definitely a classic. The film has a terrific plot and great scares to keep the most diehard Horror fans pleased. Joe Dante is a very underrated director, and all of his films have something to love about them. The Howling is tense, horrifying and totally strange the way a horror film should be. I once saw a review by Roger Ebert stating that this was a film that shows a women being the victim, he threw this film in the same basket as I Spit on Your Grave and other slasher films of the early 80's. Ebert seemed to forget that THIS is a WEREWOLF film not a slasher film. Man, I hate that critic. Anyhow this brings me to a point. The Howling is not a film that shows the woman being the victim, sure the main character recovers from an ordeal where she almost gets killed by the hands of a serial killer, but in no way is this glorifying it. That plot device sets the tone to the story, and The Howling should not be dismissed as trash. The film is a good old fashioned Werewolf film that scary, thrilling and exciting. A well written and executed horror film. Also it shows that Roger Ebert doesn't know shit about what he's talking about.